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Serious questions about Hawkesbury City Council are being escalated to the NSW Parliament, with businesses and residents asking MPs to grill ministers during Budget Estimates hearings.
At the centre of the controversy is the Director of City Planning role a senior executive position worth around $170,000 a year that has been vacant since October 2025.
Business organisations say the position sits at the heart of decisions affecting millions of dollars in investment, jobs, housing and critical infrastructure across the Hawkesbury.
Now they want to know whether the NSW Government will ensure the role is filled through a transparent, merit-based recruitment process after what critics describe as a deeply problematic previous appointment.
“Cronyism” Allegations Resurface
The current vacancy has revived longstanding concerns about how the role was filled the last time it became vacant.
According to businesses and residents, council previously advertised the position externally and interviewed candidates with formal planning qualifications and extensive professional experience, in line with NSW Government merit-based employment principles.
But those candidates were ultimately rejected.
Instead, Council appointed an internal applicant outside the merit based process with no post-school qualifications and no professional planning experience, a decision critics say undermined confidence in the council’s governance.
Businesses argue the consequences were significant and long-lasting.
They point to what they describe as a decade-long delay in progressing the Hawkesbury Local Environmental Plan, along with planning reports containing errors and disputed information and the failure to complete projects a timely manner causing distress and disadvantage to residents, business and community organisations.
Critics also recall incidents during council meetings where another council officer was required to answer technical planning questions while kneeling beside the Director to access the microphone.
For many observers, they say, the image became a symbol of deeper problems in the council’s leadership.
Safety Concerns Over Emergency Communications
One of the most serious examples cited involves the approval process for emergency communications infrastructure.
Community members claim funding allocated to the project was returned due to delays and mismanagement during the development approval process.
While approval for the infrastructure reportedly remained in place, the funding required to deliver the project was lost.
Critics say the outcome has potentially left parts of the Hawkesbury region without reliable emergency communications capability, raising concerns about access to 000 emergency services in critical situations.
They argue the situation highlights how leadership decisions in council planning departments can have real-world consequences for public safety.
Business Groups Demand Merit-Based Leadership
Local business organisations say the situation underscores why senior planning roles must be filled by qualified professionals.
**Hawkesbury Business Group President Phil Bamford said the position carries enormous responsibility for the region’s economic future.
“From a business point of view, planning leadership matters. Decisions worth millions of dollars in investment, jobs and community infrastructure flow through this role. Businesses expect that a $170,000-a-year position is filled on merit, with strong qualifications and proven planning experience.”
**Bells Line of Road Business Council Director Fiona Germaine said poor leadership appointments can ripple through the entire community.
“When Council doesn’t appoint appropriately qualified people to any positions, delays, mistakes and uncertainty result and cost the whole of Hawkesbury — not just development applicants, but local workers, families and emergency services that rely on sound planning decisions.”
Business groups are now urging the NSW Government to closely scrutinise the current recruitment process for the vacant role.
Hawkesbury Questions Heading to Parliament
Residents and community organisations have asked members of the NSW Parliament’s Budget Estimates Committee to raise the following questions with the Minister responsible for local government and planning.
They include:
Oversight
What oversight does the NSW Government have to ensure senior executive appointments at councils have suitable qualifications and comply with merit-based employment practices?
Minimum Requirements
Are there mandated qualification or experience standards for Director-level planning roles in NSW councils, and if not, will the Government consider introducing them?
Planning Delays
Has the Department of Planning examined whether leadership capability within Hawkesbury Council’s has contributed to delays in progressing the Local Environmental Plan and other planning instruments?
Critical Infrastructure Risks
Is the Government aware of claims that delays in the development approval process resulted in the return of funding for emergency communications infrastructure in the Hawkesbury?
Accountability Mechanisms
What avenues exist for residents and businesses to challenge whether merit-based recruitment principles were properly applied in council appointments?
Current Recruitment Process
With recruitment reportedly underway for the Director City Planning role, will the Government ensure the process is transparent and results in an appointment with qualifications and expertise appropriate for the role?
Explainer: What Is Budget Estimates?
Budget Estimates hearings are one of the main ways the New South Wales Parliament scrutinises the government.
Following the annual state budget delivered by the Government of New South Wales, ministers and senior public servants must appear before parliamentary committees to answer detailed questions from MPs.
During the hearings:
- Ministers are questioned about their departments and responsibilities
- MPs from across the political spectrum can ask questions
- Departments must explain spending, policy decisions and oversight
- The proceedings are recorded and made public
For communities like the Hawkesbury, the process offers a rare opportunity for local governance issues to be raised directly with ministers in a public forum.
Business leaders say they hope the questions raised during Budget Estimates will bring greater transparency to how critical council positions are filled and whether stronger safeguards are needed to protect merit-based appointments in local government.
