Bleak photograph of mother pushing a pram sparks claims Sydney suburb is a 'third-world country'

Published: 02:18, 11 August 2026 | Updated: 02:18, 11 August 2026 A south-west Sydney region has been branded a 'third-world country' after a bleak photograph emerged of a mother pushing a pram on an unpaved roadside as infrastructure fails to keep up with the growing population.  Austral resident Monique, 26, took the picture on Ingleburn Road in Leppington and branded the area a 'third-world country'.  'It was taken 100m away from Woolies,' she told Yahoo.  'I've just had enough of seeing it. I felt helpless because I can't do anything.' Monique said the stretch of road, with a speed limit of 70km/h, was just one of many in the Camden Council local government area without footpaths. She also pointed to the rapid development of the region, which had gone from farmland to a fast-growing residential community, as a reason for urgent action.  'Every morning I see mothers walking on the edges of roads trying to drop off their kids to school, as they only live metres away from it,' Monique said. 'It scares me when you see people speeding down 4th Avenue, for example, and children walking alongside the road.' A bleak photo of a mother forced to push a pram along the unpaved side of a busy road has highlighted an Aussie suburb's struggle to keep up with its rapid growth The safety concerns come after Camden Council in May said upgrades to Ingleburn Road, including road widening, traffic lights, kerbs and guttering, street lighting and footpaths, were in the works.  'The NSW government is responsible for funding Ingleburn Road, with an allocation provided to Council to prepare a detailed design,' a council spokesman told Yahoo.  'Council is advocating for funding to enable construction to commence as soon as possible, as part of its The Time is Now advocacy campaign to bring forward critical infrastructure for growing communities. 'At this stage, the NSW government has not yet allocated any construction funding and, as a result, a delivery timeframe cannot be confirmed.' Leppington MP Nathan Hagarty said improvements needed to be made urgently.   'I think footpaths to and from major shopping centres and public transport areas, and schools are a no-brainer, not just for safety reasons, but it also means less cars on the road,' he said. 'I think there are some short-term simple solutions that I'm happy to work with council on, whether that's footpaths, or intersection upgrades, or crossings. 'Given we've seen [similar photos before] and this issue come up again, safety should be a number one priority, and I think we need to work on that while we chip away at the long-term solutions.' Austral resident Monique, 26, took the picture on Ingleburn Road in Leppington, near Leppington Village, and branded the area a 'third-world country' Daily Mail contacted Camden Council for comment.