Danna Vale (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before the last federal election, the electorate boundaries within New South Wales were redistributed and my electorate of Hughes was extended across the Georges River to include the city of Liverpool CBD and the suburbs of Liverpool and Warwick Farm. I would like to take this time to acknowledge that since the last local government elections in September this year the Liverpool local government area has had a new democratically elected council and mayor for the first time since the state government placed the council under administration in 2004.

The city of Liverpool today is a vibrant city on the move. The current population is estimated to be over 155,000, up from 120,000 in 1996. Liverpool is also one of the largest growing local government areas in New South Wales. More than 56,000 new residents have made Liverpool their home in the last 10 years and population projections predict that Liverpool’s population will reach 260,000 by 2019. Liverpool is also a young and diverse city. The median age is 20 years, a third of the population is 19 years or younger, 38 per cent of the Liverpool population was born overseas and 62 per cent of the population speaks a language other than English. But because of its youth Liverpool has a strong family focus, with 88 per cent of people living in family households. Couple families with children make up 71 per cent of family households, with only 4.5 per cent of the Liverpool population made up of lone person households.

I would like to congratulate the new Mayor of Liverpool, Her Worship Councillor Wendy Waller, and the new deputy mayor, Councillor Peter Harle, on their election. I would also like to congratulate the new Liverpool city councillors—Mr Ali Karnib, Mr Gary Lucas, Mr Ghulam Gillani, Mr Tony Hadchiti, Ms Nadia Napoletano, Mr Ned Mannoun, Mr Mazhar Hadid, Ms Anne Stanley and Mr Jim McGoldrick—on their personal commitment to serving the people of Liverpool and on their successful election to office. These new councillors represent the rich demographic diversity that makes up the city of Liverpool and that makes it such an interesting and dynamic place in which to live. I look forward to working with the new councillors for the advancement of the people of the shared representative area of responsibility that we have in the greater city of Liverpool.