Bankstown. $10,000 grant for fashion cluster

Sphinx Australia, a textile manufacture, in Bankstown, is one the three Sydney small businesses which have a received a $10,000 from the NSW Government. They have formed to develop a fashion, design and manufacturing business cluster, with support from Industry and Investment NSW. The cluster plans to promote a brand new Australian fashion label, Made Right Here. The $10,000 will support the development of a new website, design of the new label and the production of samples. “Business clusters provide a great opportunity for companies to combine their diverse skills and their capital to create something new and exciting in their specific business sector,” said Bankstown MP, Tony Stewart, representing Minister for Small Business.

South-West Proposed $4.5b M5 expansion

Minister for Transport, David Campbell, has called on the community to have their say on a proposed expansion of the M5 Corridor, with an estimated cost of $4.5 billion. The NSW Government proposes to expand the 32-kilometre M5 corridor, the main road freight, commercial and passenger route between the Sydney Airport and South-West Sydney. The Government expects the expansion would result in more than $6 billion in economic benefits through travel time savings in a 30- year period.

Camden. $500 million project

Construction has commenced in Sydney’s South West on a $500 million development that will deliver 2400 new homes and a 15,000 square-centre town centre. Adjoining Gregory Hills, in the Camden district, is the 45-hectare Central Hills Business Park which will create about 2500 jobs. Planning Minister, Kristina Keneally, said this was a good example of sustainable residential and employment development. “This is exactly what the NSW Government is planning for Sydney’s North West and South West Growth Centres: new housing hand in hand with nearby employment opportunities,” she said.

Parramatta/ $250,000 in research grants

The Minister for Science and Medical Research Jodi McKay, presented the Westmead Medical Research Foundation’s annual grants, totalling $250,000 in prizes and grants, to more than 40 students, at the Westmead Millennium Institute, to help support their PhD studies into crucial areas of research. “The students receiving grants and prizes are doing amazing work that has the potential to unlock better treatments and therapies for a whole range of medical conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and HIV. It is important to support our up and coming medical researchers and I commend the Westmead Medical Research Foundation and the Westmead Millennium Institute for providing these awards and grants,” Ms McKay said.

Region. Terms of reference on exhibition

Draft terms of reference for the strategic assessment of Sydney’s North-West and the South-West growth centres is on public exhibition. The assessment will assess the potential impacts of urban development of the sectors on matters of national environment significance protected under the EPBC Act. The document are available the Department of Planning, in Valentine Street, in the Parramatta CBD.