Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue

A jam-packed Boomtown! Property & Infrastructure Summit program has just been released.    In what is the Dialogue’s biggest Boomtown! lineup ever, some of the most important federal and state decision-makers in infrastructure, housing, transport, development and more will discuss the big challenges facing Greater Western Sydney. We'll examine how to deliver affordable housing and infrastructure, while ensuring future communities have access to jobs, services and amenity.  VIEW THE PROGRAM & BOOK YOUR SPOT ➡️ https://shorturl.at/HuqDW National leaders, including Housing & Homelessness Minister, Hon. Clare O’Neil MP, Federal Cities Minister, Senator the Hon. Jenny McAllister, Infrastructure Australia Chief Commissioner, Tim Reardon, and High Speed Rail Authority CEO, Tim Parker, will discuss the Federal Government’s housing agenda and the region’s infrastructure pipeline.    Influential public sector leaders will also examine the critical transport, infrastructure and housing policy settings and their impact on GWS including Transport for NSW Secretary, Josh Murray, Sydney Water Managing Director, Roch Cheroux, Sydney Metro Chief Executive, Peter Regan, Homes NSW CEO, Rebecca Pinkstone, Bradfield Development Authority CEO, Ken Morrison, and Landcom CEO, Alexander Wendler.   With many more high-profile speakers taking part, you won’t want to miss this event. NSW Government Commonwealth Bank Coronation Property KPMG Landcom City of Parramatta Stockland StratWest Sydney Water Venues NSW

Federal Housing Minister Headlines Boomtown! With housing at the top of the Federal Government’s policy agenda, hear from Housing & Homelessness Minister, Hon. Clare O’Neil MP, at the 2024 Boomtown! Property & Infrastructure Summit on Friday, 29 November.  Hosted at Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, the Minister will outline how the Albanese government’s suite of housing policies, including the Housing Australia Future Fund, can help boost supply, address labour and skills shortages and make it easier for families, young people and front-line workers to get into the market.  Stay tuned for the release of the full program Book your spot here ➡️ https://shorturl.at/f5sX1 NSW Government CommBank Stadium KPMG Landcom City of Parramatta StratWest Sydney Water Venues NSW

High Speed Rail is back in the news and on the agenda for our upcoming Boomtown Conference! Today’s story in the Sydney Morning Herald details the Federal High Speed Rail Authority’s (HSRA) ongoing work to connect Greater Sydney to the Hunter ahead of the final business case being handed to the government by the end of the year. Previous governments had identified parts of Greater Western Sydney, including Sydney Olympic Park or Parramatta, as a potential interchange and the Dialogue will continue to highlight the importance of this connection, when HSRA Chief Executive, Tim Parker, joins us at our Boomtown! Property & Infrastructure Summit on November 29. Book your spot here > https://shorturl.at/f5sX1 Larry McGrath Victoria Black Alana Newbrook Gail Connolly PSM Sara Rollason Fiona Thompson

Destination Western Sydney!   With a commitment to support Greater Western Sydney's cultural diversity and its standing as a cuisine capital, The Dialogue today welcomes the Minns Government’s launch of the revised Destination NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030 and its focus on experience-led tourism.   That’s why the Dialogue is promoting Western Sydney as a global dining destination and will soon release our Best of the West – A Food Lovers’ Guide to Greater Western Sydney. This first-of-its-kind publication will honour the people and places that contribute to the area’s special culinary character and showcase GWS as a great place to visit for an amazing global food experience.   Highlighting Western Sydney’s unique precincts, arts, culture and creative industries will help the NSW government meet its ambition to turn the NSW visitor economy into a $91 billion powerhouse – and there’s no better way to do that than through the rich array of food experiences unique to Sydney’s West.   Promoting Western Sydney as a food-lovers destination to a global audience coincides with the opening of the Western Sydney International Airport in late 2026 and supports the Government’s commitment to prioritise visitor economy infrastructure around Western Sydney International Airport, unlocking the growth potential of the new international gateway. John Graham Steve Cox Candice Keller Lisa Havilah James Carey Stephen Mahoney Julie Scott Shayne Mallard Kate Stares Kerrie Mather Simon Hickey Catherine Payne Matthew Martyn-Jones READ THE STRATEGY SUMMARY BELOW ⬇️

