A long-time Councillor in Strathfield Council, Raj Datta is well known in the Indian community for many firsts. He believes his work in Council is not yet done – he is passionate among other things, about transport in his local area, and opposing the amalgamation of local councils.
What prompted you to run for Local Council?
Raj Datta: I believe any level of government should reflect the local community. Strathfield is a highly diverse community. I ran for Strathfield Council first in 2012 to represent the diverse local community in the area for ensuring delivery of equitable service to diverse community members.
As a professional I also wanted to introduce customer-focused service delivery, with measures and metrics to quantify delivery of service quality and continuous improvement of the same.
I also wanted – and have successfully – introduced increasingly more management accountability for service delivery to community.
 What do you think are the pressing needs of the local community in your area?
- Â Upgradation of the local transport and access to transport hubs such as railway stations. Modernisation of a local railway station was a crying need, particularly for young mothers with prams and the elderly who had to climb up the stairs to catch trains from the Flemington Station. Â As a councillor, I ran a petition campaign, secured funding and rebuilt the Flemington Railway Station with lifts. This has made lives easier for thousands of local residents. I am also working on extension of light rail to Strathfield Station, and building flyovers across busy intersections.
- The past Liberal government was bent on amalgamating the councils. I thought this was a bad idea, and as a councillor, I ran a successful strong anti-amalgamation campaign to prevent Strathfield Council from amalgamating with any other council. Maintaining the independence of councils continues to be important. To achieve this, I have successfully moved ‘Notice of Motion’ for recognition of local councils in the Australian constitution. If successful, no future state government will be able to amalgamate local councils again.
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There is much disillusionment with politics and politicians in current times. What would you do to change that public perception?
Raj Datta: This might be a general view. But by providing community service with utmost honesty and integrity, I have generated significant respect for honest political players like myself. Local residents are very interested to elect me back in the council.
Some of the key achievements I have made for the local and broader Australian community are:
- Â Leading the council to support a felt community need, I successfully stopped overdevelopment of Australian Catholic University in the middle of the Strathfield residential area. This has ensured preservation of the character of Strathfield and has been a popular success for the community.
- Â I provided leadership for developing a master plan for Strathfield Council to prevent unplanned over-development and spot-zoning, and facilitated planned development to serve community interest
- Â I provided the leadership to introduce Council Certifier services – in Strathfield Council, to prevent the horror stories of private certification in our area, which we have been hearing of for years, ruining the lives of thousands of home buyers.
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Tell us a bit about your background.
Raj Datta: I was born in Calcutta, India. I arrived in Australia in 1986.
Some of the achievements I delivered for the community, prior to becoming a councillor are below:
As a community leader, leading the community, I organised the first ever Deepavali celebration in a Parliament House in the Western world, the Parliament House of NSW, in 2003, with exterior illumination of the Parliament House and continued the celebration each year until 2011 leading the community.
The high quality of the celebration I delivered, transformed the Deepavali celebration into an annual event run by the Government of NSW since 2012.
In 2007, leading the community, I installed a marble plaque in the Parliament House of NSW, the first installation of such a plaque in any Parliament House
I have helped support the cause of the Australia-India bilateral relationship and strengthening the multicultural fabric of Australia, and the continuous enhancement of peace and prosperity in Australia and the Pacific region. In this regard, these services I helped deliver I see as hallmarks of my service:
- Â Leading the Strathfield council, I organised the first ever Deepavali celebration in a council in Australia, the Strathfield Council in 2013.
- Leading the Strathfield Council, I organised the first ever raising of the Indian Flag in a council for celebration ‘Azadi Ki Saugandh’, the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence Day.
- Leading the Strathfield Council I have ensured that India’s Independence Day is celebrated each year in the Strathfield Council, a humble gesture to promote and celebrate the bilateral relationship between Australia and India.
Know more about Raj Datta here
