July / August Newsletter 2026

Big Day for Housing Now! 

More than 400 leaders from business, government, unions, universities and the community gathered at Rosehill Gardens last week for the fourth annual Housing Now! Conference. 

It was a terrific day and a reminder of the breadth of organisations that believe NSW can do better on housing. 

We heard from Premier Chris Minns, Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, Ministers Rose Jackson and Anoulack Chanthivong, Federal Special Envoy for Housing Josh Burns, Planning Secretary Kiersten Fishburn, Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey, Productivity Commission Commissioner Dr Alison Roberts and many more. 

Burwood Mayor John Faker was also announced as the inaugural recipient of the Local Government Housing Champion of the Year Award. 

For me, the most encouraging part was seeing such a broad group of people come together around practical solutions rather than simply describing the problem. 

With the 2027 election now eight months away, the Housing Now! Alliance has put five big ideas on the table. Now the challenge is to see which side of politics is prepared to take them forward. 

Thanks to everyone who made this such an incredible event, not least the dedicated Business Western Sydney team

Alliance Launches State Election Platform   

The Housing Now! Alliance used Friday’s conference to launch five practical directions for the 2027 NSW election. 

The platform calls for NSW to zone for more housing, including 20 new Transport Oriented Development precincts and a “Townhouses Everywhere” planning pathway. It proposes to Build the Boulevards, identifying 10 signature Sydney corridors where housing could grow alongside transport and shops. 

It also calls for a consistent definition of affordable housing, action to make housing feasible by deferring developer contributions, treating student housing as housing, and making modular construction mainstream through a long-term government-backed pipeline. 

These ideas are the product of a genuinely broad alliance. A big thank you to Eamon Waterford (Committee for Sydney) and Alan Mascarenhas for their work in steering the document, ably supported by Alliance representatives from Faith Housing Australia, Unions NSW, Business NSW, Sydney YIMBY, NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, Settlement Services International, NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, Health Services Union and the SDA union for retail workers. 

Housing Now! works because all of these organisations bring a different perspective to the same challenge. Thank you to every member of the Alliance for the work that went into Friday’s platform - and for continuing to make the case for practical housing solutions. 

Hurrah for Burrah Park 

A major new investment and jobs boost for the Aerotropolis is taking shape, with the NSW Government announcing Bradfield City’s Second Building and approving the $1 billion Burrah Park industrial estate. 

Burrah Park, backed by UniSuper and IFM Investors, is the largest industrial estate approved in the Aerotropolis so far and is expected to support more than 6,300 jobs by 2032. 

For years, we’ve advocated for the airport to be surrounded by the businesses, industries and jobs that will make it an economic powerhouse. That vision is starting to become reality. 

Bradfield’s Second Building will include Australia’s first commercial Semiconductor Advanced Packaging Facility, a second advanced manufacturing hall and space for growing businesses to collaborate and innovate. Together with the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility, NSW Government investment now totals $300 million. 

The airport was never just about planes and passengers. The real opportunity has always been the jobs, investment and industries that grow around it. 

Announcing Shift South West 

Proud to announce a major new initiative for 2027. Shift South West will bring Liverpool’s health and education innovation community together on Friday October 30, showcasing the people, businesses and ideas helping shape the region’s future. 

An initiative of the Liverpool Innovation Precinct, the event will include Shift Minds, Shift Doors and Shift Nights, creating opportunities to connect researchers, businesses, students, entrepreneurs and the wider community. 

The program will feature political and academic conference speakers alongside an innovation and technology exhibition, with a focus on the great work already underway across Liverpool and South West Sydney. 

The timing is particularly significant, coming in the same week as the first international passenger flights from Western Sydney International Airport. 

It is an opportunity to showcase Liverpool not just to Western Sydney, but to Sydney, Australia and the world - and to highlight the increasingly ambitious innovation ecosystem developing across the region. 

If you would like to be involved, please get in touch. 

Building the Rail Case 

Leaders from government, industry and the property sector came together in Liverpool in July for a South West Sydney Alliance workshop led by Astrolabe Group and CBRE. 

The session formed part of work underway to build the economic, fiscal and city-shaping case for major rail investment across South West Sydney. 

We are planning a joint study to examine the potential of three priority projects: Leppington to Bradfield, Bradfield to Campbelltown Metro, and rail electrification from Macarthur towards Picton and/or Wilton. 

Importantly, the work is about more than transport. It will examine how strategic rail investment can unlock housing, employment, health and education precincts, improve connectivity and productivity and generate long-term economic value. 

The Liverpool workshop was an important opportunity to test assumptions and gather local evidence from across the region. 

We look forward to presenting the report at our South West Sydney Alliance event at NSW Parliament in September. 

Shaping Fifteenth Avenue 

Business Western Sydney and Committee for Sydney have lodged a joint submission to the NSW Government’s Review of Environmental Factors for the Fifteenth Avenue upgrade. 

We strongly support the commitment to upgrade this important corridor between Liverpool and Bradfield, but believe there is an opportunity to maximise its long-term benefits. 

Fifteenth Avenue will become a major east-west connection linking Liverpool, Bradfield and Western Sydney International Airport. The decisions made now can determine whether it simply becomes a wider road or evolves into a genuine city-building corridor integrating transport, housing, jobs, greenery and active transport. 

Our submission reflects the strong feedback we have received about the city-shaping potential of the project. 