South West Sydney transport links could supercharge region Preliminary work to investigate connecting fast growing suburbs, like Wilton and Picton, to Campbelltown and the Illawarra by the NSW Government is great news for the economic future of the Macarthur region. This follows the Dialogue’s Wollongong & The West policy paper, released in July this year, which called for feasibility studies into the Macarthur-Kembla Link, a dual-track passenger and freight line between South West Sydney and the Illawarra to unlock the supercharged economic zone. The government’s commitment to improving transport links was solidified at the Dialogue’s recent South West Sydney Housing & Infrastructure Forum, where Transport for NSW announced the Outer South West Integrated Transport Plan. We are pleased that work has begun on investigating the rail investments of the future to support urban development and strengthen the Macarthur’s economic potential as it rapidly grows. The Dialogue’s paper also called for the electrification of the existing rail corridor between Macarthur and Picton stations which would provide a much-needed upgrade to public transport for communities in the Greater Macarthur Growth Area. We remain hopeful this upgrade can be delivered. Campbelltown City Council Wollondilly Shire Council Western Sydney International Airport National Intermodal NSW Ports Wollongong City Council University of Wollongong BlueScope Lindy Deitz John Dewar Greg Warren Paul Scully Read our policy paper here > https://shorturl.at/5mQ8R Read the SMH story here > https://shorturl.at/9wUW5

Recognising Innovation in Leadership The Dialogue was proud to have its Collaborative Leadership Program (CLP) recognised in NSW Parliament recently, through Fairfield MP, Dr David Saliba, who noted the success of the initiative in helping foster “a culture of shared decision-making and innovation” in Greater Western Sydney. We were pleased to have David join us during one of our CLP sessions in Fairfield this year, alongside former WSU Chancellor, Peter Shergold, Dr Amanda Larkin (NSW Health) and Violet Roumeliotis AM (Settlement Services International) to discuss the challenges new migrants face in the region. It was one of many insightful, honest and confronting sessions that the group experienced during the 5-day immersive program. Now in its 3rd year, this year’s cohort join an impressive alumni of 100 CLP graduates, and together, will celebrate their achievements with a graduation at NSW Parliament House next month, with NSW MPs and Minister for Western Sydney, Prue Car. The program wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Western Sydney University and the NSW Government, along with CLP Governors Lucinda (Lucy) Hughes Turnbull AO, Monica Barone, Barney Glover, Simon Hickey, and of course Dialogue Chairman Christopher Brown AM , CEO Adam Leto and StratWest CEO and CLP Program Director Faith Halliday.

Freight takes flight at WSI   Fantastic news today that an integrated 24-hour cargo precinct is underway at Western Sydney International Airport, with both Qantas Group and Menzies Aviation set to operate at the site.   It will increase Sydney’s air cargo capacity by around 33 per cent, boost the national’s supply chains and will be supported by the major freight and logistics centres at Western Sydney Aerotropolis.   The Dialogue is pleased to see the cargo precinct is expected to support up to 2,000 jobs during construction and more than 19,000 direct and indirect jobs across the precinct each year once it opens. upon opening, each year.   This is a strong sign that WSI continues to meet expectations ahead of its opening in late 2026.   According to Simon Hickey, WSI CEO: “Operational efficiencies, coupled with the deep strategic advantages of our 24-hour operations and key east coast location will provide unparallelled opportunities for farmers, manufacturers and other exporters to grow their businesses.” Catherine Payne, Matthew Martyn-Jones, Prue Car Christopher Brown AM Adam Leto

