Penrith City Council is set to see both its youngest and oldest Councillors serve after last weekend’s Local Government Election.
19-year-old Libby Austin and 84-year-old Edwin ‘Eddie’ Mifsud have both been elected uncontested to Council along with current Mayor Todd Carney, Garion Thain and Sarbjeet Kaur after no other candidates ran in Penrith’s East Ward.
This time last year Austin was completing her HSC and had just entered the world of politics.
“I essentially joined the Labor Party last year during my HSC and I just dove headfirst, got involved in absolutely everything, met everybody who ran on these tickets today and I guess I must have done something to make them like me because Todd [Carney] called me and asked me if I’d ever consider going on the ticket and of course I said yes!” Austin said.
“I’m not going to say no to a chance to represent my community. Did I think I’d get elected? No, but I am so happy that I am. I just can’t wait. I’m so excited.”
Austin recognises her age may be a contentious topic but is committed to proving her worth on Council.
“It is a lot of responsibility because I want to show that young people can do a good job,” Austin said.
“There have been a lot of questions about how I got onto Council and then my age and the fact that I’m a university student, but all I see is an opportunity to prove that young people, that university students can do well and that hopefully the standard will change, and hopefully young people are allowed to have a voice more often.”
Penrith will have three Councillors under 30 with Liberal Reece Nuttall and Labor’s Garion Thain joining Austin, who already has plans to ensure Penrith’s youth will be well represented for years to come.
“The first two things I want to do, they go hand in hand, is a youth advisory committee and a women’s advisory committee,” Austin said.
“Because while it is great we have Garion, myself and Reece who are going to be young people on Council, this is the first time it has happened and there is no guarantee that in four years or 10 years there are going to be young voices and so I want to make sure there is something ongoing with Council to make sure we can better represent our constituencies and that also goes for a women’s committee.
“We are going to have, what I can only assume, is around seven or eight women on Council which is absolutely amazing, but again that is not the standard.
“That is a great opportunity and it’s an opportunity we should capitalise on and invest in.”
On the opposite end of the scale, Mifsud has been a lifelong Labor member and is proud to serve his community as a Councillor.
“That’s what gives me the pleasure of representing, especially my area, I live in St Clair,” Mifsud said.
“A lot of people know me in the area, so I am happy to represent them, and I will take their concerns to Council.”
Mifsud is prepared to put in the work as a Councillor.
“It’s a new job… as much as age does matter, but I don’t care about age,” he said.
Emily Chate
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.