Region. West as part of the name

A-League chief executive, Lyall Gorman, said it is certain the Western Sydney club will be in place for the upcoming season. He said a key decision was the need to have West Sydney or Western Sydney as part of the name, as well as having one fixed home ground rather than spreading games around the area.

Region. Leader at odds with members

Opposition leader, Tony Abbott, has put himself at odds with members of his own party by backing improvements around Sydney airport and spreading flights to other existing sites ahead of building a second airport, according to the Daily Telegraph. He said at an Infrastructure Partnerships Australia lunch that clearing congestion around Sydney airport and using Bankstown and Richmond airports would be more easily achieved than building a second major centre at Badgerys Creek, Wilton or even Canberra.

Parramata. Ferry services to continue

The Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, said existing ferry services and fares will continue as normal as the new operator focuses on improving services for customers. Harbour City Ferries, a consortium of Transfield Services and Veolia Transdev, has won the right to operate Sydney's ferry system over competing bids from the detention centre operator Serco, Transit Systems and Forgacs Engineering. Harbour City will run the services by late July or August

Region. Tenders for bus services

Private bus operators in Sydney will be required to competitively tender for existing metropolitan bus contracts to drive service improvements for customers. “Allowing private bus operators to competitively tender for existing private regions will drive improvements for customers,” Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian said.

North Ryde. 500 jobs to go at Optus

Optus, Australia's second-biggest telecommunications company, will cut 750 jobs from senior and middle management ranks in all divisions, including technical operations, back office and support functions. Redundancies, totalling 500 workers, would be from the headquarters in North Ryde, ''with the remainder in the ACT, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria'', a spokeswoman said. Redundancies are expected to cost $37 million.

Canpbelltown. Changing perceptions

Monica McMahon, curator of the UWS Sculpture Awards, on show at the University of Western Sydney’s Campbelltown campus, said a visit to the campus often changed people's perceptions of the western suburbs: "People are surprised by how beautiful it is. The grounds are stunning,” she said. Twenty-seven sculptures are eligible for the $25,000 prize.