Parramatta. Athletes contribute $2.7m

The influx of Sydney 2009 World Masters Games athletes to competitions in the Parramatta area will directly contribute to 2642 room nights in accommodation for the city, equating to approximately $2.7 million expenditure to the local economy, according to Parramatta City Council. “By measuring their impact on the local economy with our economic modelling system, their contribution as tourists will translate to over $5 million generated for Parramatta as we calculate the industrial and consumption flow-on effect. It’s this type of information that highlights the importance of hosting large events in Parramatta as we develop our tourism and attractions industry,” Parramatta Lord Mayor, Paul Garrard, said.

Region. Decline in vegetable farms

There are just 1050 vegetable farms left in the Sydney basin and these are set to disappear because they are in the southern and north-western growth areas that the NSW Government has earmarked for suburban development over the next two decades, according the NSW Department of Industry and Investment report, which recommended a review of the Sydney vegetable industry to consider whether it should be encouraged to expand so that the metropolis becomes more self-sufficient in produce. The 603 hectares devoted to vegetables in the south-west and north-west growth areas, about 52 per cent of Sydney's farms, are likely to disappear and the area devoted to greenhouse vegetables could decline by as much as 60 per cent when these areas are developed, according to a story in The Sydney Morning Herald