Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'Overdevelopment' is an ugly word that paints a picture of high-rise buildings, urban sprawl, a lack of green space and a failure of government to provide adequate services and infrastructure. My electorate of Macarthur is being overdeveloped. Macarthur lies on the outskirts of Sydney and can be described as an outer metropolitan hub that has a rural charm. Indeed, it was the birthplace of Australia's wool industry, with Elizabeth and John Macarthur—and also a very big dairy area—and still is. Unfortunately, the charm is under threat.

As I've indicated time and time again, my region lacks access to local and stable jobs. Many of my constituents are made to travel several hours each day just to commute to and from work, taking away from family time. They are made to cram into overly crowded public transport, if it can be accessed, in the limited accessible places, and sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic on our congested roads. We lie well outside the limits of the city, yet the government appears intent on turning my community into another urban jungle.

Each and every month more and more people move into Macarthur. However, they're not able to access local services and good, stable local employment opportunities. Many of them work in the gig economy. Many of them are subject to the travesties of the labour hire market. Unfortunately, that puts a lot of stress on families and on children in particular.

Developers will attempt to build high-rise buildings and urban sprawl wherever they can, and they'll cram out whatever limited green space they can. They and the New South Wales Liberal government are failing to provide the infrastructure needed to support our growth in population. Development, of course, is by no means a bad thing, but when it occurs in a rampant, unchecked manner, as it is in my community, it has a huge effect on people's quality of life. I do not want to see the loss of viable green space in my community, and I will not stand for Macarthur's skyline being turned into an eyesore.

Our local community is in desperate need of government investment if it is to recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our region is screaming out for investment in desperately needed infrastructure, yet nothing is happening. The struggling workforce and local businesses would greatly benefit from government investment in major infrastructure projects, in jobs, in transport, and in housing, particularly social housing. The mass development that is occurring in south-west Sydney cannot continue to occur unchecked.

We need government to do its part in adequately planning for and managing the present and future needs of communities. Development, where necessary, ought to be occurring along transport corridors and around public transport hubs and railway stations. Macarthur's most rapidly developing suburbs are at present missing out.