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NSW Budget Boosts the Back of House
In a calm and cautious budget, there was not much to put in a headline. But insiders and industry stakeholders will know this budget ticked some important boxes for the West.
Greater Western Sydney remains a clear priority of the Minns Government. New schools and hospitals have been funded, road and transport projects across the region will continue and residents will receive support through enhanced medical and community services.
Key investments in the Bankstown Hospital redevelopment (additional $700m taking the total value to $2bn), roads around the Aerotropolis (additional $150m on top of $1bn last budget), and plans to improve North-South connections ($54.7m) are also included.
The provision of water and other enabling infrastructure featured, recognising the need to ensure services are in place to support growth in Western Sydney.
The smaller investments also carried significance including keeping Pondi open for another two summers ($5.2m), growing mental health support in the west ($15.4m) and new bus services in growing communities ($150m).
This ongoing investment into continuing projects across the region highlights the important role that the region plays in the realisation of the government’s economic goals for NSW. More than ever, the prosperity of Western Sydney influences that of the state. It’s within the government’s interest to foster its growth as the Treasurer outlined in his speech.
Click here to read our full analysis.
REGISTER: South West Sydney Development Forum
South West Sydney is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia, but is housing and infrastructure delivery keeping pace with its rapid growth?
Register now for the South West Sydney Development Forum on Tuesday, 26 August, at The Cube, Campbelltown, to hear state and local government leaders discuss the critical infrastructure required to help unlock future investment, employment and housing opportunities.
Featuring a keynote speech from NSW Planning & Public Spaces Minister, the Hon. Paul Scully MP, you’ll hear from key stakeholders in development, transport, infrastructure, planning and skills examine opportunities to bolster and accelerate housing supply and jobs growth, including along the Sydney Metro Airport line.
This half-day forum will showcase some of the major precincts and projects in the pipeline, examine its role within the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and highlight the growth of the south-west as an emerging visitor and tourism destination.
Confirmed Speakers
- Hon. Paul Scully MP | NSW Minister for Planning & Public Spaces
- Greg Warren MP | Member for Campbelltown
- Clr Darcy Lound | Mayor, Campbelltown City Council
- Lindy Dietz | Chief Executive Officer, Campbelltown City Council
- Tom Gellibrand | Chief Executive, Infrastructure NSW & Co-ordinator General, Western Sydney Aerotropolis
- Monica Gibson | Deputy Secretary, Department of Planning, Housing & Infrastructure
- Trudi Mares | Deputy Secretary, Planning, Integration and Passenger, Transport for NSW
- Chloe Read | Managing Director, TAFE NSW
10-Minute Aerotropolis Survey
Business leaders, investors, and partners are invited to take part in a short survey by the Bradfield Development Authority to help shape the future of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and the dynamic ecosystems that will thrive there.
Following key investments in the budget for the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, your responses can play a key role in creating a thriving, connected business ecosystem in Western Sydney and will help deliver valuable, industry-specific solutions that will drive innovation and growth
The survey only takes 10 minutes, but the impact will be far-reaching. Click here to take part now.
AFR: Let the Water Flow
In our previous edition of GWS Insider, the Dialogue described IPART’s draft report on the review of prices for Sydney Water as a missed opportunity.
In some encouraging signs, the NSW Budget funded the Prospect Pre-treatment Plant ($756m), an upgrade of West Camden’s Wastewater Treatment Plant ($217m) and continuation of funding for the Upper South Creek Water Recycling Centre.
However, the challenge remains to ensure Western Sydney has the infrastructure it needs to deal with rapid growth.
Adam Leto spoke to the Australian Financial Review’s Paul Karp about what was at stake for the West without enough funding for housing enabling infrastructure.
“Western Sydney cannot afford to be held back by the most basic of infrastructure not being delivered,” Adam Leto said.
“We can’t expect hundreds of thousands of homes to pop up out of the ground – the government needs to create the settings to get on with building more homes.”
Read the full story here.
Social Housing Audit
South West Sydney is home to the largest population of people waiting 5 years or more for social housing in Greater Sydney.
The NSW Auditor-General’s report on social housing released last month revealed 44% of South West Sydney social housing applicants are waiting more than five years on the NSW Housing register, more than any other area in Greater Sydney.
Almost a third (31%) of housing applicants in Western Sydney and Nepean-Blue Mountains are waiting more than five years on the NSW Housing register.
Click here to view the map
The report concluded “the process to apply for a social housing property is inefficient and inequitable [and] overly complex.”
Of interest, less than 25% of social housing in the Western Sydney and South-Western Sydney region is managed by community housing providers, compared to over 90% in the Mid-North Coast and Northern Sydney areas.
However, in positive news, the NSW Government has delivered more than 1700 new social and affordable homes in the past year with Homes NSW building 1408 public, community and affordable homes in that time.
This puts into context the scale of the housing challenge, not just in the context of dwelling approvals and construction to meet housing targets, but co-ordinating funding to build social housing where it is needed most in the West.
On Track for Freight Reform
Last month, the NSW Government released Delivering Freight Policy Reform in NSW, an expert report led by Dialogue Patron, Dr Kerry Schott AO.
The report sets out a clear roadmap of short, medium and long-term actions to ready the state to better integrate freight into our transport networks into the future.
The value of freight to the NSW economy is now $74 billion, employing 330,000 people, according to Transport for NSW data. The roadmap provides actions to boost productivity at a time when the sector’s contribution from Gross Value Add (GVA) is expected to grow by an average of $1.6 billion a year to 2061 when it will provide 565,000 jobs.
Key recommendations in the paper for Greater Western Sydney include:
- Developing the Western Sydney Freight Line and an associated intermodal terminal (IMT) at Mamre Road, Erskine Park
- Finalising the plan, funding and delivery of a fuel pipeline to Western Sydney Airport.
- In the longer term, the planning for the Western Sydney Orbital, including corridor preservation and funding, is a matter for both governments due to the important freight role it will play.
Read the full report here.
WSU Social Impact
For an unprecedented fourth year in a row, Western Sydney University has outranked 2,300 international universities to be named the world’s best for delivering community impact.
The prestigious global Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings singles out the University and Western Sydney community for their ongoing efforts to improve lives, deliver equity and fairness, and safeguard the planet for future generations.
Click here to learn more.
Leaders in the West
Two senior leaders are taking up key roles in the region. Congratulations to Billie Sankovic who was named Chair of South Western Sydney Local Health District, and Debi Marriott-Lavery who begins her role as CEO of community housing provider, SGCH.
New Partner
The Dialogue is thrilled to welcome Western Sydney’s primary health network, Wentwest, as a partner. For 20 years WentWest has been part of the Western Sydney community, delivering support and education to primary care health professionals such as general practitioners (GPs), practice nurses and allied health providers, working with key partners to progress the region’s health system.
