About Western Sydney

Demographics

Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a large and dynamic region, characterised by strong urban growth, a young population, diverse community, strong economy, advanced infrastructure and an environment of contrasts and change.

GWS has a current population of about 1.87 million people, which is 43% of the Sydney metropolitan total, and is home to just over 1 in 11 Australians. 

The region has experienced strong growth over the past four decades and this trend is set to continue with the population forecast to reach 2.5 million by 2031.

The greater part of this growth will be in the new North West and South West Growth Centres and developing regional centres.

One third of the GWS population has migrated to Australia and half of the world's nations are represented among its residents. In Fairfield Local Government Area (LGA) alone, over 70 different languages are spoken.

The largest urban communities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in the region, primarily in the Blacktown, Campbelltown and Penrith LGAs.

Western Sydney is where many young people are choosing to begin their families with the population younger on average than for Sydney generally. More than 1 in 3 people (37.4%) are aged 24 years and under.

The community shows characteristics across the social spectrum including areas of prosperity, enterprise and innovation and, some areas of disadvantage. 

Geography

GWS comprises 14 LGAs. These include Auburn, Bankstown, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith and Wollondilly.

All of these locations have individual characteristics while sharing pressures to accommodate population increase, urban growth and rural change. 

Profiles for each LGA are below

Economy

GWS is one of Australias largest and most diverse economies with a Gross Regional Product (GRP) estimated at $76.4 billion in 2006-07.

This figure represents real annual growth of 3.3% over the previous year. It positions GWS as one of Australias fastest growing regional economies.

The importance of GWS to the State economy continues to increase with the region growing nearly twice as fast as the state average in 2006-07.

This represents over one third of the Sydney GRP and over one fifth (22%) of the NSW Gross State Product (GSP).

The GWS economy is fuelled by a labour force of more than 900,000 people with all ranges of educational and vocational attainment.

There are more than 151,000 actively trading businesses.

GWS is now Australias largest manufacturing region. Fourteen of its 17 industry sectors each generate more than $1 billion a year.

However, manufacturing is also critical to the regional economy in terms of local investment and employment.

At the 2006 Census, manufacturing contributed 16.0% towards GWS total GRP while a total of 109,892 people or 14.1% of the regions resident workforce, was employed in the manufacturing sector.

The GWS economy is also significant in its diversity with strong representation in property and business services, finance and insurance, construction, transport and distribution and wholesale trade. 

Finance and insurance, health and community services and transport and distribution have demonstrated strong regional growth in recent years.

Around 150 of Australias top 500 companies now have operations in Western Sydney including BHP Billiton, Coca- Cola Amatil, Qantas, Sony and Canon.

GWS economic advantages include: 

• Large, educated multicultural workforce
• Australia's most diverse industry base
• Excellent telecommunications and transport infrastructure, and
• Affordable industrial property and office space.

Infrastructure and Urban Development

GWS is well served by established infrastructure in rail, road, schools, tertiary education and hospitals. 

The 40km $1.25 billion Westlink M7, linking the M5, M4 and M2 Motorways, was completed in 2005 while development of the $770 million network of Bus T-Ways is continuing. 

It is estimated that the 2,450ha Western Sydney Employment Hub, serviced by the M7 and M4 motorways, will accommodate up to 36,000 new jobs in Western Sydney in the next 25 years. 

The University of Western Sydney (UWS), established in 1989, is providing places for more than 35,300 tertiary students over 6 campuses in 2008. 

In 2007 the University opened its School of Medicine to provide locally educated medical practitioners for Western Sydney.

The Schools Campbelltown Campus opened in November 2008 and received almost 3,000 applicants for study in 2009. Around 300 students are studying there and approximately two-thirds of the Universitys medical students are from the region.

The region's TAFE Colleges, on 17 campuses and via the remote Open Training and Education Network, cater to more than 149,000 students.

Further infrastructure and urban development will result from the NSW Governments record $8.5 billion budget commitment to Western Sydney in 2009-10.

The investment includes major spending on public transport, education, roads, social housing and a record new health budget.

The 2009-10 budget for Western Sydney includes:

• A record $2.374 billion investment in health which means more doctors and nurses, expanded community health services and further reductions in elective surgery times
• $514.9 million to care for older people, people with a disability, their families and carers
• $410 million for road safety and new and upgraded roads in the region
• $171 million to build commuter car parks, 17 of which are in Western Sydney, $8 million over two years to operate a commuter ferry service between Parramatta and the CBD and $36.5 million towards the purchase of an additional 87 buses for West, South West and North West Sydney
• A $336 million investment on energy infrastructure
• $250 million to protect the regions water supply and improve water infrastructure;
• $218 million on new social housing for the elderly, people with a disability and the homeless
• Over $45 million to upgrade local schools and TAFEs
• More than $32 million to build more police stations across the region, and
• $2.3 million for 18 new bushfire tankers to protect the community.

