ANNUAL REPORT 2015 WELCOME TO BLACKTOWN CITY BLACKTOWN CITY IS LOCATED IN THE HEART OF WESTERN SYDNEY. IT IS HOME TO A YOUNG, MULTICULTURAL POPULATION OF MORE THAN 332,000 PEOPLE. ONLY 35 KILOMETRES FROM THE SYDNEY CBD, IT OFFERS FAST M2, M4 AND M7 CONNECTIONS AND CONVENIENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT VIA THE WESTERN RAIL LINE. Blacktown City is a great place to live of land. Key areas set for expansion and work. Comprising 48 suburbs, A GROWING POPULATION include Kellyville Ridge, The Ponds, 22 employment precincts and 16 town Today, Blacktown City is the largest Colebee and Ropes Crossing. Urban centres, it offers a welcoming local government area by population in renewal is also occurring in established community and abundant economic NSW, and the fifth largest in Australia. centres such as Blacktown, Mount opportunities for people of all Originally home to the Darug people, Druitt, Rooty Hill and Seven Hills. backgrounds. the first European settlement occurred The City is supported by quality locally at Prospect Hill in 1791. The A THRIVING ECONOMY health and education services. It also City’s population began to grow after Blacktown City’s economy sustains features a wide range of cultural, World War 2. This accelerated during about 18,000 businesses and 110,000 recreational and leisure facilities the 1960s and 1970s as large-scale jobs. Of these jobs, 44% are held by including 5 aquatic and leisure centres, housing estates were built in Blacktown and Mount Druitt. local residents. The local economy 5 libraries, 32 community centres produces more than $13 billion a year and 840 parks and reserves. Over the last 20 years, major in goods and services. This makes Boasting a healthy, active population development has occurred in suburbs Blacktown City an important and modern, internationally recognised such as Glenwood, Oakhurst, Plumpton, contributor to the prosperity of venues, Blacktown City is the sporting Glendenning and Stanhope Gardens. Sydney and NSW. capital of Western Sydney. The population of Blacktown City is expected to reach 500,000 over the next 30 years. The City’s North West Growth Centre will contain 50,000 new houses and apartments across 10,000 hectares FAST FACTS SMART CITY BLACKTOWN CITY • Blacktown City covers • 1.4 million people visited HIGHLIGHTS 2014–15 249 square kilometres and Blacktown City Libraries • Blacktown City Festival: Held in contains 48 suburbs. during 2014–15. May, our annual extravaganza of • We are the largest local • Max Webber Library in Blacktown parades, music and comedy was government area in NSW by is now connected to the National an event to be savoured. population, and the fourth Broadband Network. • Australia Day: We welcomed new largest in Australia. • Free public Wi-Fi is coming to citizens and partied long into the • Of our 332,000 residents, 45% the Blacktown and Mount Druitt night with a family concert and are aged under 30; 24.9% are CBDs from 2016. fireworks. aged 55 and over. • Chinese New Year: 15,000 people • The Blacktown community packed into Nurragingy Reserve is home to people from to celebrate the Year of the Goat. 176 countries. • World Cup cricket: We had front • More than a third of our row seats when some of the population can speak a language world’s best players warmed other than English. up at Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney (see full story, page 33). 01 WELCOME TO BLACKTOWN CITY 01 A SMART AND PROSPEROUS ECONOMY 24 A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR 04 ASSET RENEWAL AND REDUCING THE BACKLOG 26 COUNCILLORS 06 A GROWING CITY SUPPORTED COMMITTEES 08 BY INFRASTRUCTURE 28 GENERAL MANAGER’S REVIEW 10 ANZAC CENTENARY WALK 30 CORPORATE TEAM 12 A SPORTING AND ACTIVE CITY 32 CORPORATE STATEMENTS 14 INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COMES TO BLACKTOWN 33 PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW 16 A LEADING CITY 34 A VIBRANT AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY 17 BLACKTOWN SHOWGROUND WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD 36 NEW COMMUNITY HUBS OPEN IN GLENWOOD AND LALOR PARK 18 LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS 38 A CLEAN AND SUSTAINABLE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 103 ENVIRONMENT 20 APPENDICES 223 BLACKTOWN CITY RUNNING FESTIVAL 22 02 BLACKTOWN CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT 2015 CONTENTS 03 WELCOME TO BLACKTOWN CITY COUNCIL’S 2015 ANNUAL REPORT. This is a definitive guide to Blacktown’s After careful community consultation, granted pensioners free entry to local progress as we evolve into one of Council proceeded with a rate variation swimming pools. We have consulted Australia’s leading regional cities. commencing in 2014–15. widely as we develop the 2016 Social Plan. During 2014–15, we welcomed over 7,000 This difficult decision softened the new residents, taking our population impact of $2 million in cuts to Financial Council is doing its part to promote to more than 332,000 people. We cared Assistance Grants by the Federal opportunity through our Youth for 1,000 