Campbelltown Councillor Masud Khalil has set his sights on State Parliament, announcing he will contest the seat of Macquarie Fields as an independent at the 2027 NSW election.

The seat is currently held by NSW Minister Anoulack Chanthivong.

Khalil formally launched his campaign before supporters at the Ron Moore Community Centre in Minto on Saturday, declaring it was time for the area to have a stronger independent voice in Macquarie Street.

“Macquarie Fields deserves a representative whose first loyalty is to the community not to a political party,” Khalil has always said.

“I have spent years listening to people at the grassroots, fighting for local services and standing up for our community. I now want to take that same voice to State Parliament.”

Khalil has built his political career outside the major parties, serving as an independent on Campbelltown City Council and becoming the first Bangladeshi-Australian to serve as the Council’s Deputy Mayor.

He said his decision to run was driven by frustration with a political system he believes too often puts party interests before community needs.

“For too long, the major parties have been able to take communities like ours for granted,” he told Good Morning Macarthur.

“Common people don’t care about political games. They care about their hospitals, their schools, their roads, transport, housing and whether their children will have opportunities in the future.”

If elected, Khalil said his focus would remain firmly on grassroots issues and securing better services and infrastructure for the growing Macquarie Fields community.

“I want to make sure community voices are heard where the decisions about health, education, transport, policing and major infrastructure are actually made,” he said.

His political rise has also carried significance within Australia’s Bangladeshi community, but Khalil stressed his campaign would not be defined by ethnicity.

“I am enormously proud of my Bangladeshi heritage, but when we stand together in this country, we stand together as Australians,” he said.

“Campbelltown is one of the most multicultural communities in Australia. Our diversity should unite us, not divide us.”

Khalil will contest the election as an independent with the backing of Community Voice of Australia.

Saturday’s launch was presented by fellow Campbelltown Councillor Khaled Halabi and drew community and religious leaders, professionals, business owners and residents from across the area.

“If the people give me the privilege of representing them, I will take their voice into Parliament every single day, independently, fearlessly and without owing anything to anyone except the community,” Khalil said.