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The Defining Months Ahead for Western Sydney
In just a handful of weeks, three of the most significant infrastructure projects Western Sydney has ever seen will open.
The City-South West (Bankstown) Metro extension will become operational. The first flight will take-off from Western Sydney International Airport and Powerhouse Parramatta will open its doors.
Together, these three openings will dramatically change the transport and cultural connections in Greater Western Sydney. The final stretch of the $30 billion M1 metro line will be life-changing for tens of thousands of residents after more than two years of disruption, offering Bankstown a fast and direct connection to the CBD, the North Shore and the North West.
The Western Sydney International Airport is a potential global game-changer. Decades in the making and the product of years of advocacy, the airport will connect Western Sydney to the world when it opens on October 25. And it’s not just the airport that makes this moment significant. The development of Bradfield City will create Sydney’s first new city in over 100 years, reshaping the future of Greater Western Sydney for generations to come.
The final opening, Powerhouse Parramatta on November 7, gives the West a new cultural beating heart.
As Dialogue CEO Adam Leto has said previously, we’re delighted Western Sydney is getting something unique. “The safe option would have been to copy-and-paste another museum. Instead, the team behind the Powerhouse have been steadfast in their ambition to build something different, something genuinely ‘outside the box’ and something special to Western Sydney communities and visitors.”
When the doors open on the first Saturday in November, the public will step into an immersive experience, with exhibitions including a crystal tunnel set within a meteorite, a maze of mirrors and a vintage Qantas plane.
It’s a big end to the year for Western Sydney – and we cannot wait!
Vision as Bold as the Powerhouse
After a decade of planning and more than four years of construction, Powerhouse Parramatta is now less than two months away from opening its very impressive doors.
When it does, it will become Western Sydney’s first state cultural institution and the largest museum ever built in New South Wales. It represents a once-in-a-generation investment in the future of Sydney’s West, with the potential to drive jobs, attract visitors, energise local businesses and cement Parramatta as a genuine cultural capital.
For Western Sydney, this is about far more than the opening of another museum.
With operating plans and hours for Powerhouse Parramatta now being decided, Dialogue CEO Adam Leto told The Sydney Morning Herald arts writer Linda Morris it was vital that we get it right.
“I think it would be a mistake to have the region’s newest and biggest cultural investment only open to the public during standard opening hours. The Powerhouse is not a bank. This is an anchor attraction that will help fuel the area’s night-time economy but for that to happen, it needs to actually be open at night.
“We want as many people as possible to engage with the spaces, the exhibitions and the hospitality offering it provides. To have the doors closed after hours is a real missed opportunity.”
The hard work has been done and the excitement is growing as this extraordinary space gets ready to welcome its first visitors. Now is the time for government to be as bold as the building itself.
Read the full article here.
Win for Western Sydney’s Sports Ground Shortfall
Earlier this year, the Dialogue’s research blew the whistle on a shortage of community sporting infrastructure across Greater Western Sydney – 682 additional hectares needed by 2041, the equivalent of 912 rugby league fields, just to keep pace with population growth. We called on the NSW Government to unlock the gates on underutilised school ovals, TAFE grounds and government-owned land, and to extend programs like Share Our Space so these facilities stay open for community sport after hours, on weekends and during the holidays.
We are delighted to see the NSW Government has announced this week exactly that kind of expansion – opening more school playgrounds and ovals to the public, with new open space unlocked for the communities that need it most.
As Dialogue CEO Adam Leto said earlier this year, joint use agreements for existing sports facilities is a real solution to this problem that doesn’t require bucket-loads of dollars, it’s simply about sweating some of our existing community and public assets a bit harder.
Western Sydney has a deep connection with sport, and every kid deserves the space to have a run or throw a ball close to home.
We’ll keep pushing for the rest of our recommendations, including a dedicated Western Sydney Open Space Fund, to make sure the region’s sporting infrastructure keeps pace with its growth.
