November 2023
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GCC gone, what next for GWS strategic planning?
With the Greater Cities Commission to be absorbed into the NSW Department of Planning, questions regarding Western Sydney’s strategic planning and delivery are now front of mind.
The 6 Cities
The GCCs signature strategic plan, its ‘Six Cities Plan’, which sets the vision for jobs, homes and sustainability in Greater Sydney, was due to be released for public comment late this year or early 2024.
With the GCC no more, it does raise a few questions surrounding the release (or non-release) of this once-critical strategic instrument – one that placed Greater Western Sydney (through the Central City and Western Parkland City) at the heart of long-term decision-making.
Jobs agenda
Importantly, the City Plan was not only set to provide housing targets but also a roadmap for jobs growth and the infrastructure required to support future economic development.
Back in July, the Dialogue urged governments not to lose sight of the need to continue to grow jobs as it confronted the housing crisis. While we’ll continue to push for more efficient delivery, especially in the face of the 75,000 per year homes target, we also look forward to better understanding the Government’s strategic vision, especially now that the City Plan is in limbo.
A Month of Sundays
This month the Dialogue put Western Sydney’s media narrative under the spotlight with over 100 corporate affairs, business, community and media stakeholders attending the inaugural GWS Media Forum.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, Sydney Morning Herald Editor Bevan Shields, ABC NSW Editor Julia Feder, and a star-studded lineup of newsmakers examined how Western Sydney is reported and the way GWS-based organisations can tell their story in the region.
Critical to understanding Western Sydney’s narrative in the news came from a snap piece of research conducted by the Dialogue, titled ‘A Month of Sundays’. Presented by Communications Officer, Nicholas Rupolo, it revealed that crime accounted for over 30% of the stories covered in print, online and television news on Sundays in October 2023.
In 80 stories analysed, 7 of the 10 most frequently used phrases in stories were related to crime, which under scrutiny did not paint a fair picture of Sydney’s West.
Rebooting Delivery at Boomtown!
Boomtown! was centre stage for the NSW Government’s release of the 30-year transport blueprint for the Western Sydney Airport Precinct. As NSW Roads Minister John Graham addressed the Summit, he responded to the Federal Government’s cuts to road projects in NSW, including the M12-M7 interchange, a critical link to the new Western Sydney International Airport.
The Dialogue also unveiled its latest analysis into place delivery into the Airport Precinct. Titled ‘Rebooting Delivery’, the report outlines the potential for new and refocused development corporations or authorities with the NSW Government looking to establish a game-changing western economic hub in the Aerotropolis.
And the winner is…
Congratulations to Western Sydney University and Walker Corporation for taking home the Boomtown! 2023 Project of the Year Award at the recent Gala Dinner.
The world-class $300 million campus provides nine storeys for education and nine storeys for industry in the heart of Bankstown CBD.
The Dialogue hopes that the campus will soon be accompanied by a nearby redeveloped $1.3b Bankstown Hospital to help form the bones of a new health and education precinct in the centre of the CBD.
Foodbank
The Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue team recently volunteered at the great new Glendenning facility to pack food and supplies for those most in need as the cost of living and calls on charities to provide supplies increases.
Foodbank NSW & ACT CEO John Robertson told us that 500,000 meals a week are needed to keep up with record demand as cost-of-living pressures bite local families. With donations declining, the organisation still needs to purchase food, and they need your help.
Go online at www.foodbank.org.au to volunteer and bring your team in. As well as helping the most vulnerable, it’s a great team-building exercise and all for a good cause.
Welcome to our new partners
Welcome Bridge Housing, Capella Capital, Stratwest and Woolworths
The Dialogue is excited to welcome community housing provider, Bridge Housing, which provides long-term accommodation for people on low to moderate incomes through their property portfolio across Sydney. We look forward to Bridge Housing contributing to housing solutions in Greater Western Sydney.
Capella Capital, the financing arm of Lendlease, has also joined the Dialogue, offering excellence in all aspects of project development, commercial and financial structuring, capital raising, delivery, operations and asset management.
Stratwest is a Western Sydney focused consultancy firm. They help clients understand, engage, and unlock the potential of the Greater Western Sydney market.
Lastly, supermarket giant Woolworths joins as a partner. Woolworths is building its National Distribution Centre at Moorebank Logistics Park which is a boost to employment and investment in the region.