Newington. Families for Smart House

EnergyAustralia has begun interviewing five families short listed from more than 160 applicants from around the world, who applied to live in the Smart Home, nearing completion in Newington, The Smart Home is part of a two-year Smart Village trial in Newington and Silverwater by EnergyAustralia and Sydney Water and is supported by $1.5 million from the NSW Government. The fit-out is expected to be completed by the end of May and the lucky family is due to be selected by June. “The Smart Home will generate its own power using two types of rooftop solar panels including a solar pergola to be installed next week, and one of only two ceramic fuel cells installed in Australia, which converts natural gas into electricity,” said Adrian Clark, EnergyAustralia’s Smart Grid Manager.

Region. Ranking of UWS

The University of Western Sydney (UWS) is ranked the sixth largest tertiary institution in Australia with 41,000 students. It is the third largest in NSW after Sydney (47,775 students) and UNSW (46,302 students). UWS tops the ladder, across Australia, with 32,000 domestic undergraduates, followed by QUT (26,755 students) and Sydney (26,319 students). By 2025, UWS expects 50,000 domestic and international students (equivalent full-time).

Riverstone. 1300 hectares rezoned for housing

The NSW Government has rezoned almost 1300 hectares of land in the Riverstone and Alex Avenue Precincts – two of 16 in the North West Growth Centre – to allow construction of 15,000 new homes for 45,000 people, six new schools, parks, playing fields and two large conservation reserves to protect native vegetation.

Blue Mountains. $30,000 for tourism project

The NSW Government has committed $30,000 to an indigenous tourism program for the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The Minister for Small Business, Peter Primrose, said the financial assistance would be matched by funds from Blue Mountains, Lithgow and Oberon Tourism. “The assistance will pay for research, as well as eventually delivering a growth strategy for indigenous tourism. The project aims to build awareness and demand for indigenous tourism through the creation of a consistent brand and a range of indigenous tourism products,” he said. The grant is part of the NSW Government’s Strategic Business Clusters Program,

Liverpool. John Holland to build turnback

John Holland Pty Ltd is the preferred construction contractor for the $93 million Liverpool Turnback Project, which includes an additional platform and track at Liverpool Station. The station currently has three platforms and serves as a pivotal point for freight, inter urban and local rail services on the Bankstown, Inner West, South and Cumberland Lines.

Region. UWS fined $10,000 for breach

The University of Western Sydney has been fined for failing to advertise a job vacancy on its website, as required under its enterprise agreement with staff. Following an application by the NSW branch of the Community and Public Sector Union, the federal magistrates court found the university had breached the Workplace Relations ACT 1995 and handed down a fine of $10,000, as reported in The Australian Financial Review.

Northmead. Local woman CEO of McDonald's

Catriona Noble, who worked as a part-timer with McDonald’s, in Northmead, 27 years ago, was promoted from managing director to chief executive, of McDonald’s Australia, last month, following the retirement of Peter Bush. The company, which has annual sales of more than $3 million, has 810 stores around the nation, of which 70 per cent are franchised. Next year, McDonald’s will start adding a new “cooking platform” to its stores, costing between $60,000 to $200,000 a store to add new products. Australia will be the first McDonald’s business in the world to introduce the new system, noted The Australian Financial Review.