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  • 23-Sep-2014 10:04 | Deleted user
    Construction of the new 11.4 kilometre South West Rail Link is now complete – 12 months ahead of 
    schedule and $300 million under budget.

    The $2.1 billion project is on track to have customers boarding trains early next year after Sydney Trains conducts its testing, commissioning and staff training.

    Customers using the rail link will benefit from world class modern facilities including the upgraded Glenfield Station, two brand new stations and interchanges at Edmondson Park and Leppington, and 1,250 customer parking spaces.


  • 19-Sep-2014 17:37 | Deleted user

    This year’s WSBC State of The Region Address with the Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW saw a great turnout of more than 460 business leaders from Western Sydney.

     

    With a 50% increase in attendance from last year, this key event in the WSBC year clearly drew a lot of interest with its new format and demonstrated WSBC's continued transformation to provide better engagement and connections for its members.




    Our Premier shared key priorities in the region, discussed the progress made thus far and detailed Government’s plans to transform Sydney’s West. 


    With the population forecast to almost hit three million by 2031, he said his government was the best placed to deliver the jobs, housing and infrastructure needed to underpin the economy.


    “It is a challenge but I prefer to see it as a once in a generation opportunity,” he said.


    “We need to build more infrastructure than we have ever seen before.”


    On the jobs front, Mr Baird cited examples of his government laying the foundations for value added jobs growth. In the south west region, he said the second airport at Badgerys Creek Creek will anchor future job creation of as many as 57,000 jobs.


    “That is going to be the lifeblood of employment in this great region, in this great city,” he said.


    He said the government was in discussions with a global aeronautic services firm who had flagged a $250 million investment in the region which would create thousands of skilled and graduate job opportunities.


    Other incentives to boost job growth included cuts in payroll tax, reduced workers compensation premiums and a rebate for employers who take on new employees. To meet the huge demand for new housing in western, he said more than a million new dwellings are needed by 2031.


    “How the government responds to this will define not only the economy but I think it defines the overall opportunities in this region,” he said.


    He said his government’s incentives including the Housing Acceleration Fund and the First Home Owners Grant were key drivers of housing growth in the region.


    “The growth in housing is definitely underway and we are seeing that across all parts of Western Sydney,” Mr Baird said.


    Building the necessary infrastructure to cater for the population explosion in the west is one of the greatest challenges facing the government, he said.


    Mr Baird listed the $30 billion worth in transport, roads, health and schools infrastructure projects earmarked for the west over the next decade.


    “You don’t realise how significant the investment in infrastructure [in Western Sydney] is going to be in the next ten year. It is almost unprecedented,” he said.


    “If we are successful in implementing this, then not only will Western Sydney thrive, but Sydney will thrive, the State will thrive and the opportunities of the next generation will be forged over the next ten years.”


    WSBC is delighted to be working closely with the Premier's team to ensure that Western Sydney businesses benefit from these plans and will keep member informed of developments.

     

    The State of The Region Address was proudly supported by event partners Penrith Panthers Group, NRMA, the University of Western Sydney and media partner, News Corp Australia. These event partners were also involved in a Q&A with the Premier and WSBC General Manager on stage as part of the new format.

     

    To see more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page and feel free to tag yourself!

     

    Otherwise, we’re happy to hear your comments on the event and look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.


     


  • 18-Sep-2014 12:48 | Deleted user

    Over 600 Australian children are diagnosed with cancer every year and sadly, on average. Three die every week.

    So we're riding to change that!


    Great Cycle Challenge asks riders across Australia to take on their own personal cycling challenge throughout October to fight kids' cancer!

    It doesn't matter if your challenge is to ride 25 kilometres or 2,500 kilometres on your bike or a spin bike, the event is all about setting yourself your own personal goal, getting fit and raising funds towards research into treatments and a cure for childhood cancer.


    - See more at: www.greatcyclechallenge.com.au


  • 17-Sep-2014 21:31 | Deleted user




    Announced in the 2014 Budget, the programme will provide grants for Australian manufacturers to undertake capital investment projects to support expansion or transition into higher value or knowledge based manufacturing activities.  Grants will fund up to 25% of eligible costs for projects with a minimum investment of $4 million. 

    The programme complements existing industry assistance programmes by supporting Australian manufacturers to move up the value chain to become more competitive and sustainable.

    Eligible activities include:

    • changing or extending your existing premises
    • buying, building, installing and commissioning new machinery and equipment
    • training in the use and maintenance of new machinery and equipment
    • buying technology or intellectual property.

    Other activities may also be approved.

    To learn more, or to apply, contact 13 28 46, or visit business.gov.au. You will be assigned a customer service manager who will advise you on the suitability or your proposed project and guide you through the process if you decide to go ahead with an application.


