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19th July 2023
At the '100 Days in Government' event – hosted by the Centre for Western Sydney at Western Sydney University’s Parramatta City campus – the Premier shared with key community, public and private sector representatives his government’s vision for the region.
"It was a great privilege to join the Centre for Western Sydney and Western Sydney University for this wonderful event," said Premier of NSW, the Hon Chris Minns.
"I’m very proud to be part of a government where Western Sydney is represented by so many fantastic local Members including Prue Car as our Deputy Premier and Minister for Western Sydney.
"We’ve hit the ground running in our first 100 days but this is just the start. We’re committed to doing what we said we would - smashing the wages cap so we can pay our nurses, teachers, paramedics, hospital workers, police officers and firies more and rebuilding our essential services like our schools and hospitals.
"Every member of this Government is committed to building a better future for NSW and a better future for Western Sydney."
Professor Andy Marks, Executive Director of the Centre for Western Sydney, said the discussion was an important follow-up to the Centre’s 'Western Sydney Votes' forums earlier this year – at which Liberal and Labor representatives addressed the region’s voters – and demonstrated that we have a Premier who understands the scale and the urgency of the challenges facing Western Sydney.
"We last spoke with the Premier when he was the NSW Opposition Leader putting forward his vision for Sydney’s West. Speaking with him again, now he leads the state, it was interesting to gauge the transition from planning to implementation," said Professor Marks.
"We heard that housing, cost-of-living, education, and health remain priorities, but the scale of the challenges has heightened the urgency, especially in Western Sydney where those issues are most deeply felt."
Professor Marks said the community focus of the Centre’s event was a point of difference from traditional political and policy forums, signalling a heightened readiness on the part of the new government to be accessible.
"The Centre for Western Sydney will continue to host more of these free events, at which not-for-profits and community groups are given priority access to our political representatives," said Professor Marks.
"These forums are vital to residents of our region, who are often unfairly excluded from highly priced ticketed events, where the big end of town sets the agenda. We thank the Premier and his colleagues for their commitment to ensuring all members of community are able to participate in the critical discussions on issues impacting their lives."
Dr Rhonda Itaoui, Director of the Centre for Western Sydney said that the large swings in key parts of the region signalled that residents were supportive of ambitious policy decisions.
"The results at polling booths across the region demonstrated that Western Sydney strongly supported the Premier’s approach to critical issues facing voters. Policies removing the public sector wage cap and introducing a weekly cap on tolls were particularly favoured within Western Sydney," said Dr Itaoui.
"Residents are now looking to the Premier regarding critical issues affecting them on a daily basis, including housing affordability, rising costs of living, quality healthcare and access to both quality education and employment opportunities.
"The Centre for Western Sydney supports the implementation of evidence-based policy interventions in these important areas, and seeks to ensure that community needs are reflected in future decisions that enhance the wellbeing of our communities."
In February 2023, the University’s regional thinktank, the Centre for Western Sydney hosted four Western Sydney Votes Forums, across health, education, infrastructure, and the economy, as well as one-on-one with then NSW Opposition Leader, now Premier, Chris Minns.
