51 days until Western Sydney International Airport opens, and there are some big lessons here for regional NSW.
We had the opportunity to visit Western Sydney International Airport and Bradfield City this week, and was genuinely impressed by the scale of the vision, and particularly the coordination behind it.
A big thank you to Shelley Cole, CFO of Western Sydney International Airport, and Jennifer Westacott AC, Chair of the Bradfield Development Authority, for such an informative and insightful tour. A massive thanks to Committee for the Hunter for organising, their leadership is inspiring.
Federal, state and local government have come together around a long-term plan, backed by significant investment and enabling infrastructure.
The airport is being built for the next 100 years, initially designed for around 10 million passengers a year and 28,000 jobs.
It’s a great example of how airports can be catalytic economic infrastructure, not simply places where people get on and off planes, but platforms that attract investment, unlock new industries, connect businesses to markets and create jobs.
And then there is Bradfield City.
A completely new city being planned for around 30,000 residents, with innovation precincts, advanced manufacturing, entertainment and public spaces, and a 15-minute walkable city model. Around 80% of buildings are planned to have green roofs, and $1 billion in funding support for enabling infrastructure is helping attract tenants and developers.
There is a lot here for the Hunter and regional NSW to learn from.
Our regions are also facing significant economic transitions. We need to be thinking beyond individual projects and asking what infrastructure, investment and partnerships will create the platform for our next economy?
The lesson from Western Sydney is that transformational change doesn’t happen through one government or one project. It requires a shared vision, long-term planning, enabling infrastructure, investment certainty and governments working together to make things happen.
For the Hunter, our airports, ports, transport connections, energy infrastructure, industrial land and innovation precincts can all play a catalytic role in shaping our future.
We shouldn’t just be planning for the next few years, we should be planning for the next 50–100 years. Very impressive to see what is possible when long-term ambition is matched with a coordinated plan and investment. And yet, there is always a balance to be struck, as a lone kangaroo quietly investigates the concrete spaces replacing the grasslands it once roamed, a poignant reminder that every development comes with an environmental impact we must strive to understand and minimise.