For the first time, Camden Council has a dedicated plan to stitch its rapidly expanding community closer together, and it is asking residents to help write the final draft. The Draft Camden Council Framework for Social Cohesion 2026-2030 was endorsed for public exhibition at a July Ordinary Meeting, opening submissions on how to ensure no one is left behind in one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions.
The framework follows more than 1,600 engagements with locals, community groups, stakeholders and Council staff. It marks the council’s first coordinated attempt to strengthen belonging, participation and inclusion across the local government area, built around three pillars: Belonging, Equal Opportunity, and Acceptance and Harmony.
Mayor of Camden, Cr Therese Fedeli, said the document was a deliberate move to get ahead of the pressures that come with breakneck growth. “We’re one of Australia’s fastest-growing communities and thousands of new residents are choosing to call Camden home each year,” she said. “The way our community looks today is very different to what it did just a decade ago, and this framework is about making sure Camden continues to grow in a way that brings people together and supports everyone to feel connected and included.”
“We’re taking a proactive approach by planning now for the future community we know is coming, rather than waiting for challenges to arise,” Cr Fedeli added.
The numbers behind that urgency are stark. Camden LGA grew from 78,200 residents in 2016 to 119,325 in 2021, a 52.6 per cent jump that made it the fastest-growing council in NSW at the time. Forecasts point to another 136,458 residents by 2046, more than doubling the current population. Thousands of new arrivals each year are reshaping neighbourly conversation, school pick-up lines and the very feel of the suburbs.
The draft framework, which spans four years, is intended as a social roadmap alongside the physical infrastructure already being rolled out. Its three pillars translate into commitments to foster a sense of ownership among all residents, remove barriers to participation, and actively build mutual respect across cultures and generations.
Residents can read the framework and lodge submissions through the Your Voice Camden platform at yourvoice.camden.nsw.gov.au. The exhibition opens in coming weeks; exact dates will be posted on the site. Earlier consultation on the project drew 191 responses to a quick poll that asked people to rate social cohesion in Camden. In-person feedback options at libraries and customer service centres are expected, mirroring previous consultations.
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Camden Council
Local government authority for the Camden local government area in New South Wales, responsible for planning, services and community development in one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions.
The framework’s pillars are not just administrative categories; they signal intent in a place where entire neighbourhoods are still being created. With the population projected to surpass 255,000 by the middle of the century, this first coordinated plan could decide whether Camden becomes a patchwork of new estates or a genuinely connected community. The draft is open, and the next chapter belongs to the people who live there.