Braddock’s New Flexi Hub

Cranebrook's Braddock Public School is one of the first schools to benefit from the Stronger Communities Program after Penrith Community Kitchen received funding to provide local schools with new fridges or pantries.

I was fortunate to tour Braddock Public Schools' new Flexi Hub alongside the Deputy Premier and Secretary of the Department of Education. The new facility includes a kitchen and pantry with emergency food supplies supplied by local charities. The Flexi Hub is also designed to be a drop-in space where specialists, such as psychologists and paediatricians, can meet with more vulnerable community members.

For many families in our community, local schools are the key place where connections can form. They are where the community can get together and lean on one another for help during times of hardship.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Braddock Public School for graciously hosting us during our recent visit. The warm welcome we received from the students, teachers, and parents was truly appreciated and made our visit a memorable one.

On behalf of the Penrith community, I would also like to thank Penrith Community Kitchen for its continued support and dedication to our local community. The school outreach program is a wonderful initiative that ensures students, and their families will not only be provided with a meal but also feel cared for.

Everyone Deserves a SecondBite!

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of joining SecondBite for their delivery to Penrith’s Christ Mission Possible Inc. I was fortunate to get a firsthand look at the significant impact the Australian food rescue organisation has on our community.

Earlier this year, the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) granted SecondBite $410,570.00 to ensure that good food destined for waste reaches people facing hunger and insecurity.

SecondBite’s incredible initiative helps reduce and avoid food waste in the Penrith community, which can create harmful greenhouse gases when it rots in landfills. It also ensures edible surplus food is being saved and delivered to people in need across NSW.

Since January 2024, SecondBite has delivered 3,916,108kg to charities across NSW, with 278,785kg donated to their Penrith Partners.

Thank you to the SecondBite team for inviting me to join your delivery to Christ Mission Possible and see firsthand the inspiring impact your organisation has on the community. It was incredible to see the journey taken by the food distributed by SecondBite, with the partners redistributing the food through school lunch programs, hampers, and community dinners.

From the M12 to the Sky

Work is well underway on the new toll-free M12 Motorway. On Monday, I was lucky to catch a sneak peek of the construction progress since the Government hit the ground running back in August 2022.

Since work began it is incredible to see how far the project has progressed, with placement concreate pavement nearing completion across the project.

The motorway will link the new Western Sydney International Airport at Badgerys Creek to the wider Sydney motorway network, Elizabeth Drive and the Northern Road and open up a key future jobs zone for Sydney.

The $2 billion joint Federal and NSW Government project is on time and on budget to open ahead of the new Western Sydney International Airport in 2026.

The 16-kilometre M12 will feature 17 bridges, seven in the West section and 10 in the central section.

Transport for NSW is set to launch a “Be Truck Aware” initiative over the coming weeks. The campaign will remind drivers to remain vigilant and mindful of larger vehicles involved in construction or freight movement as progress continues along the M12 and early investigation works begin to upgrade Elizabeth Drive and Mamre Road Stage 2.

While this project will redirect significant amounts of traffic off local roads, we are getting on with the job of making sure the community isn’t left behind. Construction of the M12 is being complimented by the recently upgraded The Northern Road, the current widening along the M7, and upgrades now being planned along Elizabeth Drive and Mamre Road.

For more information about the M12 Motorway project, click here.