Featured Stories
Chris Hayes: our man in Canberra did it his way for 17 years
Chris Hayes did not have much of a say when he stood for election in Fowler in 2010. He was first elected to federal parliament for Werriwa in 2005 in a byelection to replace former Labor leader Mark Latham. Hayes comfortably won Werriwa at the general election in 2007 and was set for a long stint representing the place he called home. Politics is often unpredictable, as he found out prior to the 2010 election when he was told the party would parachute Laurie Ferguson into Werriwa. Hayes wasn’t left with much choice: it’s either Fowler or the highway. So… Read more »
Billabong Q&A on council reveals water park will now cost $42m
An extraordinary Campbelltown Council meeting that turned into a Billabong Q&A has ripped the veil of secrecy off the controversial project. Labor leader on the council Darcy Lound launched a barrage of questions about the Billabong, which turns out will now cost Campbelltown ratepayers more than $42 million. The original plan cost a little over $18 million. Both Cr Lound and his colleague Karen Hunt conducted a forensic examination of just about every aspect of the Billabong, which had been championed by the former mayor, George Brticevic. As everyone now knows, Cr Brticevic, who served five years as mayor under… Read more »
Master plan wheels in motion for $1 billion justice precinct
There’s been a lot of talk about funding transformational projects. But there is nothing more transformational than the plan for a community and justice precinct in the heart of Campbelltown. As the $1 billion plus project – yes, one billion dollars – enters the master planning stages it is becoming clear that it could be the biggest local infrastructure project for more than 50 years. It could arguably be even bigger than the establishment of a Western Sydney University campus in Campbelltown in the late 1990s. What makes the justice precinct so transformational is its location, right in the middle… Read more »