GWS Has the Tools to Tackle the Housing Crisis
Western Sydney doesn’t just need more homes, it needs the hands to build them, and this month’s GWS Construction and Skills Forum at the James Hardie Centre of Excellence at Eels HQ in Kellyville put that challenge squarely on the table.
Government, industry leaders, educators and workforce experts came together to unpack how Greater Western Sydney’s pipeline of talent can meet the region’s growing housing crisis and skilled labour shortages, and look at how modern methods of construction can help build more homes faster without cutting corners on quality.
The Dialogue and James Hardie also used the occasion to present a new report, Building Capacity: Addressing the GWS Housing Challenge, to the Minister for Fair Trading, Better Regulation and Innovation, Anoulack Chanthivong.
Right now, GWS delivers around 40 per cent of Sydney’s new dwellings and is home to the city’s “tradie-belt”, the highest concentration of construction workers anywhere in Sydney.
As Dialogue Chair Christopher Brown AM told the forum, the region has the industry and the workforce to make a real dent in the state’s housing targets:
“Housing is one of the region’s greatest challenges, but it also presents one of its greatest opportunities. We need to reimagine how we develop workforce skills and create a pipeline of talent capable of building the homes, communities and infrastructure Sydney needs for the future.”
The Forum heard about the skills and productivity pressures facing the sector, before Minister Chanthivong outlined government priorities for a stronger, faster building industry.
We also heard from NRL Parramatta Eel’s player Araz Nanva, who is studying a carpentry apprenticeship alongside his professional playing commitments, about the opportunities a trade can provide.
Landmark Opening for South-West Sydney
The Dialogue was pleased to attend the official opening of Sydney Water’s Badu Yarragul Water Resource Recovery Facility earlier this month.
This $1.2 billion facility is Sydney Water’s largest investment in Western Sydney and will future-proof the south-west by improving environmental outcomes, generating water for beneficial reuse, and contributing to a greener and more resilient region.
Final Sydney Plan a Step Forward
The release of the final Sydney Plan last month is a welcome step forward, offering a planning blueprint for Sydney’s future growth following extensive consultation.
Particularly important is the stronger focus on employment in Greater Western Sydney and on the relationship between jobs, population growth and transport connections.
The shift from simply identifying housing capacity to housing feasibility also makes sense, because housing targets will not solve the housing crisis unless those homes can be built.
But the scale of the challenge facing Greater Western Sydney remains significant. While the Plan seeks to rebalance some growth towards Sydney’s east, LGAs across the Greater West are still projected to accommodate around 879,000 additional people by 2046, close to 71% of Sydney’s total population growth.
The region will also generate substantial employment growth, and while this renewed focus from the NSW Government is welcome, a jobs deficit will remain, meaning many Western Sydney residents will continue to travel outside the region for work. This will only be sustainable if it’s matched with the infrastructure investment required to connect employment centres efficiently.
The accompanying Infrastructure Opportunities Plan reinforces the challenge. Many of the projects needed to support growth in GWS remain at relatively early stages of planning, including major connections such as the Macarthur Transit Corridor. There is a strong case for accelerating this work now so infrastructure does not fall further behind population growth.
The Sydney Plan provides a strong strategic foundation. Delivering its vision will require a coordinated, whole-of-government approach linking housing, jobs, transport and infrastructure investment so that growth translates into better outcomes for communities across Greater Western Sydney.
Five Years of CLP: Building Western Sydney’s Leadership Network
This month marks five years of the Dialogue’s unique Collaborative Leadership Program (CLP). In that time, we have built something rare: a genuine and enduring professional network among emerging and established leaders across Western Sydney.
What started as an immersive, week-long experience offering participants first-hand insight into the challenges and opportunities shaping the region’s future has become something that lasts well beyond the program itself. Cohorts stay connected long after graduation, creating a strong bond between leaders working across different sectors and challenges throughout the region.
