Falk battles it out for Balmain

The Liberal Party has endorsed business consultant James Falk to contest the state seat of Balmain in the upcoming state election.

Mr Falk, 44, has lived in the inner west for 25 years and will take on Greens Leichhardt Mayor Jamie Parker and sitting Labor member Verity Firth in March.

Mr Falk said he is running for the seat because he wants to see change in the local community and broader NSW.

“I’m running for Balmain for two reasons: to be a real, practical voice for voters’ interests, and to contribute to the decent, competent and accountable government that NSW needs,” he said.

Originally from Campbelltown, Mr Falk currently resides in Newtown. He sees a key plank of his campaign as his commitment to protect the local community from potential overdevelopment in the area.

“The key issue [for the inner west] is protecting the character of the community: its residential character, its vibrancy and its diversity,” he said.

He added this would help give residents and local businesses a voice again – one he said had been neglected under Labor.

Mr Falk argued the government had created a state where business isn’t welcome. “Ordinary citizens are paying the price as a result, with fewer jobs, less growth, less opportunity, and less government revenue to provide the services people need,” he said.
He added the inner west shares the same problems as the rest of the state, including a failed public transport system, infrastructure, and the rising costs of power and water.

“State government is about delivering the basics that support people’s lives, and this government has spent 16 years pretending to do something while the state is falling down around our ears,” he said.

Mr Falk said he opposes the closure of the Glebe Post Office, highlighting it as an example of Labor’s failure to deliver services to people who use them.

“When I’ve talked to elderly or disabled locals, they have continually expressed dismay at how reductions and failures in government services leave them isolated and unable to live engaged lives,” he said.

“This is yet another example of Labor’s failure to deliver services to the people who need them, and [the current row is] just grandstanding about a backdown to save face for Verity Firth.”

He also reiterated the Liberals were committed to removing the arbitrary power of the Planning Minister by revoking Part 3A of the Environment and Assessment Act if elected.

But the question of what the 3A clause would be replaced with, remains unanswered, as do a number of other specific policy details.

In a cheeky move, Mr Falk will hold an event with Bradfield Liberal MP Paul Fletcher at Balmain’s Unity Hall Hotel in February – the spiritual home of the ALP, where the party held their first meeting 110 years ago.

But despite Mr Falk’s rhetoric, Balmain is expected to come down to a tussle between the Greens and the ALP, with the seat considered the strongest prospect for the Greens in the state.

The Greens currently hold six out of twelve seats on Leichhardt Council and also have a strong presence in neighbouring Marrickville.