The Penrith State Election candidates pitch for your vote

This NSW election is not about politics or politicians, it’s about you and Penrith.

You must make a choice about who is best placed to represent the interests of our community in the Parliament. Who, when the going gets tough, will fight hard for you? Who will ensure that Penrith gets the right share of resources and investment and who is best placed to manage the finances of our state?

As your local member, every single day in this job I have been putting Penrith first.

That has led to our community seeing a $1 billion redevelopment of Nepean Hospital, upgraded roads; with the Northern Road complete and the next stage of widening Mulgoa Road to six lanes about to start.

All our train stations have been upgraded and all our schools are air-conditioned, with many also receiving significant upgrades to their facilities.

None of these things have happened by accident.

They have required hard work, listening to our community and very importantly, the budget and economic management capability to deliver them.

I am as passionate about Penrith today as the day I started in this job as your local MP.

My plan for Penrith includes improving our parks and community playgrounds, completing Stage 2 of the Nepean Hospital upgrade, building a new Indoor Sports Arena, and stopping thousands of apartments being built on the Paceway site by building our new stadium there.

Now is not the time to put your job and our economy at risk with a Labor Government.

Together we can keep Penrith and NSW moving forward.

I have lived in the Penrith area since coming to Australia in 2007 and it has been such a great place for my husband and I to raise our two children that there’s no way we would want to live anywhere else.

Now I want to represent our vibrant community.

I will fight to lower the cost of living for the people of Penrith and deliver affordable housing, better public health (including dental and mental health) and education. I believe we all have a right to this standard of living, which must be promoted and recognised in all interpersonal, community, institutional, and structural settings.

We are in a housing crisis and our environment is in a concerning ecological state as a result of investor greed, over-development and our economy’s over-reliance on fossil fuels. Additionally, the gender pay gap and lack of access to health and disability support is merely maintained and rarely spoken about.

Working with refugees from the Middle-East living in western Sydney as a human-rights activist has made me passionate about inclusion, equality and defending women’s safety here in Australia and around the world.

As a Mum, an immigrant, an interior designer and an activist for human rights, I have a vision that combines the demand for inclusion and diversity with a sustainable future for all.

Our community deserves equal and universal access to high quality public services with enough diversity to take into account everyone’s needs.

I love Penrith. I’ve lived here for over three decades and raised my four children locally with my husband Brendan.

Having served on Penrith Council since 2004, including two terms as Mayor, I’ll never forget what’s important to our community.

After 12 years in office, Dominic Perrottet, Stuart Ayres and the Liberals are more focused on themselves than they are on us.

Worse still, despite already selling off our electricity network and motorways to private companies that are now making super profits, the Liberals still won’t rule out selling even more of our essential assets – which means you will pay more.

Chris Minns and Labor have listened, and developed a Fresh Start Plan that will:

– Deliver improved staffing levels at Nepean Hospital

– because what’s the point of upgrading Nepean Hospital if you don’t have the staff to run it?

– Introduce a $60 a week toll cap and putting an end to the privatisation of our energy assets, keeping the lights on, and putting downward pressure on power prices.

- Create local jobs by building our trains, trams and ferries here in New South Wales – and give us public transport that actually works.

– Address the teacher shortage and upgrade Cambridge Gardens Public School with new softfall playground surfacing and toilets, and Kingswood Public School with new permanent classrooms.

With your support, we can give Penrith a fresh start.

I am running as candidate for the Animal Justice Party because their values of Kindness, Equality, Rationality and Non-violence align with mine.

I am passionate about helping people and their pets through this economic crisis and protecting urban green spaces and native habitats.

From a very young age, I have always had a passion for animal justice, welfare and rights.

Seeing the mistreatment of animals led me to a path of animal rescue. For years, I have stood on the frontline trying to make a difference for animals, but it never felt like it was enough.

I believe that each animal deserves to be treated with respect, compassion and consideration.

I am proud to member of the Penrith community.

We have stood together through a global pandemic, major floods and bush fires. I have lived in the Penrith area for 15 years and am a local small business owner.

I strive to support other businesses to make our community a safe and thriving one.

I feel honoured to live and work in such a beautiful part of NSW and would be privileged to represent the people and animals of our wonderful region, which is adorned with natural beauty; from bushland to water, Penrith has it all, including a flourishing CBD.

