Call to Deliver Promised Western Sydney Projects

In the wake of Federal Government infrastructure funding cuts, the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue today joined calls for the Federal government to deliver promised vital projects for the region.   

Speaking at the annual Boomtown! Property and Infrastructure Summit, Dialogue CEO Adam Leto said the community was seeking assurance that the Government was committed to the region’s future.

“The Australian Government had committed to the M12-M7 interchange, works have started and we remain hopeful that it follows through on its promise to the communities of Western Sydney,” Mr Leto said.

“The airport is a once-in-a-century project and we need to get it right – that includes ensuring that it has the necessary infrastructure to make it a success from day one.

“This means vital road access for residents, connecting Western Sydney and unlocking surrounding employment precincts. The M7 and M12 interchange is a critical project.”

The 2023 summit brought together 300 industry leaders from transport, infrastructure and property, along with senior government members, including Jo Haylen, Minister for Transport, John Graham, Minister for Roads, Jobs & Tourism, Jennifer Westacott AO, Chair, Western Parkland City Authority, and Simon Hickey, Chief Executive Officer, Western Sydney International Airport.

At the event, Minister Graham launched the Connecting Western Sydney Airport Precinct Strategy. The strategy outlines the vision of the NSW Government for the 11,200-hectare precinct, which is set to become one the largest industrial complexes in the southern hemisphere.

Minister Graham said the M7-M12 interchange was vital to ensure the airport’s successful take-off.

“It will be a significant blow to the development of the Western Sydney Airport Precinct to not have it completed according to the timetable. There is land cleared and bulldozers moving earth on the site today,” Mr Graham said.

“We will not slow down, that work needs to be done, and I make no apologies for continuing that planning.”

Minister Jo Haylen told the summit there had been underinvestment in Western Sydney services, which was “compounding disadvantage”.

“If the Aerotropolis is a success, it must be connected to the growing cities in Western Sydney,” Minister Haylen said.

“It’s not just about the airport, it’s about a city we are building. That is being done because of Federal Government investment and we need their support.”

Dialogue Chairman, Christopher Brown, warned that Western Sydney’s Aerotropolis risked being left in a holding pattern unless all layers of government backed the precinct’s potential to soar.

Unveiling the new Rebooting Delivery policy paper at Boomtown!, Mr Brown said the opening of the Western Sydney International Airport was a unique opportunity to attract global investors into the Aerotropolis.

“If we get it right, the first investments here can trigger the much-needed momentum to establish new industries, smart jobs and supply chain opportunities,” Mr Brown said.

Drafted in collaboration with the change management consultancy, Astrolabe Group, the Rebooting Delivery paper outlines a ‘life cycle’ approach to place-based delivery.

“To avoid duplication, inefficiency and confused priorities, we need to set one clear mandate for the agency – to focus on delivering a self-sufficient economic precinct that would be absorbed back into day-to-day government when that’s done,” he said.

The call to action was debated today at the Boomtown! Summit, promoting the transport, infrastructure and property projects that will help to grow the cities of the West, as well as addressing urban transformation, cities policy and governance reform.

Now in its eighth year, the annual event outlined the policies and investments that will shape the future of the region. The full-day conference facilitated a dialogue with key decision-makers and stakeholder groups that has been delivered in partnership with the NSW Government since its inception in 2016.

Held at Olympic Park, Boomtown! ’23 examined the NSW Government’s key infrastructure priorities through the lens of planning and regulatory adjustments and major projects required to meet the growing needs of the region, and ensure future development is matched by appropriate transport links, amenity and services.

The Summit followed the annual Boomtown! Gala Dinner and the 2023 Project of the Year Awards held on Thursday, November 16, where Western Sydney University Bankstown City Campus took out the top prize as Project of the Year.

The Boomtown! Project of the Year Awards was established to acknowledge completed major projects over the past 12 months that significantly contribute to the sustainable growth of Greater Western Sydney.