The coming NSW election asks a question that reaches beyond which party forms government: how much influence do communities actually have over the decisions shaping their lives? In the Blue Mountains, disputes over development, PFAS water contamination, housing affordability and climate policy expose a widening gap between being consulted and being heard.
Luciana Carusi, the NSW Greens candidate for Blue Mountains, approaches that question from an unusual starting point. A former banking and finance professional, protests against Adani and the devastation of the Black Summer bushfires prompted her move into climate activism and politics. Her argument challenges the assumption that governments have struck a sensible balance between economic growth, environmental protection and community needs. When commercial interests consistently prevail, whose definition of balance is being applied?
Coal and gas expansion sits uneasily alongside emissions targets, while the promise of future employment offers little security without a credible transition to renewable energy. On PFAS contamination, Carusi argues that access to information, permanent water treatment and publicly funded testing should be matters of government responsibility rather than household purchasing power.
The same debate runs through privatisation and the cost of living. Public housing, a public energy provider, public banking and free public transport raise a larger question: has government become too comfortable managing markets while retreating from directly providing essential services?
The discussion also considers Palestine, Gaza and Australian political accountability, exploring how international solidarity and local activism share a concern with whose lives, rights and voices carry weight.