The NSW Government also committed $135m to stage-two of the first phase of the $394m Liverpool Hospital redevelopment in the 2009-10 budget.

When Phase 1 is complete, the teaching hospital of the South Western Sydney Clinical School of the University of NSW will be the largest tertiary health facility in NSW.

The NSW Governments blueprint for Sydneys growth, the Sydney Metropolitan Strategy, identifies a major continuing development role for GWS. 

The Strategy is guiding the region's infrastructure, housing and employment growth over the next 25 years through economic, environmental and social objectives.

Growth Centres in the North West (around Kellyville, Riverstone and Box Hill) and the South West (around Rossmore, Oran Park and Bringelly) will provide new land release areas for 181,000 new homes.

This will deliver approximately 40% of total planned metropolitan housing growth in the next 25 years.

A further 7,500 hectares of employment lands, much of them in Western Sydney, have been identified for review to meet future demand for industrial and commercially zoned land.

The Strategy also estimates around half of the forecast 500,000 new jobs in Sydney over the next 25 years will be in GWS. 

Three major regional centres are being developed for the 'river cities' of Parramatta, Penrith and Liverpool.

These cities will concentrate employment, retail/commercial and mixed developments to create and support an integrated, sustainable and vibrant region.

In addition, the State Plan: A New Direction for NSW, for the first time, provides priorities and specific performance targets for the NSW Government.

The Plans targets and priorities are to be achieved in consultation and partnership with all three levels of government, business and community organisations.

For GWS, this collaboration will:

• Work to improve public transport provision across the region, with a focus on bus services linking outlying suburbs to the rail network;
• Work on economic development and employment strategies in identified areas of the region to maximise investment, grow existing industries and support emerging industries;
• Identify health and wellbeing issues including domestic violence, obesity in children, and improved health, education, job opportunities and wellbeing of Aboriginal residents; and
• Create physical and social infrastructure and services early in the development of new residential areas.

Environment and Recreation

The NSW Government is balancing the demands of GWS growing urban population with the need to protect its unique natural environment.

The Region features important rural and agricultural lands, rare and spectacular natural bushland and many state-of-the-art recreational and sporting facilities.

There are remnants of unique Cumberland Plain Bushland, pristine World Heritage Listed areas of the Blue Mountains and, the Burragorang Valley State Recreation Area and Nattai National Park at Wollondilly.

The Hawkesbury Nepean River System is Sydneys major water source and the backbone of the regions agricultural and fishing industries.

It is also a major recreational attraction for residents of GWS.

"The NSW Government is spending $45 million until 2015 on the staged development of one of the worlds largest urban parks the Western Sydney Parklands to ensure recreational and community opportunities for future generations.

And in June 2009, the Premier announced an additional $22 million was being allocated to further improve facilities in the Parklands.

The Parklands stretch for 27 kilometres along the Eastern Creek corridor from Liverpool to Blacktown, and are the size of 25 Centennial Parks. In 2008, the NSW Government completed a 27-kilometre cycleway throughout the length of the Park.

The Parklands are a green belt linking the North West and South West Growth Centres and, as work continues in the Parklands to restore rare Cumberland Plain Bushland, ecosystems are also being re-created for the regions native wildlife.

GWS boasts Olympic standard sporting facilities including:

• Sydney Olympic Park and the Olympic stadium
• Dunc Gray Velodrome, Bass Hill (Liverpool LGA)
• International Shooting Centre, Cecil Park (Liverpool LGA)
• Blacktown Olympic Park (Blacktown LGA)
• Sydney International Equestrian Centre, Horsley Park (Fairfield LGA)
• Sydney International Regatta Centre, Cranebrook (Penrith LGA)
• Penrith Whitewater Stadium (Penrith LGA).

These facilities provide world class sporting opportunities for local residents and elite international athletes.

Since the 2000 Olympic Games, Sydney Olympic Park is continuing its transformation into a dynamic and diverse township for living, working, learning and recreation. The Park is a world-class model for the integration of built and natural environments.

Source Material:

• ABS Census 2006
• NSW Department of Planning: Sydney Metropolitan Strategy
• Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board

LGA Profiles of Western Sydney