A “Perfect Storm” of major projects are all coming together to make the West the place to be for investors and businesses seeking success in Australia.
When the Metro Northwest opens later this month it will herald a new dawn in urban transport for our nation, providing a highly automated state-of-the-art link between the West and the Sydney CBD.
Work is underway on the new international airport at Badgery’s Creek and many multinational companies have already made commitments to the massive Aerotropolis complex.
The Light Rail project will link Parramatta with the booming Olympic precinct and places in between and the NSW Government has announced new ferries for the route between the CBD and the West.
The opening of the North Connect Tunnel will eliminate the dreadful traffic jams of Pennant Hills Rd and will link the M2 with the rapidly developing Central Coast and Hunter regions.
Add to this the opening of the highly popular Bankwest Stadium and the Sydney Zoo at Blacktown, plus university and medical campuses, new hospitals and tourist hotels and the sky is the limit for the West.
NSW Treasurer and local MP Dominic Perrottet said the West and North West regions of Sydney were the key economic drivers of the State’s economy and were powering the Australian economy.
Top performers
His comments came on the back of a new report showing the two regions are among the top performers in Australia.
Baulkham Hills-Hawkesbury and Blacktown were among the five strongest regions in the country in the new State of the Regions report released by CommSec.
Parramatta topped the list for the Fastest Growth of Businesses with a 22% increase in the past decade.
“This is a clear reflection of the hard work, pride and have-a-go attitude of the people in those communities,” Mr Perrottet said.
“They are building a brighter future for themselves and their families, and the Government is playing a role in that through transformational projects such as the Sydney Metro Northwest, Metro West, Parramatta Light Rail and Bankwest Stadium.
“We are building two new transport systems for Parramatta, the new stadium is already open and a clear winner, and the iconic Metro Northwest opened on May 26.
“These projects create thousands of jobs during construction as well as attracting businesses and making the region more attractive and accessible for people.”
The CommSec report – the first to look at 88 individual regions across Australia – focused on four key economic indicators: building approvals, the unemployment rate, population growth and growth in business counts.
The unemployment rate in the Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury region averaged three 3.0% in 2018 and 4.9% in Blacktown.
The current national unemployment rate for Australia is 5.0% with NSW the lowest state at 4.3%.
Healthcare, professional, scientific and technical services and retail industries all helped power employment across Western Sydney.
The CommSec report highlighted strong business numbers and building approvals for new homes as key growth factors.
