On Saturday, March 14, 2027, an election will be held to determine who will run NSW for the following four years.
That’s just over six months from now, so it’s not too early to start casting around for what could be the issues that make a difference.
There are seven seats in outer South Western Sydney, and all but two are held by Labor Party MPs.
Charishma Kaliyanda in Liverpool and Nathan Hagarty in Leppington are both first term MPs who have done a good job, as even some of their political opponents have conceded.
Further out there’s the two Campbelltown seats, Macquarie Fields and Campbelltown itself.
Both of these re occupied by long term Labor MPs, Anoulack Chanthivong, a government minister, and Greg Warren, a parliamentary secretary, both of whom were first elected in 2015.
Wollondilly is held by the Independent Judy Hannan, while the Liberal Party’s Tina Ayyad – the wife of the Liverpool Mayor, Ned Mannoun – is the MP for Holsworthy.
In Camden the sitting member is first term Labor MP Sally Quinnell.
And now to the issues that may occupy the voters’ minds when they walk into the booth to vote on March 14 next year.
Well, it has to be overdevelopment, and very rapid overdevelopment at that.
The problem is that while we have unfinished road infrastructure such as the Spring Farm Parkway stage two, the population in the South West is booming.
And nowhere in the region is it booming as much as it is in Camden.
And nothing symbolises overdevelopment as much as the Minns Government push to turn the old nurses quarters opposite Camden Hospital into six storey apartments of “affordable and social housing’’.
That issue alone could lead to the government losing the seat of Camden after just one term, so it will be interesting what tack Labor will take leading into the election.
The current member recently told parliament that she supports the Menangle Road proposal, and that Camden needs to do its fair share on social housing.
“I was incredibly proud to stand on that site with the Minister and say that it would be used for social housing for the people in our State,’’ the Member for Camden told the House.
The people of Camden will ultimately have the final say on March 24.
But in the meantime, overdevelopment in the South West looks like a political challenge for the Minns Government heading into an election.
It is made even worse by the perception that the region is not getting its fair share of infrastructure, especially roads and public transport.
Remember too that the South West – Wollondilly, Campbelltown, Camden and Liverpool, aren’t getting any metro links to the new airport at Badgerys Creek – it’s going north to St Marys and then Parramatta, which is swallowing a huge chunk of so called Western Sydney funding.
But it’s not too late for the government to at least come in with a timeline for a metro line south of Western Sydney International.
Which would also help the planning part for new greenfield residential and industrial developments.
Either way, overdevelopment is shaping up as the biggest issue for the election campaign in our neck of the woods.
