Region. Networking in the region

Western Sydney has increasing concentrations of industry yet low rates of organised networking and representation. This impacts on the region’s ability to engage in public debate and meaningfully influence policy, according to Parramatta City Council’s economic development strategy. Several Sydney-based organisations have expressed interest in broadening their networks and activity in Western Sydney, for example, the Property Industry Foundation, the Institute of Company Directors, the Sydney Business Chamber and the Property Council of Australia.

North West. Rail link is a political project

Professor David Hughes, an adviser to Infrastructure Australia and involved on the NSW government’s 20-year transport plan, has described the O’Farrell government’s $8.5 billion north-west rail link as an “absolutely” political project, saying a high-speed busway would deliver the same result for one-fifth of the price tag. He said the project “struggles” on a cost-benefit analysis, according to The Australian Financial Review. Professor Hughes heads the University of Sydney’s Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies.

Parramatta. City has potential

Parramatta has the potential to absorb greater residential and commercial density and to further develop agglomerations of economic activity in Greater Western Sydney that leverage its existing commercial and other infrastructure and exploit its central location in the region, according to an Ernst & Young report prepared for Parramatta City Council. Developing stronger social and economic infrastructure in Parramatta would alleviate traffic, into the Sydney CBD, better service a growing Greater Western Sydney population, address spatial inequality in service outcomes and improve social cohesion, the report said.