Veil of secrecy hangs over Western Sydney City Deal

It’s hard to know where to start on the Western Sydney City Deal.

Should it be with the shroud of secrecy which has meant that local councillors have given the mayor delegated authority to sign the Western Sydney City Deal on behalf of council even though they don’t know what it’s in it for their local government area.

That’s what happened at Campbelltown Council last Tuesday night when the councillors were told they couldn’t be told anything but to put their trust in the mayor, Cr George Brticevic and the general manager, Lindy Deitz.

The minutes from that meeting show also that “the council is not legally bound at this point should the mayor decide to sign the City Deal document; a further report be brought back to council prior to any binding commitments being made’’.

All the councillors I spoke to lamented the fact that they had no idea what Campbelltown would get from this deal.

Well, they didn’t have to wait long to find out because two nights later on the evening TV news it was reported Campbelltown and all of the other seven Western City councils would each get $15 million.

One of the reports said Campbelltown had indicated it would be spending the money on expanding the art gallery.

Apparently there was a bit of scrambling the next day, with councillors sent messages that nothing had been decided and that the TV reports were incorrect.

But nobody denied the part of the TV reports of how much money each council would get.

Or that councils would be matching the $15 million dollar for dollar on their chosen projects.

Which would mean Campbelltown ratepayers slugged $15 million to make our art gallery a little bigger – if indeed that’s the chosen City Deal project.

There are a lot more important things Campbelltown needs, but we will just have to wait and see what happens.

But back to the Western Sydney City Deal and what we do know about it.

Here’s what the official website says, word for word:

“The Australian and NSW Governments will work together with local governments across Sydney’s West and South-West Districts towards a landmark Western Sydney City Deal – the first in New South Wales.

“The City Deal will bring together all three levels of government in a collaborative partnership to realise the potential of Sydney’s outer west.

“The City Deal will focus on the West and South West Districts that include the local government areas of Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Penrith, the Blue Mountains and Wollondilly.

“The population of Western Sydney is set to grow by more than 1 million people over the next 20 years, including almost 500,000 in the West and South West Districts.

“The City Deal will capitalise on the unique opportunities presented by this significant economic and population growth – supporting a region that is more liveable and more productive.

“We are committed to fostering a region that is skilled, innovative and embraces digital opportunities.

“Fundamentally we need to grow globally competitive sectors.

“The City Deal will focus on:

• An increase in infrastructure investment, including transformative public transport projects, to unlock the economic potential of the region, reduce congestion and support local needs.
• A program of employment and investment attraction to support the development of the region, through reduced business regulation, investment in skills and removing barriers to employment, including a focus on youth and Indigenous employment.
• Improving housing affordability through support for increased supply and housing diversity, including improvements to planning and zoning regulations and higher density developments in appropriate locations.
• Improved environmental and liveability outcomes, including streamlined and coordinated biodiversity conservation, support for clean air, green spaces, vibrant arts and cultural experiences.
• Coordination between governments to deliver regulatory reforms that better integrate infrastructure, land use, housing and environmental planning decisions to facilitate growth.’’

Wonderful stuff of course, but why so much secrecy? Nobody’s actually come out and explained why they need to be so hush hush about it.

We are supposed to be a democracy in which as much information as possible is made public and where robust debate can thrive – even if some of it upsets some of our thin skinned politicians.

In this particular case, the Western Sydney City Deal, it is the people’s hard earned tax money that will be handed out to the eight councils.

The people, along with elected councillors, should be trusted to know how much money is involved and where it will be spent – it’s as simple as that in a democracy.