What Happened at the Fairfield Council August 2026 Services Committee Meeting?
Award-winning leisure centres, a Wetherill Park library upgrade, golf course growth, record-breaking Showground visits, and community donations.
Council committee meetings shape the services your family uses every day — from the pool your kids swim at, to the library you visit, to the parks and creeks in your neighbourhood. I've gone through the Fairfield City Council Services Committee agenda and draft minutes from 11 August 2026 and pulled out what actually matters to residents. Here's your plain-English summary.
Quick Summary
- Leisure Centres named 2025 National Leisure Centre of the Year — 1.39 million visits recorded
- Aquatopia had its best season ever with 113,069 visitors and 45 sold-out days
- Wetherill Park Library refurbishment confirmed via NSW Local Priority Grant
- Fairfield Golf Course rounds jumped from 16,432 to 20,663 — and a water bore licence worth up to $200k secured
- Fairfield Showground hosted 54 festivals and over 871,000 visitors
- Community donations approved for a local carer charity and a young rugby player heading to Japan
Your Leisure Centres Are Thriving — And Winning Awards
Fairfield City's three leisure centres had a massive 2025/26 year — and the rest of Australia has taken notice. The centres were named 2025 AusActive Leisure Centre of the Year, beating out competitors from across the entire country after a rigorous national assessment process. That's a genuine achievement for our community.
Visits are spread across the three centres: Prairiewood (791,775 including Aquatopia), Fairfield (369,202) and Cabravale (231,424). Major upgrades were also completed this year — including a full sports hall refurbishment at Fairfield Leisure Centre and new Regupol rubber gym flooring at both Fairfield and Prairiewood.
If you haven't been to Aquatopia yet, plan ahead for next season — it sold out 45 days in a row. With 10,787 school students attending midweek sessions alone, it's clearly become one of South-West Sydney's most popular family destinations.
Libraries Busy — Wetherill Park Upgrade Confirmed
Fairfield City's libraries had another strong year, with residents clearly valuing their local branch as a community hub — not just a place to borrow books.
The big news for Wetherill Park residents: Council confirmed that the upcoming 2026–27 Local Priority Grant from the NSW Library Council — anticipated at around $60,000 — will be directed to the Wetherill Park Library refurbishment project. The specifics are still being worked out with the Library Council of NSW, but it's a welcome upgrade for the area.
The Fairfield City Museum and Gallery also had a solid year, welcoming 19,206 visitors and delivering 70 workshops, programs and events across 6 exhibitions.
Fairfield Golf Course Hits Its Stride
Since Council formally took over the Fairfield City Golf Course in May 2024, the numbers have been moving in the right direction — and 2025/26 was the best year yet.
| Year | Rounds Played | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/2025 | 16,432 | — |
| 2025/2026 | 20,663 | +4,231 rounds (+25.7%) |
The greens have been receiving strong positive feedback from golfers, and the driving range (opened April 2025) has broadened the course's appeal. New driving range nets and a toilet block are also on the way in 2026.
In a significant win for long-term sustainability, the Golf Course and Showground secured a NSW Government water bore licence — allowing extraction of 51 megalitres annually for irrigation, at no cost. Similar allocations have recently been valued at between $100,000 and $200,000 per year. That's a meaningful saving for ratepayers over the long term.
Fairfield Showground — Still One of NSW's Best
The Showground continues to punch well above its weight as one of NSW's most successful market and large-scale event venues. This year it welcomed more than 871,342 visitors across markets, festivals, room hire and events.
Highlights from the year included the Philippine Fiesta Kultura (35th year), the Tet Festival, Assyrian New Year, the Fairfield Easter Show, and the inaugural Hazara Culture Day. The Fairfield City Markets — held every Saturday from 9am to 4pm — remain the third largest and best-run markets in NSW.
The synthetic sporting field is fully booked Monday to Friday from 4pm–9.45pm and weekends from 8am–9pm, serving 15+ local clubs and schools with 27,315 people attending across 385 bookings.
Keeping Our Waterways and Bushland Healthy
Council's Natural Resource Management team has been quietly doing important work across Fairfield's creeks, parks and bushland reserves throughout the year.
Council also secured $94,710 under the NSW Government's Greening Our City Program to establish 18,000 locally indigenous plants at Anglevale and Busby Reserves, restoring Shale Plains Woodland and creating approximately 1 hectare of new tree canopy along Edensor Creek. If you'd like to get involved in volunteer environmental programs, Council runs regular activities through the Fairfield Community Nursery and Indigenous Flora Park.
Young People in the Spotlight
The annual Bring It On! Youth Festival at Fairfield Showground on 19 April drew approximately 3,000 attendees, with more than 100 young volunteers gaining real hands-on event industry experience. Several participants went on to secure paid work off the back of it — a genuine pipeline into the creative and events industries.
The Mayor's Youth Achievement Awards on 24 June recognised outstanding young locals across eight categories, with 34 nominations received. Winners included Sienna Byrne (Volunteer Award), Julie Le (Leadership Award) and the Manola Dance Group (Outstanding Youth Group), among others.
Community Donations Approved
Two community donations were approved unanimously at the meeting:
From the Mayoral Community Benefit Fund, towards the Velvet Rose 2026 fundraiser on Saturday 17 October 2026 — supporting local carers and families experiencing hardship.
From the Mayoral Scholarship Fund, towards participation in the Australia Japan Rugby Festival in Fukuoka, Japan from 15–22 December 2026. A fantastic opportunity for a talented local young athlete.
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