September Newsletter 2026

Rail must keep pace with South West 

South West Sydney is no longer an emerging growth corridor. It is already one of the most important population and economic regions in Australia. 

The South West Sydney Alliance’s new report, Unlocking The Potential Of South West Sydney, makes the case for a coordinated rail program linking Leppington to Bradfield, Bradfield to Campbelltown and Macarthur to Wilton. 

The rail divide is stark. Camden, Campbelltown, Liverpool and Wollondilly are home to almost 700,000 people but just 13 electric rail stations. The North West has about 760,000 people and 23 stations. The Illawarra has 331,000 people and 31 stations. 

South West Sydney has already passed the population benchmark that helped justify major rail investment elsewhere. When the North West Rail Link was committed in 2011, its catchment had 524,478 people. South West Sydney passed that figure in 2017 and now has about 688,000 residents. By 2046, that is projected to exceed 1.03 million. 

Without better rail choices, the report estimates another 215,000 vehicles could hit our roads over the next 20 years. 

The new airport, Bradfield and corridor preservation have created momentum. Now we need to turn this into a staged rail program. 

South West Sydney takes case to Parliament   

 South West Sydney’s growth agenda was front and centre at NSW Parliament, where Business Western Sydney and the South West Sydney Alliance brought together Ministers, MPs and regional partners to discuss the findings of Unlocking The Potential Of South West Sydney.

Our thanks to the Hon John Graham MLC, representing the Premier and Deputy Premier, and Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane MP for joining us, along with Ministers Jenny Aitchison and Anoulack Chanthivong, Shadow Minister for South West Sydney Mark Coure MP and parliamentary colleagues from across the region. 

It was a good opportunity to put South West Sydney’s priorities directly to the people making the decisions - and to make the case for the infrastructure needed to keep pace with the region’s growth. 

Thanks also to Astrolabe Group and CBRE for the work behind the report and for helping put some hard numbers around the opportunities and challenges facing South West Sydney. 

There is plenty more work to do, but getting the right people in the room is a good place to start.

Five Planners: Turning Plans into Homes 

Western Sydney council executives Jennifer Concato (Parramatta), Daniel Cavallo (Cumberland), Lina Kakish (Liverpool), Martin Cooper (Wollondilly) and Jaime Hogan (Blacktown) recently joined us for our Five Planners Forum - a frank conversation about what it actually takes to turn growth plans into homes and complete communities. 

Housing targets are only part of the equation. We talked about infrastructure sequencing, feasibility, local services and the practical challenges of making growth work on the ground. 

The conversation then flowed into our separate forum on purpose-built student accommodation, bringing together councils, universities, investors and accommodation providers to look at what is holding projects back. 

The lesson from both discussions was pretty simple: an approval is not a home. Planning reform needs to be matched by infrastructure, finance, feasibility and delivery. 

Some planning decisions may now sit with the Housing Delivery Authority, but councils remain critical to making growth work for their communities. 

Thanks to our council friends for sharing real insights about the work they do each day.

From Plans to Projects

Western Sydney is entering a major period of public infrastructure and private investment. 

At our recent member boardroom lunch, CEO Tom Gellibrand from Infrastructure NSW outlined the pipeline ahead, including the Aerotropolis, housing delivery, future transport connections and the need for stronger private-sector involvement. 

Infrastructure NSW’s Aerotropolis Sector Plan points to close to $33 billion in private development proposals in planning or delivery, alongside more than $28 billion in government enabling infrastructure. The challenge now is sequencing water, roads, power and approvals so investment can move from proposal to construction. 

Forums like this give our members direct insight into the decisions shaping Western Sydney’s next wave of growth. 

Student Housing Best for West

Business Western Sydney and Study NSW recently brought together universities, councils and housing providers to look at how we can grow international education and student accommodation in Western Sydney. 

More purpose-built student accommodation is a win on several fronts. It takes pressure off the private rental market, supports a major export industry and brings more students into the centres where they study, work and spend. 

The challenge is getting more projects built. There are already good examples, including co-living and adaptive reuse projects involving Built and the University of Wollongong in Liverpool, and Holdmark Property Group and Western Sydney University in Parramatta. 

