Region. Export award winners

Minister for Western Sydney, David Borger, has congratulated seven companies from Greater Western Sydney recognised in this year’s Premier’s NSW Export Awards. Companies recognised are: University of Western Sydney – Education and Training Export award winner; ResMed, Bella Vista – Large Advanced Manufacturer Export award winner; Netbased Software, Kurrajong – Small Business Export award winner; Gloria Jean’s Coffees, Castle Hill – Western Sydney Exporter winner; Haltech Engine Management Systems, Wetherill Park – NSW Export Scholarship; Thomas Electronics of Australia, Milperra – Small to Medium Manufacturer. Highly commended: Ilum-a-Lite, Baulkham Hills – Western Sydney Exporter. Mr Borger said the export award winners had been recognised for taking the best of NSW to the world and successfully meeting the challenges of doing business in the international marketplace.

Blue Mountains. Icelandic collapse hits council

Blue Mountains City Council has lost $7 million of ratepayers' cash on bad investments in the past two financial years. Latest financial reports revealed the council lost $3 million in investment and interest for the year ended 30 June 2009 and another $4 million in 2008. Council spent $600,000 on collateralised debt obligations on the promise of marginally higher returns but lost 96.67 per cent of that when Iceland's financial sector melted down. The tourism industry is seething that the council wants to funnel money back into its coffers using a travel levy, after having lost $580,000 buying into Icelandic banks in 2007-08, according to The Daily Telegraph.

South-West. $3 million rail link study

The Federal Government has called for tenders for an 18-month feasibility study into the abandoned Maldon-Dombarton railway line to investigate the demand for and cost of completing the line, which would link the Illawarra to south-western Sydney, as well as assessing existing infrastructure and engineering requirements. An independent consultant is expected to be appointed by the end of the year, before the $3 million, 18-month study kicks off on January 1.

Glenfield. Agriculture college may expand

The NSW Government could be obliged to increase the size of the threatened Hurlstone Agricultural High School, at Glenfield, by another 20 hectares following the findings of a report. The Government may also have to spend as much as $10 million on refurbishments and agricultural equipment upgrades to bring the 83-year-old school up to the premier agricultural educational institution status expected of it. Without the improvements the report is understood to warn the 160-hectare school site will soon become irrelevant to agricultural training, according to the Land newspaper.

Region. Fujitsu seeks space in the region

IT services powerhouse, Fujitsu, is studying areas of Western Sydney in the hunt for real estate boasting sufficient power to build a new data centre, as its existing Homebush facility is "essentially full”. Fujitsu, CEO, Rod Vawdrey, said the company has to weigh up the availability of power - which the Sydney CBD lacks - with an area that offers cooler temperatures, should Fujitsu look to new 'free cooling' power reduction designs, as it is in Melbourne and Perth. He said he believed parts of Western Sydney offered these conditions.