The new crop of Penrith City Councillors were officially sworn into service last week and have made their intentions known: Penrith comes first.
The new Councillors include Hollie McLean, Libby Austin, Garion Thain, Kirstie Boerst, Reece Nuttall, Eddie Mifsud, Sabbie Kaur, Faithe Skinner and Vanessa Pollak with returning Councillors Todd Carney, Ross Fowler, Robin Cook, John Thain, Sue Day and Glenn Gardiner.
Labor’s Garion Thain indicated that he intends to make sure Penrith comes first.
“It’s a great honour to represent this city. I’ve lived here my entire life, I went to school here, my first job was here, I met my fiancée here – it’s given me so much. And I’m grateful to have this chance at such a pivotal time for Penrith and St Marys,” he said.
“The new airport is going to unlock a swathe of new opportunities, not least for lasting jobs, housing, and the future of St Marys Town Centre. As an observer, I’ve seen Council do great work in this space and I’m excited to be a part of this era of change, where we can get the best for us and set Penrith and St Marys up properly for ourselves and the next generation.
“There are a lot of things that are malleable, but my values aren’t. My core belief is the right to a fair go, and what ‘a fair go’ means is fair opportunities and fair outcomes: for workers, families, young people, all residents of Penrith.
“The fair go for Penrith comes first, and if you can meet me there, then I can work with you.”
Liberal Reece Nuttall thanked the community and his fellow party member Ross Fowler for the support he has received.
“I want to say a massive thank you to our community, to those that voted for Ross Fowler and myself and their support and their dedication and it’s a massive privilege to work alongside Ross Fowler,” Nuttall said.
“I remember I was in high school at Cranebrook High and I would have been in Year 9… and we were renovating Calisto Drive in Cranebrook, the playground there, and I had to do a speech in front of the Mayor at the time, and the Mayor at the time was Councillor Fowler and at that moment I knew that this is what I wanted to do.
“I wanted to give to the community because for so long they have given to me. Penrith is the gateway to the world, it is a place of opportunity, it is a place where we as Australians can come together with our knowledge, our experience and our ideas to improve the lives of people living right here in our community. People are doing it tough, people are struggling, and Council can only make it better for them, for businesses and I look forward to doing that.”
Libby Austin said that her age won’t impact her dedication to be a Councillor.
“I am 19-years-old, and I am a university student, and I am currently the youngest person on Penrith City Council,” Austin said.
“This means something, this role naturally comes with so much responsibility but as the youngest one here, I feel like it comes with some added layers.
“I am here to amplify the voices of young people and young women. I intend to show everybody in this room and in the community that I do not speak simply of words or of empty promises, but I am fully devoted to representing everyone in Penrith.
“I am committed to ensuring that young people are listened to and valued, committed to ensuring that the phrase ‘university student’ does not hold negative connotations, both within these four walls and out in the community. Age does not determine capability, nor intelligence, nor someone’s willingness to learn. I have heart and mind set on delivering for our community.”
Labor’s Hollie McLean shared that she was dedicated to advocating for the community.
“So, why am I here? Because I believe that who makes policy matters,” McLean said.
“The people who have a voice at the table matter and it matters that we also hear the voices that are speaking to us from the community. It matters that we use what we have to be able to platform other voices.
“Council does the things that everyone knows about, the rates, the roads and our rubbish and our playing fields [but] Council is so much more. Council is the home of local placemaking, it’s the home of city shaping and when we think about those things it’s about the physical spaces but it’s also about our social spaces, it’s about our social safety, it’s about the way that we all integrate with each other and spend time together. It is such a broad and important piece of work. Seeing the diversity… around the table here means I think that we are going to have so many more diverse voices feeding into our strategic planning, feeding into our placemaking and city shaping work, and I think that is so exciting.”
McLean’s number two on the ticket Kirstie Boerst shared that her commitment to Council came from a tough time in her family’s life.
“It’s really important for our community to be together to provide the services that our residents need in those times when they are struggling and they’re not going through life very well,” Boerst said.
“If I hadn’t had the services that are available to us here in Penrith, and we do have some amazing services, I wouldn’t have survived the last two and a half years… these are the things I want to bring to Council, I want us to be strong and I want everybody in our community to have the opportunity that we have had, the opportunities that we have had to thrive and to shine. Sometimes it’s not easy to shine and I want us all to shine.”
Other new Councillors Faithe Skinner, Eddie Mifsud, Sabbie Kaur and Vanessa Pollak did not speak at the meeting while returning Councillors John Thain, Sue Day, Ross Fowler, Glenn Gardiner, Robin Cook and Todd Carney all spoke upon their return to chambers.
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.