Partnership Confirmed: What Will The Western Sydney "City Deal" Deliver?

A City Deal between the NSW government and Commonwealth is expected to create more than 100,000 jobs, but both leaders are yet to outline how the project will be rolled out.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and NSW Premier Mike Baird on Friday 21 October signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a Western Sydney City Deal - which includes the Badgerys Creek airport, and more jobs and transport options. The City Deal is a first for New South Wales and marks the nation’s largest ever planning and investment partnership.

The Memorandum of Understanding formalises the partnership between Prime Minister Turnbull and NSW Premier Baird to work together on City Deals in New South Wales.

The Western Sydney City Deal provides a model for these future deals, and will drive a new economy in the emerging Western City that incorporates the areas immediately around the Western Sydney Airport, and the broader region.

An expected 9,000 jobs will be created by the Western Sydney Airport by the early 2030s and a further 60,000 jobs in the coming decades. Through joint Commonwealth, State and local government investment, tens of thousands of jobs will be established in the surrounding region.

These jobs will be in aviation related services, but also in sectors like security, education and training, catering, retail, warehousing, administration, communications and ICT.

Rapid growth in health, education, and in logistics and advanced manufacturing in outer Western Sydney and southwest Sydney, offers great potential for new job precincts.

Construction of the airport will generate $1.9 billion for the local economy, with a further $400 million across the rest of Sydney.

The Western Sydney City Deal pledges to;

• target additional infrastructure investment to increase public transport and reduce traffic congestion, so people can spend more time with their families
• deliver more jobs closer to homes and services, with a focus on youth and indigenous training and skills development.
• increase housing through better planning and density done well, and streamlining approvals across all three levels of government

• support clean air, green spaces, vibrant arts and cultural initiatives.

Aerial view Sydney Bay.

Strong collaboration across governments, local councils, the private sector and local communities is essential to the success of City Deals, with the selection of future deals to be undertaken through a competitive process.

A mayoral roundtable will be held on the Western Sydney City Deal in coming weeks, to include representatives from all local governments in the west and southwestern districts of Western Sydney.
Property Council Welcomes Commitment
The Property Council of Australia today welcomed the commitment of the Federal and  State Governments to the Western Sydney City Deal as the first to be delivered under a Memorandum of Understanding announced today.

Property Council NSW Executive Director Jane Fitzgerald said today that City Deals provide the opportunity to lift productivity and drive strategic growth and create the 30 minute connected cities of the future.

Aerial of Parramatta in Sydney's west.

"Western Sydney has a booming population and huge private and public investment and a City Deal for the region will cement the opportunity to strategically drive further growth," Ms Fitzgerald said.

“We welcome the vision and commitment from both the Baird and Turnbull governments and are excited by the prospect of genuine collaboration by all levels of government."“The Property Council looks forward to joining the dialogue with local, state and federal government about the detail of the plans and their implementation.”
Urban Taskforce Says Deal Will Drive Growth
The City Deal announced by the Federal and State Governments for Western Sydney will be an excellent governance structure to drive growth in the region, The Urban Taskforce has said.

Urban Taskforce CEO Chris Johnson“When the concept of a City Deal was announced by the Federal Government earlier in the year the Urban Taskforce called for the first City Deal to focus on Western Sydney and leverage the potential growth related to Badgerys Creek Airport,” says Urban Taskforce CEO Chris Johnson.

“So we are very positive about the announcement by the Prime Minister and the NSW Premier that a City Deal has been established for this area.”

“The involvement of all three tiers of government should provide an excellent framework to ensure that the appropriate infrastructure is provided and that planning takes into account macro issues related to the Airport along with smaller scale local issues. The focus in the City Deal on jobs is important to ensure that the mass exodus from west to east for jobs is reversed. Currently around 200,000 people travel from Western Sydney to jobs in the East every work day. The Prime Minister’s call for a 30—minute city approach where jobs are close to where people live is strongly supported.”

“It will be interesting to see just what incentives the City Deal can incorporate to ensure that new jobs are located in Western Sydney. Clearly the proposed airport will become an attractor of jobs but much more diversity in jobs types and flexible land use zones will be needed.”