Over the years, our delegates have also had the chance to learn about leadership from the best, with generous guidance from former Chief Commissioner of the Greater Sydney Commission’s Lucy Hughes Turnbull AO, City of Sydney CEO Monica Barone, Australian Tertiary Education Commission Chief Commissioner Prof Barney Glover AO, Western Sydney International Airport CEO Simon Hickey and Western Sydney University Pro Chancellor Amanda Larkin to name a few.
Five years on, the results are clear. Graduates are shaping the region from within, holding senior roles at organisations, including Campbelltown City Council, Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney Metro, Westlink M7, Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese and Accor Hotels. The alumni network speaks for itself: graduates are respected leaders in their own right across aviation, health, education, infrastructure, professional services and local government.
This month we welcome our next group of delegates – 29 people who will join the CLP cohort and become part of the enduring professional network across Greater Western Sydney.
From Crisis to Control
When the pressure’s on and the headlines are unforgiving, what separates a confident response from a reputational freefall?
That was the question at the heart of our latest Corporate Affairs Roundtable, where we brought together three of Western Sydney’s leaders in Corporate and Public Affairs – Western Sydney International Airport’s Matthew Martyn-Jones, Western Sydney University’s Stefanie Balogh and Bradfield Development Authority’s Ashley Langton – to examine the key to effective crisis management.
One of the highlights of the night was a live Q&A, putting everyone on the spot with a “what would you do?” unfolding crisis scenario.
We also discussed the critical first 24 hours of a crisis, what goes into an effective communications and engagement strategy, and how to rebuild trust and strengthen relationships once the dust settles.
Planning for the Future of NSW
Dialogue CEO Adam Leto took to the stage to speak at the 16th Annual Major Projects Conference to discuss NSW’s next decade of major projects.
Adam joined Tourism and Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond, WT Partnership National Infrastructure Lead Sam Mendoza and Woods Bagot Director Amanda Stanaway, for a lively discussion led by Oxford Economics Head of Global Construction Dr Nicholas Fearnley on the challenges ahead in delivering the next decade of major projects for NSW. The panel covered the transport, energy, health, housing and precinct projects that are reshaping the state, and how government and industry can successfully plan, procure and deliver the next generation of major projects.
Adam told the Forum that while there was an extensive major projects pipeline currently being delivered, including billions of dollars on schools, hospitals and metro lines, it was critical, given the growth of Western Sydney, that planning for the next 10-20 year infrastructure cycle was also critical.
A Warm Welcome to VietJet and Fiji Airways!
As we get closer to the opening of Western Sydney International Airport (WSI), it’s great to see VietJet Air and Fiji Airways become the latest airlines bound for Sydney’s new 24/7 global gateway.
From January, Western Sydney residents will have easier access to top holiday destinations in Southeast Asia, with weekly flights to Ho Chi Minh City locked in.
This is very welcome news as Western Syndey has more than 335,000 Australian residents with Vietnamese ancestry.
From March, there will be three flights per week between WSI Airport and Nadi International Airport for those looking to enjoy the sunshine and hospitality of Fiji.
And following strong demand, Jetstar has increased the number of flights to the Gold Coast. From opening day, Western Sydney residents will be able to enjoy daily flights to the Sunshine state.
Western Sydney’s Infrastructure Milestones
The Dialogue welcomes a series of milestone infrastructure, housing, transport and health announcements supporting Western Sydney’s future growth.
From plans to expand Westmead South’s housing capacity to 13,000 homes and the $124.5 million transformation of Parramatta North, to the rezoning of Cherrybrook for 10,000 new homes and the major housing boost for Parramatta’s metro station, these projects will help create the housing, jobs and educational opportunities needed to support one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions.
Combined with the continued progress of Sydney Metro West, Western Sydney is seeing the kind of coordinated investment required to unlock long-term economic growth and improve quality of life for local communities.
Just as importantly, investments such as the new Integrated Health Hub at Wilton and the $2 billion Bankstown Hospital will ensure essential services keep pace with population growth. These projects are about more than new buildings and infrastructure.
