The phenomenal transformation that has occurred in Parramatta is no accident. It’s happened because people believed in a vision – and took calculated risks to make it a reality.
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The sky is the limit for Parramatta’s global ambition
The phenomenal transformation that has occurred in Parramatta is no accident. It’s happened because people believed in a vision – and took calculated risks to make it a reality.
There’s no doubt that the $3.5 billion Parramatta Square has changed the face of Parramatta from a suburban centre to the thriving economic powerhouse it is today.
It’s prime location in the heart of the CBD is within 30 minutes of 2 million people via public transport with buses, trains, light rail and the future Metro West at its doorstep, providing the country’s top companies access to Western Sydney’s diverse and highly skilled community.
Most people don’t know that Parramatta Square is home to the largest commercial building in Australia (by net lettable area), creating a skyline that reflects our economic heft.
Because, for Parramatta, the sky really is the limit.
But when it comes to unlocking our potential as Australia’s next global city, we’re only just getting started.
Parramatta’s economy, valued at about $28.86 billion, is already the second largest in NSW. We are currently home to about 178,000 jobs, with a population set to grow to over 4.5 million by 2050.
The opening of Western Sydney International Airport next year will catalyse our region and connect Western Sydney to the world. But the airport alone is not a destination. It is where people go after they land that counts.
We want people walking off their flights thinking “next stop Parramatta.”
We already have the trademarks of a global city with a booming nighttime and visitor economy. As well as Parramatta Square and our multicultural Eat Street, we have a world-class aquatic centre right next to amazing parklands and a stunning river.
On the banks of that river, in the heart of our CBD, one of the biggest cultural infrastructure projects in our country is rapidly taking shape.
Powerhouse Parramatta is one of the world’s most significant new museum projects and the largest cultural infrastructure project in NSW since construction of the Sydney Opera House. Couple that with the redevelopment of Riverside Theatres, we’re on the way to becoming an epicentre of culture and creativity.
But, travellers will only book flights in and out of Western Sydney’s airport if they know there are fast, frequent public transport links to the major central business districts in Parramatta and Sydney.
This is why now is the time to press on with the extension of the Metro West line past Westmead to connect to the new airport.
An investment in this city-shaping connection will make global Parramatta the next big tourism destination, the place where domestic and international visitors will come for food, events, culture and entertainment, the place where global business deals are done. This will drive the next phase of Parramatta’s evolution into a connected, vibrant economic and cultural hub.
But it’s more than that. Global cities like New York and London are connected north to south and east to west – and unless Sydney is too, we’ll never reach that status. That’s why the federal government must include a stop in Parramatta in stage one of its mooted high-speed rail connection.
It is utter madness to build infrastructure of the future and make investment decisions around an outdated view of where greater Sydney lives and works.
Today, more people live to the west of Parramatta than to its east; Parramatta must be the priority, not an afterthought. The time to invest is now.
City of Parramatta is delivering on our housing commitments, while planning for a diversity of jobs close to home for our rapidly growing population. We’ve set ourselves a target to be Western Sydney’s jobs engine with 150,000 additional jobs by 2050. To achieve this, we will need to leverage Parramatta’s existing economic strengths and ensure that we are positioned to attract new businesses and provide an environment where they can grow.
A big part of this is ensuring that our education and skills pathways to employment are strong, providing links from skills training to employment in industries that will be critical as we elevate our global status.
Of course, we can’t do this alone. Collaboration and partnerships will be essential to driving investment and realising the collective economic potential of this region.
That’s why I’ve recently invited 15 mayors from across Western Sydney to join me to form the Western Sydney Cabinet of Mayors. This is a forum to advocate for funding, policy and collaborative outcomes for our region at a time of rapid growth and opportunity.
We will be a collective voice for the region that can no longer be ignored by state and federal governments.
Because in a city where nothing happens by accident, we need to work together to design our future.
Martin Zaiter is the Lord Mayor of the City of Parramatta.
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