  • 17-Sep-2014 14:40 | Deleted user



    ANZ Stadium is gearing up for one of the tightest and compelling NRL Finals series in history. With five of the six teams Sydney based, the Grand Final is shaping up to be an all-Sydney-affair.

    And the time is now to secure your official on-site hospitality to the upcoming
    season-defining games:

    - Rabbitohs Preliminary Final - Fri 26 Sep
    - Penrith Panthers Preliminary Final - Sat 27 Sep
    - NRL Grand Final - Sun 5 Oct

    Limited opportunities remain to secure your hospitality packages to these events. PLUS cheer on the red and the white with a corporate package to the Sydney Swans Preliminary Final this Friday 19 September.

    ANZ Stadium Official Hospitality - More than a game, it's an experience.


    Enquire now or call 1300 13 40 10

  • 17-Sep-2014 13:49 | Deleted user



    The historic heart of Parramatta North has been announced as the focus of a major urban transformation project.

    Parramatta North has been declared a State Significant Site, spanning146 hectares of government-owned land on the banks of the Parramatta River. 

    This urban renewal project will facilitate the preservation of the precinct’s heritage sites, while fast-tracking the delivery of thousands of new homes and jobs, providing a major economic boost for Western Sydney.

    Heritage locations and assets include Australia’s first farm and first water mill, the Parramatta Female Factory, and the Old Kings School.

  • 17-Sep-2014 13:00 | Deleted user

    WESTERN Sydney is in line for a blue-collar jobs boom, with a 30 per cent increase in industrial development in the region, where almost half of all jobs are on industrial-zoned land.


    Department of Planning data shows that in the past year 200ha of employment land has been purchased in the area — which is an increase of 50ha on the year before — while 42 per cent of all Western Sydney jobs are in blue collar industries. In the rest of Sydney, jobs in industrial-zoned land only make up a quarter of all employment.

    The majority of all existing industrial employment land is in Western Sydney — 69 per cent and set to grow.

    Two local businesses are already bucking the trend of a decline in manufacturing jobs in other states, and boosting blue-collar jobs in the West.

    After getting planning approval in December, Devondale’s $60 million Erskine Park milk processing plant is on its way to supplying an estimated 150 million litres of milk across the state per year.

    The company is expected to add a total of 45 valuable jobs to the Mt Druitt and St Marys area as a result.

    Dincel, a small business creating Lego-like bricks that reduce the building cost of housing by 40 per cent, is in the same employment-land area of Erskine Park and will create an estimated 130 jobs.

    The company currently employs 65 people and will soon advertise for 12 more.

    Planning minister Pru Goward said Western Sydney was proving a powerhouse for blue-collar jobs, with the most recent data showing that in 30 years the region will grow by 57,000 jobs — 36,000 of which will be industrial jobs.

    “Land is ready and waiting for more businesses like Devondale to set up shop and employ skilled manufacturing workers,” Ms Goward said.

    “Western Sydney is already an economic powerhouse, but now it’s experiencing a renaissance in industrial land development and jobs.

    “While other sectors are winding down industry, Western Sydney is increasing manufacturing and the jobs that come with it.”

    The government said last month it would triple the land for jobs in Western Sydney, proposing an extension of the zoning for the Western Sydney Employment Land precinct reaching the Badgerys Creek Creek airport site.

    The plan to amend the State Environmental Planning Policy to allow the extension of employment land to the proposed second airport will be on display until September 19.


    Alicia Wood, Daily Telegraph.


  • 16-Sep-2014 14:45 | Deleted user

    A new seven-storey tower at the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) at Westmead has been officially opened this week, cementing its place as a world leader in unlocking the secrets of childhood disease.


    We have invested $20 million into this expansion, which has doubled the CMRI’s research capability by adding lab space for an extra 120 scientists.

    This major boost to CMRI’s laboratory capacity will allow some of the State’s brightest minds to push the boundaries of medical and biological research further than ever before, bringing us closer to prevention, treatment and cures for some of the most devastating childhood diseases.

    This state-of-the-art building will also allow NSW to attract and retain researchers of the highest calibre from around the nation and internationally.
  • 15-Sep-2014 18:36 | Deleted user

    The State of The Region Address was proudly supported by event partners Penrith Panthers Group, NRMA, the University of Western Sydney and media partner, News Corp Australia. 


    These event partners were also involved in a Q&A with the Premier and WSBC General Manager on stage as part of the new format.



    The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW photographed with panellists (from left) Penrith Panthers Group CEO, Warren WilsonNRMA President Kyle Loades, Deputy Vice-Chanellor UWS, Scott Holmes and WSBC General Manager Michael Sugg



    WSBC General Manager, Michael Sugg and The Hon Mike Baird MP, Premier of NSW



    To see more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page and feel free to tag yourself!



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