North West. Premier concerned over funds

Premier Barry O'Farrell has threatened to punish the federal government by increasing state mining royalties if it fails to help fund the North West Rail Link and other infrastructure. Increasing royalties would hurt the federal Budget because, under the super profits mining tax deal, any increase in state tax on mining leads to the federal government taking an equal amount less in royalties, according to The Daily Telegraph.

North Ryde. Worth of universities

Universities need to reclaim a moral purpose to distinguish themselves from other businesses, vice-chancellor of Macquarie University, Steven Schwartz, in an article published in Professional Educator. He said universities were losing sight of their ethical function in their desire to turn a profit. ''The purpose of university research was the discovery and dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of society making money was never their goal. The worth of universities cannot be measured in dollars and cents. Education is, or should be, a moral enterprise,'' he said.

Penrith. Coles relaunches store

Jill Woods, CEO, of Penrith Valley Chamber of Commerce has congratulated Coles on its relaunch and an increase of 18 per cent in employment bringing the total number of jobs to 330. "Now that we're going to get the Erskine Park Link Road, there's an opportunity for more jobs and for people not to have to leave home to go to work. More people working locally means they're more likely to spend locally,” she said, Store manager, Grant Gorman said: "It's a huge investment for us. There's a lot of development here, in places such as Jordan Springs and Glenmore Park.

Region. $30 million upgrade

Sydney Water is spending $30 million at Quakers Hill Water Recycling Plant to improve the health of Breakfast and Eastern Creeks. “At present, the plant can manage over 2000 litres of water a second. When the work is complete, the plant will be able to treat, store and disinfect 3300 litres a second,” said Sydney Water MD, Kerry Schott

Moorebank. Concern over recycling plant

Moorebank Recyclers Pty Ltd is preparing an environmental assessment which will be submitted to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure on the company’ proposed plant on a 12.4-hectare site, on Newbridge Road. It will have the capacity to receive up to 500,000 tonnes of concrete, brick, asphalt, sandstone and sand waste materials per year from the building and construction industry across Sydney. Local residents are concerned about noise, traffic, air quality and flooding. Experts attempted to answer questions put to them by residents in the two-hour meeting.

Bringelly. Future of Defence site

The federal government is considering the future of the former 115-hectare Department of Defence telecommunications base on, Badgerys Creek Road. at Bringelly. A spokeswoman for the Department of Defence said the site was closed in 2005 and Defence was undertaking its standard process for assessing the future of the site. “As the due-diligence process hasn't yet been completed and the site isn't ready for disposal, Defence hasn't yet sought approval to sell the site under the Lands Acquisition Act 1989." she said.

Blacktown. Preparing for sales boom

Stakeholders in the $650 million Stonecutters Ridge housing and golf estate, in Colebee, are preparing for a sales boom after a land deal with Ashlar Golf Club was struck earlier this month, according to the Blacktown Advocate. Australand said it had made a deal to secure the 38-hectare Ashlar Golf Club site in Blacktown. The club will move to the 18-hole championship golf course in time for February’s grand opening. The news has spurred a buying blitz from prospective homeowners for stages one and two of the development. Stage three, the Club House Precinct, is still under construction but has yielded 2000 expressions of interest, according to Stonecutters Ridge project director Lloyd Gomez.

Region. Firms visit the Middle East

Adis Automatic Doors, at Wetherill Park, fire protection systems firm LAF Group, of Greenacre, Oldfields Advance Scaffolding, at Revesby and Austral Bricks, at Horsley Park, were among 12 NSW companies that recently took part in a major trade exhibition in the Middle East, thanks to support from the NSW Department of Trade and Investment.

Region. Less exposure to finance sector

The retail market outside the Sydney CBD is less exposed to the performance of the finance sector and is more correlated to the general economy, according to Herron Todd White’s latest monthly report. Reflecting the downturn in retail turnover growth and the subsequent increase in the household savings rate, the demand for retail property throughout Sydney has waned, impacting the rental rates of both prime and secondary strip properties throughout Sydney. At an institutional level however, activity has increased, with several neighbourhood centres changing hands.