Keneally's Bays West Regret: Housing Opportunity Lost

0:00It's March 27th. You're listening to Sydney News today, AI-powered local news. Former New South Wales Premier Kristina Cannelli has named her biggest regret in politics, not turning the bays precinct near Gleib Island into housing. As Planning Minister Anne later premiered from late 2009 to March 2011, she saw the site's huge potential right by Sydney's Anzac Bridge. The global financial crisis in 2008 stalled those plans, leaving the valuable waterfront land unused for homes. Earlier this month though, the New South Wales government announced the major redevelopment of Bays West, shifting it from industrial port to an end. Inner City Suburb with up to 8,500 new homes, plus open spaces, and a new metro station. Cannelli points to the success of Varan Garou, another four-shore project from her Planning days, as proof of what Bays West could become for Sydney's. Central business district. She now views the area as a painful reminder of that mischance amid tough economic times.

1:05These days, Cannelli leads the Sydney Children's Hospital's Foundation as Chief Executive Officer since November 2022. She cherishes her political past but has no urge to return, preferring time with her adult children and living out her values differently. Meanwhile, she notes how social media has made politicians more reachable, yet far riskier, with extremism-fueling threats that change security advice over her career. As Bays West moves forward, her story highlights timely lessons on seizing urban opportunities.