High Street was bustling as NSW Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party Natalie Ward visited Penrith on Tuesday.
She had a busy day: meeting with Penrith City Council, visiting Mulgoa Road to see firsthand the congestion that impacts Penrith motorists and having a meeting with key business leaders in Penrith before sitting down to chat with the Weekender ahead of a packed afternoon.
This marks the beginning of many trips out west from senior NSW Liberals ahead of the 2027 State Election where they look to regain the seat of Penrith and Government alike from Labor.
The first step is naming a local candidate who will run in the coming State Election. While no names were revealed, Ward is aware of how important it is to have a candidate out in the community ahead of the election.
“We will be chasing this seat and saying to the community that we present an alternative, that we’ll be passionate about it, that we will invest in those critical projects, we already did. We have a track record of investing in them so we will do that again,” Ward said.
“We are less than two years away, so we don’t have long, and we know that. I will be here many, many more times.
“We are in the listening phase right now but we’re really keen to understand what those [community] priorities are so that our candidate understands those unequivocally and will be a local through and through.”
As a former Roads Minister and current Shadow Minister for Transport and Roads, Ward knows the congestion on Mulgoa Road is a key issue for the Penrith community.
“I know what it takes to get those roads from planning, from a piece of paper to roads that have been dug and people can drive on,” Ward said.
“Sadly, I haven’t heard much from the local member, Karen McKeown, great respect to her as the elected member but I haven’t heard a lot of her advocacy about those roads.
“I know that’s what it takes for local members to be really vocal about ‘This is what our community needs with the funding of Mulgoa Road’.
“Sadly, that funding was in place when I was Roads Minister from the Federal and State governments that now with no explanation has been pulled by the Labor Government.
“That’s a tragedy because we know those two stages need to happen, we were out there this morning, and you can see the congestion.
“That money has gone missing.”
Ward met with key Penrith stakeholders including Penrith CBD Corp’s Gai Hawthorn and Mr Watkins owner Jess Jenkins to chat about issues business holders are facing in the community.
“I’m hearing about the lighting in the streetscape, the issues and the challenges around attracting people here,” Ward said.
“Jess, who owns three venues, is also really across the challenges in these economic times. So, it’s really important for me to meet face to face, have a chat with people but also understand so I can take that back to Macquarie Street to the State Government.”
“It’s easy to talk about a nighttime economy but you’ve got to actually implement and get those barriers out of the way like the DAs, like the liquor licensing and like the delays.”
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.