I believe in a diverse culture in which every person has the right to express themselves and their beliefs without prejudice or bigotry. I am standing for the animals, people and planet. I am standing for you!

Penrith needs a change. For too long the LNP – ALP two-party system has not delivered improvements to the area or better living standards.

I have been a PROUD resident of the Penrith area for over four years and I can see with my own eyes the neglect of parts of our community – the lack of health capacity of our hospitals and clinics (speaking by experience), education, environment, sanitation and sewerage. This Government wants to divide Penrith by building the new stadium on the Penrith Paceway site, instead of rebuilding on its existing site.

Therefore, tearing down 177 years of Penrith’s history, which evicts numerous charities, the printing museum and harness racing.

Infrastructure is a big issue, with high-rise and housing estates being built at a phenomenal rate.

Improvements to our road, rail and bus network not keeping pace. Our major road junctions are bottlenecks in peak hours and weekends (the M4 Mulgoa junction is only one example). This Government keeps promising new roads and rail lines, but when? If they start tomorrow, new transport infrastructure will take years to build. We must keep them accountable for their lazy promises! The ALP has said that if elected, they will not put money into infrastructure. Overall Penrith needs a shakeup!

If elected I would like to work together with you to secure a better future for Penrith. I want to do this as a local, who knows and shares the day-to-day struggles, and not as a career politician, which will PUT PENRITH FIRST!

Mr Latham, One Nation Leader, NSW and I will shout out and stand up for the residents of Penrith, and we will not back down in parliament to champion our wonderful city and its community. It would be an honour to me to the GOOD people of Penrith if you would support me and Vote for One Nation.

I am the candidate for the Legalise Cannabis Party NSW and I am running in the Penrith electorate.

I have been local to Penrith and the Blue Mountains my entire life and I know that legalising cannabis is something a lot of locals care deeply about or are in support of.

I believe that legalising cannabis is a common sense change that Australia needs. It has majority population support and comes with some great medical benefits which have a long documented history with proven results. Recreationally as an alternative to alcohol and as an alternative pain relief that isn’t reliant on highly addictive opioids.

I believe it would be a massive boost to our local and national economy. Currently we are leaving the possibility of a multi billion dollar industry just sitting on the table. That would be an economic boost that would go far to repairing the devastation that COVID lockdowns and restrictions had on small businesses and creates new opportunities. Not to mention the millions saved on policing and prosecution.

Around of 90 per cent of cannabis related prosecutions are for personal use. This resource would be better served tackling crime affecting our communities.

I believe adult Australians should have the right to choose when it comes to cannabis and a right to grow at home, eradicating the necessity to deal with the current black market which can be extremely dangerous.

It is time to modernise and end a losing war on a beloved plant.

Let’s go Penrith.

Penrith is being overdeveloped, congestion is unbearable, our environment is being trashed yet the Liberal and Labor parties keep supporting overdevelopment.

Sustainable Australia Party is an independent community movement with a science and evidence-based policy platform. We’ve developed sustainable solutions to address Australia’s growing economic, environmental and social problems. We are fighting to: Protect our environment, stop overdevelopment and stop corruption.

I’ve lived in Penrith for nearly 50 years. I play lead guitar in local band The Diamond Dogs. I’m a Panthers fan but I’m concerned about the redevelopment of the Paceway. I oppose the absurd raising of Warragamba Dam and the shocking proposal to develop 900 hectares of Deerubbin Land Council owned bushland in North Penrith (supported by Stuart Ayres).

I’ve organised and led community campaigns in Penrith resulting in:

• Protection of the 900 hectare Wianamatta Regional Park and stopping Lendlease removing its beloved emus.

• Stopped the development of the Air Services Australia site at Cranebrook.

• Successfully lobbied the Federal Government for $37.5 million to create a Cumberland Conservation Corridor. Money used to create the Mountain View Reserve at Cranebrook.

• Started Werrington Community Festival.

• Rallied Orchard Hills locals to form STORC to stop the NSW Government putting the North South Rail Line and Outer Sydney Orbital through their homes.

• Opposing continued plans for a housing development at Penrith Lakes and the removal of the historic old growth Mulgoa Road Grey Gum trees.