Former Cumberland City Council Mayor and current Councillor Steve Christou has announced that he will be standing for the Federal seat of Parramatta in the upcoming election as an Independent.
Having always lived in western Sydney, Cr Christou believes that only a local can truly understand and represent the interests of the community.
“I have decided to run as a candidate to give the electorate of Parramatta a real alternative outside of the two major political parties,” Cr Christou said.
“For way too long the Parramatta electorate has been taken for granted by political opportunists who have not delivered any outcomes for the local community. The locals feel they are being used as a vehicle to elevate big egos into Government, with no real commitment to community interests and needs.”
Mr Christou said the Labor Party’s decision to install a millionaire candidate from Bellevue Hill in the Eastern Suburbs into the electorate of Parramatta is a real slap in the face of local residents and demonstrates the disdain they have for the local community.
“This is the second time the Labor Party has parachuted an outsider into the Parramatta seat. Julie Owens was an outsider from North Sydney in 2005, now history repeats itself with this bloke from Bellevue Hill,” he said.
“What would a multi-millionaire know about the needs of hard-working Australians? What would he know or care about the day-to-day costs of tolls, expensive commutes to the City and dealing with infrastructure changes that are taking place here on our doorstep?”
Mr Christou also believes the Liberal Party abandoned its residents in both City of Parramatta and Cumberland City Council. “They abandoned the community in these areas and refused to endorse and run candidates,” he said.
“Already, these now Labor-controlled Councils are considering imposing rate rises on their local residents to fund their big-spending ideological, woke and extreme agendas. It’s amazing that the Liberal Party is now asking the same residents, who they have betrayed and abandoned, for their support and approval.”
Mr Christou claims that when he was Mayor he facilitated real change. “By nominating as a candidate, I hope to provide and contribute to more positive outcomes for local residents as they will have a strong voice fighting for them,” Mr Christou said.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.