How a city became divided. Four years after COVID-19 forced our city into lockdown, Dialogue CEO Adam Leto spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald as part of an expert panel on the inequity of lockdowns and policing of Western Sydney, with insightful lessons learned from mental health, police and local government representatives. “I think there was a failure to really understand that that movement wasn’t residents spiting the government or spiting the system, it was born out of necessity,” Adam Leto told the SMH. “People couldn’t work at home. Some didn’t have digital connectivity. Their work required them to move. Their life required them to move. They had care responsibilities. They had extended families. So there was a lot of movement.” Mr Leto recalled how Western Sydney residents watched vision of people picnicking at Bondi Beach while they were only allowed to leave their homes for an hour a day for exercise. The panel agreed that better communication was needed, and involving community members and religious leaders, before the city's poorest areas were plunged into a stricter lockdown. “Not all Western Sydney is the same so your methods and your approach to Penrith are going to be different to what your message is and how you communicate that to Fairfield,” he said. “It needed to be nuanced. It needed to be considered, and it needed to be consulted with local councils, with [community] leaders.” Mr Leto acknowledges there were tough decisions that had to be made, without a guidebook to follow and hopes that we can learn the lessons and be prepared for future events. As outlined by the Premier, Chris Minns: "At the end of the day leaders across the world were asked to make critical decisions that would impact millions of people in a very uncertain environment, based on the information they had available. “Not every call was right, not every call was wrong. There are always things we can do better to ensure we are prepared for emergencies like another pandemic.” READ THE STORY BELOW

The lack of affordable housing for essential workers in Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a growing problem – and is only expected to worsen as the region continues its dynamic growth. As KPMG Australia data released today reveals, younger workers are being priced out of inner Sydney and pushed to outer suburbs, putting further strain on Western Sydney’s housing and transport infrastructure. ⬇ That’s why the Dialogue supports a new Legislative Assembly Select Committee on Essential Worker Housing review that will report on ways to identify and increase the housing supply for essential workers. In our submission to the enquiry, the Dialogue highlights that there are no Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Western Sydney with housing that an early career registered nurse could afford, and only two LGAs with apartments that an early career police constable could afford. Following consultation with key stakeholders, our submission lists guidelines to identify, protect and grow affordable housing in Sydney’s booming West, and suggestions that will enable a range of key workers to qualify for all-important housing close to jobs, services and transport. You can read the Dialogue’s submission on our website: https://lnkd.in/gnP6dd_J To be chaired by independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich MP, the committee will table its report by 7 March 2025. Sally Anne Friedlander FCPHR Brad Braithwaite Andrew McAnulty Lyall Gorman Charles Northcote Rebecca Pinkstone Laurie Leigh Christopher Brown AM Adam Leto Fiona Pacey, PhD Luke Turner Lauren N. Laura Cameron

The Boomtown! Property & Infrastructure Dinner and Summit is back for 2024 with NSW Premier Chris Minns to present the GWS Project of the Year Awards at the annual Gala Dinner at Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, on Thursday, 28 November, before our full-day Summit on Friday the 29th. On the Thursday night, Premier Minns will outline the NSW Government’s infrastructure outlook for 2025 and beyond, as well as key updates on major infrastructure projects in GWS. Stay tuned for our line-up of infrastructure, property and government leaders for the Summit on the 29th, where we will explore how Greater Western Sydney is responding to the housing challenges that have gripped the nation, the big projects and the opportunities to create a better connected and more liveable region. We’ll also take a close look at the role of the Federal Government in driving Cities policy and how we can establish genuine public and private partnerships to promote innovation, enterprise and good social, environmental and economic outcomes for GWS. REGISTER FOR THE EVENT➡ https://shorturl.at/g88Kw SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT TO WIN➡ https://shorturl.at/H7Wpk Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park Gala Dinner: Thursday, 28 November Summit: Friday, 29 November