1. Tell us your name, electorate & political party.
Hi! I’m Liz Scully, the Labor Candidate for Parramatta in the 2019 State Election.
2. Tell us a bit about yourself and what other “hats” you wear in your life.
I’m the mum of three kids aged 2, 6 and 9. I work part-time as a Communications Officer at Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta. I’m also really excited to be part of a group of local volunteers working to start a new women’s shelter in Parramatta this year (Parramatta Women’s Shelter), and I volunteer at a local playgroup for parents and carers who are learning English.
3. Why are you running in this election and why should we vote for you
My family and I love living locally, the diversity, the friendliness and connection that comes from a shared sense of community. Yet our city (suburbs included) is changing fast, and not always for the better. I’m worried that poor planning and overdevelopment are making our local area less liveable. What I’m hearing when I knock on people’s doors right across Parramatta, and particularly in the suburbs, is that congestion, parking problems, packed public places and stretched local services are already having a negative impact of people’s quality of life. If elected, I’d hope to use everything I know about living in Parramatta to stand up for our local area.
4. What is your favourite spot in the area and why?
Some of our favourite places are Lake Parramatta, Parramatta Park and Doyle Ground in North Parramatta. We’re used to living in a small space with little kids so great places to get out and about are a must!
5. What do you believe are the 3 main issues affecting our area and why?
- Overdevelopment
- Cost of living pressures
- Parramatta Pool
6. If elected how would you address each of those 3 issues (both short term and long term)?
Overdevelopment
Local residents are concerned about overdevelopment, and what it means for quality of life. A NSW Labor Government will put people first by directing the Greater Sydney Commission to revise unfair housing supply targets that will see more than 21 000 new dwellings built in Parramatta over five years.
Parramatta Pool
I was active in the campaign to save Parramatta War Memorial Pool. Like other community members, I’m still devastated that the Berejiklian Government sent in the bulldozers on this local icon. A NSW Labor Government will deliver Parramatta Pool.
Cost of living pressures
As a mum with a mortgage, I understand cost of living pressures first hand. Policies like free public transport for kids, a cashback scheme on the pricey M4 toll and tackling rising power prices by re-regulating the electricity market will help household budgets.
7. What are the 3 key things you plan to achieve if elected?
- Save Marsden High
- Deliver Parramatta Pool
- Bring back cashback on the M4 toll
Questions from RDMS
8. AFTER SCHOOL CARE: There is an increasing demand for before and after school care at Primary Schools in the area. Do you have plans to improve this given many of the current options are full, turning families away and have wait lists in place?
NSW Labor will ensure that every new school built has childcare or before and after school care.
9. BUS SERVICE – many Ryde Mums use the local bus service rather than trains however they are always full and overcrowded in peak times. What plans do you have for local bus services?
Getting bus services right can make a real difference to the lives of people who rely on public transport day-to-day. That’s why I’ve been running a petition to restore the route of the 545 bus that used to run from Chatswood to Parramatta. Local residents have told me that changes to this route have made life more difficult. If elected, listening to and advocating for locals who count on bus services would continue to be a priority for me.
10. BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION SAFETY: With what has happened with the Opal Tower, are there are any guidelines, practices etc for all the new developments in the area to ensure these are built correctly and safe?
A Daley Labor Government will adopt all the recommendations of the independent experts’ Opal Tower investigation report. This builds on the Better Building Reform package which includes a commitment to introduce a standalone building act to strengthen regulations, improve consumer protections and transparency around people’s rights as well as raise professional standards. We would also establish a single agency, the NSW Building Authority, reporting to a single Minister to increase and streamline accountability of every person in the construction chain. This would be supported by the introduction of chain of responsibility for everyone in the building process including for building products to permit product recalls, banning the use of non-conforming products, and empowering building inspections or audits. NSW Labor would also establish an engineers’ registration scheme and prevent developers from being able to choose their own certifier to eradicate potential conflict of interest.
11. ENVIRONMENT: Climate change and the environment is a big concern for many families. What are your plans to help our environment in the local area?
My older kids and I loved watching the ABC’s War on Waste together. I’m really proud of NSW Labor’s environmental policies including a plan to ban the bag. Just this week, we also announced that a Daley Labor Government will invest $1.8 million in priority actions towards making the Parramatta River swimmable again by 2025. This investment would be put to immediate use to support further research and expand water quality monitoring across the river.