local children each day Government and further cuts by the Ambassador Program, Tertiary across our child care centres, loaned NSW Government. It has also allowed Scholarships and a partnership with 1 million items through our libraries, Council to confront one of its key Western Sydney University offering collected 5.5 million bins of garbage and challenges – the need to substantially scholarships of up to $5,000 for local 2.7 million recycling bins. increase investment in infrastructure. students. We continue to recognise excellence through the Blacktown Over the next 2 decades, the population Our Council is custodian of more than City Arts Prize and Mayor’s Creative of Blacktown City is projected to soar $3.2 billion in community assets, Writing Prize. We are also encouraging above 500,000. This will place pressure including roads, bridges, footpaths, local schools to become sustainability on infrastructure and services. At the drainage, buildings and recreational leaders through the Eco-Active same time, we should relish the facilities. Following a deliberate Schools Program. opportunity to elevate our City’s status reordering of priorities as part of – while retaining the character that Council’s mini-budget in late 2014, In exciting news, Blacktown’s Max makes our community so unique. I can confirm we are on target to Webber Library is now connected to dramatically reduce the infrastructure the National Broadband Network, Blacktown City is friendly and renewal backlog, from $80 million and the Blacktown and Mount Druitt welcoming to all, no matter where in worth of work in July 2014 to less than CBDs will have free Wi-Fi access from the world our people come from and no $50 million by June 2016. next year. These are vital milestones matter what their needs or aspirations as Blacktown City transforms into a may be. As Mayor, it makes me proud to This is not simply an abstract figure. 21st century knowledge centre. lead a City with such incredible heart. It is a vital contribution towards securing Blacktown City’s future A love of sport and fitness is integral Blacktown City Council has worked and lifting this financial burden from to Blacktown City’s identity. This year, hard to develop a fiscally responsible the next generation. Blacktown International Sportspark strategy for our City’s growth. Sydney was selected to host three As Mayor, I am acutely conscious ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 warm-up of Council’s social obligations. matches. The inaugural Blacktown Notwithstanding the $13 billion in City Running Festival attracted annual economic activity across 900 participants. More than 10,000 Blacktown City, and major new visitors enjoyed a splash at Waterworld employers such as Toll Group (whose Central, and the reopening of the Mount parcel freight depot in Bungarribee is Druitt Swimming Centre was a massive the largest of its kind in Australia) and win for people power. The decision Kuehne + Nagel (a 20,000 square metre by the Western Sydney Wanderers logistics centre on track to achieve to make Blacktown their permanent 4 Green Star As Built rating), significant headquarters will greatly boost our pockets of our community are doing City’s profile. it tough. My thanks to everyone at Council and Ours is a City that cares – and that’s in the community who has worked why we are implementing positive so tirelessly to make 2014–15 such strategies to address issues such as a success. As Council looks to the poverty, drug addiction and social future, we stand ready to facilitate new alienation. This year, we opened new investment, smart ideas and more community hubs at Glenwood and Lalor exciting events. Park. These multipurpose facilities are functioning as a much-needed home for We will leave no stone unturned when providers such as Care Connect. Our it comes to creating jobs for the people community kitchen in Lethbridge Park of Blacktown City and making our served about 9,000 meals. We have also region an even better place to live. COUNCILLOR STEPHEN BALI raised Council’s voluntary pensioner Cr Stephen Bali MAYOR OF BLACKTOWN CITY rate rebate from $105 to $200 and Mayor of Blacktown City 04 A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR PROMOTING A SHARED VISION FOR IMPROVING PROJECTING THE CITY AND OUR OUR STANDARD FINANCIAL COMMUNITY OF SERVICE STRENGTH 05 COUNCILLORS BLACKTOWN CITY COUNCIL’S GEOGRAPHIC AREA IS DIVIDED INTO 5 WARDS, EACH REPRESENTED BY 3 COUNCILLORS. WARD 1 WARD 2 WARD 3 WARD 4 WARD 5 JESS DIAZ SUSAI BENJAMIN JP EDMOND ATALLA MARK HOLMES TONY BLEASDALE OAM BA, LLB, MBA BSc, DIPSSA (MA Social Work), BLaws BEng DR RUSS DICKENS OAM MAYOR, STEPHEN BALI DEPUTY MAYOR, ALAN PENDLETON OAM LEO KELLY OAM MVSc (Syd Univ), MACVSc CPA, F Fin, AMIIA JACQUELINE DONALDSON ISABELLE WHITE WALTER SMITH JP LEN ROBINSON KARLO SILJEG CHARLIE LOWLES OAM BEd (Hons), BA (Syd Univ) 06 07 COMMITTEES COMMITTEES COMMITTEE MEMBERS PURPOSE Policy and Mayor Stephen Bali (Chair) and all Councillors Guide Council in formulating its City Vision and Integrated Strategy Planning and Reporting objectives and priorities.