It’s time for another federal election and the light will once again shine a light on Greater Western Sydney as our ‘swing region’ of marginal seats is expected to have a strong influence on the result. Housing affordability, population pressures and cost of living issues will be at the forefront of voter’s minds. In this document, the Dialogue puts forward a range of policy initiatives that will help to maintain the regional growth agenda, keep the housing and employment momentum, and ensure that we continue to leverage the existing and planning infrastructure pipeline.

The Dialogue’s 2024 Local Government Elections Brief gives an overview of the results and trends of the 2024 council elections. Localised trends differed significantly across the different council areas, however, the influence of where Liberal candidates contested (or did not contest) seats was apparent regionally, as was smaller party candidates on both sides of the political spectrum gained votes that had previously gone to major parties.

Some indication of shifting voter preferences and priority issues could be seen through these results. With more votes flowing to the smaller parties, the Labor party did not benefit from the reduced Liberal contest as much as might have been expected. It is worth considering that in the face of ongoing global and economic headwinds, communities are increasingly identifying with candidates that hold a hyperlocal position which focuses on putting the community’s needs first.

Under the Western Sydney City Deal between the state, commonwealth and local governments, there was a commitment to establish rapid bus services from the key centres of Campbelltown, Liverpool, and Penrith prior to the opening of the Western Sydney International Airport. This submission outline’s the Dialogues advocacy priorities in this area. We continue to support the funding for key linkages between the South West and the Airport, including the Fifteenth Avenue Smart Transit (FAST) Corridor proposed by Liverpool Council and in advocating for the Airport Metro to be connected into Campbelltown LGA.

This 2024 Local Government Elections Brief gives an analysis of initial election results as votes are still being confirmed. Greater Western Sydney saw several interesting interim trends, including that the Labor party did not benefit from the reduced Liberal contest as much as we might have expected.

The rising cost of housing in NSW is increasingly putting pressure on the state’s essential workers and their ability to live close to where their jobs are located. The Dialogue’s submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry on Options for Essential worker Housing in NSW highlights that this housing type not only plays a vital role for the individuals and families who live in it, but it also delivers for the economy by supporting those workers that we rely on to keep our communities functioning. Pressures on essential workers securing housing are usually most evident in the centre of capital cities, these pressures, however, are now affecting Greater Western Sydney (GWS), especially the Parramatta/Westmead area. We need to support efforts to identify and quarantine affordable housing that preferences essential workers and delivers a bigger productivity boost.

The geographical location and changing urban form of Greater Wester Sydney plays a major role in the experience of heat in the West, and the community faces a multitude of health implications as a result.

This discussion paper identifies a number of regional challenges and key areas for further scrutiny and proposes draft policy recommendations to start to address these concerns. These early insights and solutions provide a high-level understanding of the current situation in GWS and will guide Dialogue’s future work and advocacy in this space.