Content about Inner West

Mr Deputy Speaker

I am pleased you are in the Chair for my address. You’ve been a friend and wise counsel since my early days in this house.

I rise today with a unique privilege – of someone who has been given a second chance to make a difference in this great State.

Not since the earliest days of this Parliament has someone generally had the opportunity of representing more than one geographically separate electorate.

Which city do you think Strathfield has more in common with: Sydney or Parramatta? It’s an important question as the municipality considers its economic future – the more so as the development of Parramatta Road as a major corridor between East and West gains pace.

Up to now, most have maintained we are closer to Sydney’s CBD.  But as Parramatta – the geographic centre of Sydney’s burgeoning population – powers ahead, moves are afoot to shift our business thinking.

The Sansom report is out and is recommending Strathfield Council merge with Burwood, Ashfield and Canada Bay and possibly Leichhardt and Marrickville as well.

The cost of amalgamations, mergers or boundary changes - all used interchangeably in the report - will be born by the rate payers with a strong emphasis on increasing rate revenue above CPI, with comments like "rate increases must meet underlying costs" and the need for "ongoing adjustments to rates and charges".

The State Government is reportedly considering giving its backing to a report which calls for amalgamations of councils in the Inner West, with speculation that Strathfield, Ashfield and Burwood could be on the block.

According to The Daily Telegraph’s state political editor Andrew Clennell, Local Government Minister Don Page considers the current 152 councils unsustainable.

As reported on Ourstrathfield last week, an independent panel on restructuring councils is expected to report in March, and could outline which councils should merge.

Two academics have uncovered a major opportunity to put Strathfield on the tourist map and present Australia with a bold new international image of the municipality. According to Professor Jock Collins and Dr Joon Shin of the University of Technology Sydney’s Business School, Strathfield could become the “little Korea” of Sydney, reaping benefits in tourism, employment and investment.

Strathfield’s leading position in the inner west as a commercial and transport hub has prompted a council move to seek city status  – a significant step in ensuring the area’s assets are fully recognised.

This weekend marks an important milestone for Strathfield.

It will see the first in a series of big events designed to transform Sydney’s view of the municipality – and hopefully position it as one of the movers and shakers of the inner-west.

It is, in effect, the launch of Brand Strathfield. Expect to hear much more of this in the coming weeks.

Strathfield Council is considering forming a new Joint Organisation with Ashfield, Burwood, Canada Bay, Leichhardt and Marrickville in a bid to stave off council amalgamations.

At an extraordinary meeting, council discussed the Office of Local Government’s Joint Organisations Emerging Directions Paper which recommended that Strathfield join its Inner West neighbours in a Joint Organisation.

It comes on the eve of the release of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) report to the state government on council amalgamations.

It was the night of nights for Strathfield businesses at the Inner West Local Business Awards.

There were over 30 Strathfield businesses who were nominated as finalists with three taking out awards for their excellent service to the community.

Cosgrove Smash Repairs was the first Strathfield business to win the Automotive Service category with the Strathfield Scene's Editor-In-Chief Peter Lynch presenting the award.

Shanahans Butler Solicitors won the Professional Service category for the second year in a row.

Strathfield's mayor, Cr Gulian Vaccari,  has told councils to keep their ‘hands off Strathfield’.

Councillor Vaccari’s statement came after Bankstown  earlier this week tabled a motion to include boundary changes in its "Fit for the Future" submission to the State Government.

The areas Bankstown has suggested become part of its own local government area are parts of Greenacre as well as the Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre (ILC).

The council amalgamation debate, which threatens the future of Strathfield as a stand-alone municipality, will reach a major watershed this week.

As surrounding authorities hold extraordinary meetings to decide their final positions on the issue, one Strathfield councillor has revealed other councils had discussed a plan to split Strathfield’s local government area between Auburn and Burwood.

She also revealed that Strathfield had been approached with a merger plan by Auburn.  She said this had been rebuffed.

Around 23,000 homes in Strathfield, Burwood and Concord have been left without power on one of the coldest days of the year.

The power outage caused major traffic delays during peak hour and the blackout is expected to last another couple of hours.

A shopping centre in Burwood has been evacuated.

A spokesman for Live Traffic NSW said: “We have a power failure which has taken traffic lights out in Burwood, Strathfield and Concord and we advise motorists exercise extreme caution until the problem the problem is resolved.