When I stepped back from Council, I did so with clarity and optimism — not just about where our cities were headed, but about the role planning could play in shaping our future. For over two decades, I’ve worked at the intersection of planning, politics, and community, as a mayor, consultant, and researcher. I’ve seen the power of good planning to create liveable, inclusive, future-ready places. I’ve also seen how easily it can be derailed by short-term thinking — and how costly that can be for clients, communities, and councils alike. Greiss Planning exists to bring clarity, rigour, and steady leadership to the approvals process, so good projects can move forward with confidence.
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At a Glance
• Billabong Parklands reaffirmed as a binding council commitment under the City Deal
• Respect for prior resolutions as a foundation of stable local governance
• Considered acknowledgement of long term operating costs and subsidy settings
• WestInvest funding directed toward broad, community informed improvements across the LGA
Respecting Commitments: The Billabong Parklands
In this Minute, I chose to focus on two significant agenda items: the Campbelltown Billabong Parklands Project Update and WestInvest. Both speak to how we honour commitments while shaping the future of our city.
The Billabong Parklands project emerged from the Western Sydney City Deal process in 2018. At an Extraordinary Meeting of Council on 28 August 2018, Council endorsed the implementation plan for the City Deal, alongside seven other participating councils. A key commitment for Campbelltown was to contribute 3.75 million dollars and accept 15 million dollars from the State and Federal Governments to deliver the Billabong at Apex Park under the Liveability Program.
That funding deed was executed in May 2019. In December 2020, Council resolved, by a 10 to 4 majority, to increase the total project budget to 31 million dollars. I was one of the four votes against that increase.
It is important to state that plainly. Leadership requires candour. Yet it also requires discipline. Once a council has resolved to proceed, and once contracts and funding deeds are in place, the question is no longer what one might have preferred at the time. The question is whether we honour the commitment made.
Some have asked whether the project can be stopped or scaled back. In my view, that is not the right lens. On 8 December 2020, Council committed to the people of Campbelltown to construct the Billabong in its expanded form. Just as we expect other levels of government to keep their commitments to us, we must keep ours.
The Councillor Handbook reminds us that while councillors are free to advocate prior to a decision, they are required to uphold council policies and resolutions once made. That obligation is not merely procedural. It is foundational to institutional stability and public trust.
Therefore, regardless of my personal view at the time, I believe any attempt to hinder the project would not be consistent with the spirit of the Local Government Act, the Councillor Handbook, or the expectations our community places on us.
Cost, Subsidy and the Broader Conversation
The report does not detail the final operational cost of the Billabong. At this stage, a broad estimate would place it in the order of 2 million dollars per annum. For some, that figure may appear high. Yet when we consider a four hectare site incorporating a substantial lagoon, children’s pool, cascades, splash play areas and associated amenities, the operational profile is not unreasonable.
Council subsidises a range of community assets. The Arts Centre, Stadium, Leisure Centres and Libraries all operate with net annual subsidies. These are deliberate policy choices reflecting our commitment to culture, recreation, learning and wellbeing.
The deeper question is not whether the Billabong will require subsidy. It is how we, as a community, determine which services should be subsidised and to what extent. That is a legitimate and nuanced discussion. I intend to explore this further through community engagement, including questions within a mayoral survey, so that our future settings reflect shared expectations.
For now, my focus is clear. We will work to deliver the Billabong within the approved budget and revised timeline, and we will examine opportunities to minimise operating costs or identify complementary funding sources, while ensuring accessibility for our residents.
Just as we expect other levels of government to keep their commitments, we must keep our commitment to the people of our city, regardless of our personal views.
That principle extends beyond any single project. It is about the integrity of local government.
WestInvest: Breadth Over Monument
The WestInvest program presents a different but equally significant opportunity. With 5 billion dollars committed across western and south western Sydney, it offers both direct allocations and a competitive funding round.
Campbelltown’s direct allocation of 26.615 million dollars has been approached deliberately. Rather than concentrating funds into a single flagship project, Council has chosen to pursue a suite of small and medium scale improvements across the Local Government Area. This reflects an intention to distribute benefit broadly and address diverse community needs.
The proposed projects draw from our Community Strategic Plan, sport and recreation strategies and the Resilience Hazard Assessment. In this sense, WestInvest becomes an accelerant of existing priorities rather than a diversion from them.
Under the competitive round, Council has also advanced a range of proposals across playspaces, arts and culture, sporting facilities, amenity and safety improvements, traffic and connectivity enhancements, and town centre upgrades. We are supporting applications from community and sporting groups to maximise the collective benefit for Campbelltown.
This balanced approach aligns with my broader view that sustainable revitalisation is often achieved through cumulative improvements across neighbourhoods, rather than through singular monuments alone.
Advocacy and Continuity
With the recent Federal election and change of government, advocacy efforts were briefly paused. I have now recommenced writing to ministers to seek meetings and reinforce Campbelltown’s priorities. The establishment of a Strategic Advocacy Group, once endorsed by Council, will further strengthen our coordination and focus.
Whether in relation to City Deal commitments, the Billabong, or WestInvest projects, advocacy remains essential. It ensures that Campbelltown receives what was promised and continues to secure its fair share of investment.
Reflection
In considering both the Billabong Parklands and WestInvest, I am reminded that stewardship requires two complementary qualities: fidelity to past commitments and prudence in shaping new ones. We must honour the decisions made in good faith by prior councils, even where opinions differed, and we must apply careful judgement in allocating new opportunities. If we do both with transparency and consistency, we reinforce the trust that underpins effective local government.
Read the original Mayoral Minute here: 7. Billabong Parklands Project Audit