Matt Laffan, public speaker, Sydney Australia
Matt Laffan, public speaker, Sydney Australia

The current state of affairs

Long before I decided to run for local government I was interested in politics. Having not belonged to a political party I can rightly claim to be independent and from neither the left nor right, I am just democratic and pragmatic, which is a revolutionary enough position these days. Underpinning my belief system however are causes for natural justice and creating opportunities for others to be involved in society. I regard it as being essential that governments work towards realising principles of sustainability for the environment, economy and social projects.

I retain a keen interest in the City of Sydney, of course, and such proposed developments as the Westfield construction around Centrepoint Tower; the manner in which the transport dilemmas will be resolved for the City and how the needs of the ever growing population can be balanced with that of a mixed socio-economic workforce.

As some of the City of Sydney Council's powers are tampered with by the State Government, it is important that it establish itself as a power broker between the Commonwealth and State governments. Sydney is the international gateway for the greater economy of our country: business and tourism greatly depends upon the success of our City. In multimillion dollar projects such as the City transport scheme Federal and State money must be committed to properly sustainable outcomes. The current opinion of Council that the light rail, or bicycle and road plans can not be achieved without Federal funding is in part correct, but the matter must not end with this shrug of the shoulders. The City of Sydney must push the agenda and use its unique position as an opportunity to bring about ideas and plans and foster a working relationship between all tiers of government for an outcome that benefits the City and those beyond our immediate borders.

Within this section of my site I will be exploring various current affair issues and I would welcome your contribution.

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