We look forward to continuing to work constructively with Government to ensure the corridor preserves opportunities for future public transport and supports well-connected new communities as South West Sydney grows. 

Cutting Hospitality Red Tape 

Business Western Sydney recently hosted the NSW Productivity and Equality Commissioner as part of NSW Treasury’s review of red tape affecting the hospitality sector. 

More than 20 Western Sydney Chamber leaders and owners of cafés, restaurants and bars discussed practical issues including fire safety, food regulation, workplace health and safety, liquor licensing, outdoor dining, acoustics, venue capacity and the cumulative compliance burden facing small businesses. 

It was a valuable opportunity for businesses to explain the practical impact of regulation and suggest where processes could be made simpler. 

Thanks to Commissioner Peter Achterstraat  and NSW Treasury team for engaging so openly with local businesses. 

We were pleased to help ensure Western Sydney’s hospitality sector had a strong voice in the review process and look forward to seeing the final report later this year. 

New Digital Campus 

Macquarie Technology Group’s proposed engineering and technology campus and major data centre development at Macquarie Park highlight the scale of investment being driven by Australia’s growing digital economy. 

The project would bring technology, engineering, research and innovation together, with opportunities to strengthen links between industry and education through partnerships with Macquarie University. 

Demand for data centres and digital infrastructure continues to grow as businesses, governments and consumers rely increasingly on digital services. 

For Western Sydney, the announcement is another reminder of the region’s growing role in Australia’s digital economy. Western Sydney is already home to significant data centre and digital infrastructure investment, with demand expected to grow alongside Western Sydney International Airport, Bradfield and the Aerotropolis. 

As Australia builds capability in areas such as AI, cyber security and advanced technology, digital infrastructure will remain an important part of the economic growth story. 

Melrose Place

The approval of Melrose Wharf is another welcome step towards increasing housing supply in one of Western Sydney’s fastest-growing corridors. 

The project will deliver 2,404 apartments across six residential buildings at Melrose Park, including 378 affordable homes, alongside new open space, shops and improved public access to the Parramatta River. 

For years, we’ve argued that growth needs to make better use of well-connected sites close to jobs, transport and services. 

Melrose Park is a good example of how former industrial land can be transformed into a new community while opening up access to the river and creating better public spaces for residents. 

Cheaper Tolls, More Parking  

Western Sydney has some of Australia’s longest commutes, and transport costs can quickly add up for households travelling across Sydney. 

The NSW Government’s latest toll reforms take some pressure off motorists, including a 10% reduction in M2 and Lane Cove Tunnel tolls from July 2027. 

For people travelling from Sydney’s north west, the cost of the M2, Lane Cove Tunnel, Military Road connections and Harbour crossings can add up quickly. Recognising these additional costs is an important part of building a fairer city.  

While the changes are part of a complex tapestry of toll movements, the net effect should be to take the edge off inflation in many parts of Westerm Sydney. 

We also look forward to the promised widening of the M2 and M7 motorways to three lanes in each direction. 

Of course, I've always believed the long-term answer remains better Metro, rail and bus connections, and more jobs closer to home. 

It's pleasing to see the Government investing $160 million to deliver up to 1,200 additional commuter parking spaces at Tallawong and Hills Showground Metro stations. 

These are practical improvements that can make public transport easier to use. 

Bringing Business Events Here 

Western Sydney’s visitor economy continues to gather momentum, with funding now allocated to 25 conferences and business events being considered for the region in 2027 and 2028. 

If all proceed, the events are expected to bring more than 11,000 delegates to Western Sydney and generate an estimated $35 million for local businesses, hotels, restaurants and venues. 

This is exactly the kind of activity Western Sydney International Airport can help unlock. But attracting visitors takes more than aviation infrastructure. We need a clear vision for tourism, major events and visitor experiences across Greater Western Sydney. 

From Parramatta’s growing night-time economy and world-class sporting venues to the Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and emerging Aerotropolis, Western Sydney has a huge visitor economy story to tell. 

Growing it won’t happen by accident. It requires planning, investment and a strategy to turn visitors into longer stays, repeat visits and local spending. 

UOW Liverpool Milestone 

The University of Wollongong has celebrated a significant milestone with the first graduation ceremonies held at its Liverpool Civic Place campus. 

While graduations are always a proud moment for students and their families, this achievement also reflects the rapid growth of higher education across South West Sydney. 

Since opening in 2017, UOW Liverpool has grown from just over 240 students to more than 1,600, with around 85% coming from Western Sydney and South West Sydney. That growth reflects the increasing demand for local education options that allow people to study closer to home and build careers in the communities where they live. 

The milestone is particularly important for Liverpool, where health, education and professional services are playing a growing role in the local economy. Nursing graduates were among those recognised, adding to the talent pipeline supporting one of the region’s largest employment sectors. 

Parramatta’s Next Chapter 

Parramatta is often described as Sydney’s second CBD, but those of us who grew up here know it as something much more than that. 

We’ve watched it change from a manufacturing town to a regional centre, to the global city it is today. We’ve seen old landmarks disappear, new ones emerge, and entire generations help shape the city we see now. 

I sometimes describe Parramatta as an overnight success story that took 30 years. The transformation didn’t happen by accident. It happened because people believed in this city. 

In a piece for The Sydney Morning Herald, I reflect on the Parramatta I grew up in, the Olympic torch running through Parramatta Park, the skyline we see today and why I still believe its best chapters are yet to be written.