These significant infrastructure investments will help create thriving, connected communities where people can access employment, education, healthcare and housing closer to home.
Western Sydney Deserves its Fair Share of GST Revenue
An Australian living and working in Fairfield should receive the same government support an Australian living and working in Freemantle, but that isn’t the case today.
Dialogue CEO Adam Leto was pleased to join NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and NSW Minister for Finance, Courtney Houssos, along with other leading business groups, unions and community organisations in standing with the NSW Government to ensure our state gets its fair share of GST revenue.
Western Sydney is one of the fastest growing regions in the country and is currently nearly the same size as the whole of Western Australia. Within the next 10 years it will house more people than WA.
Despite this, under the current model, Western Sydney is only receiving a fraction of what our friends on the other side of the country are receiving from GST revenue.
Western Sydney and NSW is prepared to continue to do the heavy lifting, but it deserves a fair slice of the pie.
While some states can dig their wealth out of the ground, others can’t, and those that aren’t blessed with mineral resources shouldn’t be forced to subsidise those that are.
Dialogue News
We’re delighted to share some exciting news from within the Dialogue team.
Marushka Noronha has been promoted to Director, Partnerships & Events, recognising her outstanding leadership in strengthening our partnerships, growing our events program, and helping deliver the conversations, initiatives and experiences that bring our network together.
Annabelle Le Messurier steps into the role of Events Manager, bringing her expertise, dedication and passion for delivering exceptional events to lead the next chapter of our events program.
Both promotions reflect the significant contribution Marushka and Annabelle have made to the Dialogue, as well as the confidence we have in their ability to continue driving value for our members, partners and stakeholders.
Please join us in congratulating Marushka and Annabelle on these well-deserved promotions. We look forward to seeing them thrive in their new roles and helping shape the future success of the Dialogue.
WSI | Community Aviation Consultation Group Annual Forum
Last month Dialogue partner Western Sydney International Airport held the inaugural Community Aviation Consultation Group (CACG) Annual Forum. Hosted by CACG Chair Professor Peter Shergold AC and Deputy Chair Paul Lucas, this fantastic community event saw members of the public hear from those shaping the Airport’s future and enjoy an early a tour of the terminal.
WSU | Friends of Western Sydney
This month, Western Sydney University is launching its Friends of Western Sydney campaign, connecting Western Sydney’s business and community leaders with the students who are the future of our region’s workforce, of which Dialogue CEO Adam Leto is a proud Ambassador.
To kick off its launch, Friends of Western Sydney is hosting the #StayTheCourse Walk. This is an opportunity to stand alongside students, celebrate their ambitions and show them that Western Sydney’s leaders are firmly behind them.
#StayTheCourse Walk
Tuesday 22 September 2026 at 8.00 am
Western Sydney University
Parramatta South Campus, start and finish
Learn more here.
Trilogy Hotels | New Operators
We are pleased to hear Dialogue partner Trilogy Hotels has been appointed as the operator of the new DoubleTree by Hilton Parramatta.
The 100-room hotel, set to open in late 2028, forms part of Deicorp Group’s Cosmopolitan mixed-use project, which will deliver 597 apartments, retail, commercial and dining to the area.
This is the third hotel precinct Trilogy and Deicorp have undertaken together, building on their successful track record of delivering and operating hotels across Sydney.
New Partner | Panthers Group + ICON!Q Experiences
We are pleased to welcome Panthers Group and ICON!Q Experiences as the newest partners of the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue.
A Note from the Chair
The Sydney Table with Christopher Brown AM
Sydney has no shortage of opinions and opinionated leaders. What it lacks is honest, informed and respectful conversation between people who have the power to change things.
The Sydney Table brings the ideas, debates and provocations to you.
Hosted by Christopher Brown AM, each episode takes on the news and issues our city can’t afford to ignore and hosts the conversations it needs to have.
Listen to the latest episode: Vibrancy or Virtue? Pokies, Pubs and Sydney’s Night-Time Economy featuring Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne and former NSW Minister David Elliott.
