Campaigns
Sustained advocacy on the issues that matter most to Regents Park Ward and Cumberland.
Save Carnarvon Golf Course
ActiveLidcombe · Crown land · parliamentary inquiry called
The NSW Government, through Metropolitan Memorial Parks, has proposed converting Carnarvon Golf Course in Lidcombe into a cemetery. The course covers more than 40 hectares of active open space, used by people of all ages and backgrounds, in one of the most rapidly densifying parts of Western Sydney.
More than 1,500 rounds of golf are played at Carnarvon every week, making it the largest and busiest course in the region. With the Berala Transport Oriented Development and the broader low and mid-rise housing changes set to add thousands of new dwellings to the catchment over the next decade, the community needs more open green space, not less.
I have been working with Lynda Voltz MP (Member for Auburn), local community groups, sporting clubs, and residents to protect Carnarvon. The campaign has now resulted in four passed council motions and a formal request to the NSW Legislative Council to initiate a parliamentary inquiry into Metropolitan Memorial Parks' proposal.
Coleman Park, which sits on the same parcel of Crown land and was previously included in MMP's scope, is no longer part of the proposal. The campaign focus is now on Carnarvon itself.
What's at stake
- Strategic planning and liveability. The site sits beside Transport Oriented Development and low and mid-rise housing areas that will add thousands of dwellings over the next decade. Removing more than 40 hectares of active open space in the same catchment undermines walkable access to parks, sport capacity and urban heat mitigation in a locality already below open-space benchmarks.
- Flood, groundwater and public health. The land forms part of the Haslem Creek system. It provides overland flow and flood storage, and is affected by 1% Annual Exceedance Probability flood constraints. Historic intensive agricultural use indicates a credible contamination profile for a sensitive land use such as a cemetery.
- Traffic and access. Key intersections (Joseph/Kerrs/Georges, Amy/Joseph, Amy/Park Road rail bridge, Georges/Nottinghill) are already at or near capacity. A high-visitation memorial park requires proper SIDRA-based traffic assessment and identified upgrades that have not been provided.
- Consultation integrity and transparency. Local households report being under-sampled in MMP's consultation while residents up to fifteen kilometres away were polled. The alternative sites MMP says it assessed have not been released. Core technical material covering flood, groundwater, contamination, traffic, shadowing and ecology remains unpublished.
- Metropolitan equity. Western Sydney should not bear disproportionate burial infrastructure at the expense of local recreation, sport, and public health. Once green space is lost in a high-density area, it is gone forever. Moore Park Golf Course was already cut down. The pattern repeats unless councils and communities draw a line.
The community has shown what it thinks
2,000+
rallied at Coleman Park
31 August 2025
1,000+
March for the Living
12 October 2025 · Joseph Street closed for the procession
12,000+
petition signatures
Debated at Cumberland Council, 13 November 2025
Campaign timeline (council motions)
-
Notice of Motion - Carnarvon Golf Course
Council reaffirmed its opposition to converting Carnarvon Golf Course into a cemetery. Resolved to write to the relevant State Ministers and actively support the community campaign to protect this green space.
View minutes (26 February 2025) ↗ -
Notice of Motion - Expanding Council's Advocacy to Include Coleman Park
Expanded the Carnarvon campaign to also defend Coleman Park, which shares the same Crown land parcel and is under similar pressure. Affirmed both spaces as essential community assets in a growing area.
View minutes (30 July 2025) ↗ -
Notice of Motion - Request for Transparency on Metropolitan Memorial Parks' Site Selection Process
Demanded full transparency from Metropolitan Memorial Parks (MMP) on how cemetery sites are being shortlisted, particularly Crown lands currently serving as community green space such as Carnarvon and Coleman Park.
View minutes (29 October 2025) ↗ -
Notice of Motion - Parliamentary Inquiry into Metropolitan Memorial Parks (Carnarvon Golf Course)
Council formally called for a NSW parliamentary inquiry into Metropolitan Memorial Parks' processes, with specific reference to the Carnarvon Golf Course proposal and the loss of community green space.
View minutes (19 November 2025) ↗
Write your submission
Personalised submissions get counted. Generic petitions are easier to ignore. Use the template below as a starting point, then edit it in your own words before sending.
Who to send it to →
- NSW Premier - contact via nsw.gov.au/premier-of-nsw/contact
- NSW Minister for Lands and Property - Crown land sits in this portfolio. Find current contact details via nsw.gov.au/ministers
- Member for Auburn - Lynda Voltz MP - already actively supporting the campaign. Cc'ing her electorate office helps coordinate.
- Metropolitan Memorial Parks - the proponent. Submission portal links via mmp.com.au
- Your local federal MP - find yours at electorate.aec.gov.au
Always check the current portfolio holder and inquiry submission window. Submissions are most effective when they reach decision-makers while the matter is being considered.
Tip: editing the template in your own voice, even just one paragraph, makes a real difference. Decision-makers and inquiry secretariats count personalised submissions more heavily than form letters.
Other ways to help
- Sign the petition (link to be added when finalised).
- Follow my Facebook page for the latest actions, rallies, and community updates as they happen.
- Subscribe to the newsletter to hear about community actions, hearings and announcements.
More from the office
For the full record of council activity, see all council motions I've moved, or read about my priorities.