The opportunity now is to make these models easier to replicate across Western Sydney. 

Housing Now! has put forward practical ideas to help, including recognising student accommodation within National Housing Accord targets and a faster pathway for major projects. 

Thanks to Study NSW, our members and partners, and everyone who contributed to a very constructive discussion.

New mayors, fresh mandates  

Business Western Sydney congratulates Cameron MacLean on his election as Lord Mayor of Parramatta and Joseph Rahme as Mayor of Cumberland City Council. 

Parramatta and Cumberland sit at the heart of Western Sydney’s next phase of growth. Parramatta is building on its vision for a global city, with major opportunities across jobs, culture, education, nightlife and city-shaping investment. Cumberland is realising enormous potential through centres such as Merrylands, the Duck River corridor, and new parklets and open space. 

We also congratulate Vince Ferreri, elected Mayor of Camden, and Mary Lyons-Buckett, elected Mayor of Hawkesbury, and acknowledge the mayors continuing in office across the region. 

Local government is where much of city-building becomes real. Strong civic leadership matters, particularly in a region growing as quickly as Western Sydney. 

Of course, I have long believed that popularly elected mayors for the full four-year council term would provide greater continuity and a clear voice for councils when advocating for the investment their communities need. 

To all our mayors, it is a huge honour and responsibility to lead a city, and we look forward to working constructively with you and councils across Western Sydney.  

SouthWest Metro moves closer

The completion of all 10 upgraded stations on the Southwest Metro conversion is an important milestone for one of Sydney’s fastest-growing regions. 

The stations between Sydenham and Bankstown are now ready for metro services and will open shortly. 

Better transport is about more than commuting. It connects workers to jobs, businesses to customers, students to education and communities to opportunity. For South West Sydney, a faster and more reliable metro will support local centres, ease pressure on roads and give businesses access to a larger workforce. 

Sydney has fallen in love with Metro, and it’s particularly exciting to think about the new connections and discoveries residents will make as they explore different parts of the city. 

So, where to next? A connection from Bankstown to Liverpool, alongside North West and South West connections around the airport, would help complete the greater Sydney orbital.

Powerhouse Opening Festival Revealed

Powerhouse Parramatta will open next month, with the program for its opening festival recently launched, bringing culture, science, technology, design, music, food and film to the heart of Parramatta. 

Importantly, the program has strong connections to Western Sydney, with more than half of its collaborators from the region and many events free or accessible to families. 

As President of the Powerhouse Parramatta Board, I’m pleased to see the project reach this point. It is an exciting moment for Parramatta and for the artists, makers, families and young people who will help shape its future. 

November will be an important moment for Parramatta and Western Sydney. The countdown is on and we’re looking forward to seeing the doors open. 

Shared Schools Advocacy Win

Earlier this year, Business Western Sydney argued in our education report, What Western Sydney Can Be, that schools should be planned and used as core community infrastructure, not only as classrooms. 

They are the heart of local communities. In fast-growing suburbs, that principle matters even more because community facilities often arrive slowly and families need local places to gather, play, learn and connect. 

I’ve often cited the redeveloped Arthur Phillip High School in Parramatta as a missed opportunity to do more.

That is why the NSW Government’s recent expansion of its Share Our Space program, including the automatic inclusion of new public schools, is a welcome step. Halls, courts, ovals, gyms and open spaces are valuable public assets. When they sit idle outside school hours, communities miss out.

Better use of school facilities can support sport, recreation, adult learning, parking, family activities and community life. It also delivers more value from public investment.

This is a practical reform that can make a real difference close to home.

WSU Goes Global

Western Sydney University is taking the region’s name, expertise and ambition to India. 

Its new international campus in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, is now expected to welcome students in 2027. Initial study areas will include business and leadership, financial technology, agriculture and water futures, data science and emerging technologies. 

The campus will form part of the university’s “One University” model, connecting students with internships, research opportunities, start-up incubation and industry partnerships across its international network. The university has received formal approval to establish the Indian branch campus and has identified opportunities for Australian students and local businesses as the partnership develops. 

Congratulations to Vice-Chancellor George Williams and his team. This is a confident move from an institution deeply connected to Western Sydney.