Region. Work on rail project to stop

Work on a Federal Government’s $309 million Southern Sydney Freight Line project will shut down in Sydney this week, and hundreds of workers will be laid off, because of a potential cost blow-out allegedly caused by poor planning. The Australian Rail Track Corporation has confirmed that it will be ''re-evaluated with a view to determine the most cost-effective way forward'', according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, said in February the project, to take freight trains off the Sydney passenger rail network, would create 1500 jobs and be completed by early 2010.

Parramatta. Premier Parking contracts

Secure Parking has first rights to negotiate management contracts of Parramatta-based Premier Parking, Australia’s third largest car parking provider. Premier Parking, which has some 50 car parks around Australia, fell into receivership in August because of the economic downturn and speculative plays on residential property development, according to The Australian Financial Review.

Parramatta. Film festival on national tour

The Parramatta-based Arab Film Festival Australia, formerly the Sydney Arab Film Festival, has hit the national trail with shows in Melbourne, Adelaide , Canberra and Brisbane, following its launch in the Sydney CBD, on November 1. Thousands of film-lovers packed Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre, in July, for its fifth season.

Parramatta. Approvals down by 4.1 per cent

The value of non-residential building approvals in the City of Parramatta was $90.0 million over the year to June 2009, representing a small decrease of 4.1 per cent from the value of approvals for the year to June 2008, $93.9 million, according to the latest Parramatta City Council publication, Biz Facts.

Region. Professor walks to Kosciuszka

Steve Keen, associate professor economics and finance, at the University of Western Sydney, plans to walk, in April, the 200 kilometres from Canberra to the top of Mount Kosciuszka, after losing his bet on house prices, with Macquarie Group strategist, Rory Robertson, said The Australian Financial Review.