Some fresh faces will be in the mix of this year’s City of Parramatta Council Election with a new campaign group set to throw their hat in the ring.
Community Need Not Corporate Greed, established in 2020, will field candidates in all wards at this September’s Election with environment, heritage, anti-racism and COVID-19 recovery strategies set to be at the forefront of their campaigns.
Local climate and social rights activist, Susan Price is set to contest the Rosehill Ward.
Ms Price is a community gardening enthusiast, founding member of the ‘Socialist Alliance’ and has previously ran in Local, State and Federal Elections.
Running with Ms Price is well-known western Sydney advocate and founder of ‘The Westies’, Katrina James.
Ms James has a strong passion for the diversity of western Sydney, as well as climate change.
She initiated the Parramatta community climate action protest during the ‘Black Summer’ bushfires in 2019-20.
Third on the ticket is Douglas Hawthorne, a long-time socialist activist who works in IT.
He is a strong supporter of the Aboriginal and Indigenous community and an advocate against racism.
His campaign also surrounds the rights of migrant workers and refugees.
Ms Price said the group of activists started ‘Community Need Not Corporate Greed’ to take a stand against overdevelopment in Parramatta.
“For too long, developers and corporate interests have sought to dominate decision-making,” she said.
“We need to reassert our power as organised residents.
“After all, we are the ones affected by inappropriate development, heritage and environmental destruction, privatisation and outsourcing, cuts to services and the rising cost of living.”
Community Need Not Corporate Greed is also putting the ‘Save Willow Grove’ campaign at the heart of their campaign.
“We support the Save Willow Grove campaign and the CFMEU green ban,” Ms James said.
“We pledge to join with other residents in putting our bodies in front of bulldozers if needs be to save this piece of Parramatta’s heritage.”
Housing, cost of living and transport are also issues of interest.
The group also stated they want to put the “community at the centre of decision making in Parramatta” and support the concept of an ‘open council’, bringing an end to confidential briefings and closed sessions.
Pre-poll for this year’s election is expected to open on Monday, August 23 with postal votes open until Monday, August 30.
Election day on September 4 will see in-person voting between 8am and 6pm.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.