Op-ed: A good deal for the West

Something unusual hap pened last weekend: the Prime Minister, the Premier of NSW and mayors of eight Western Sydney councils came together to announce a long-term plan for Western Sydney.

It's called the "Western Sydney City Deal" - and it's been developed through detailed, co-operative work over nearly two years.

The eight mayors - from Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Penrith and Wollondilly and senior council staff have been meeting regularly.

They have worked together to agree on the priorities for Western Sydney - and worked with Commonwealth and NSW ministers an d senior officials on what is needed to meet those priorities.

Western Sydney is growing fast - 500,000 more people will live in the area in the next 20 years. How do we plan for that growth? How can we attract businesses and jobs so people can work closer to home? How can we expand Sydney's rail network to serve people travelling within Western Sydney?

The City Deal is a plan to respond to these and other issues with commitments from all three levels of government to deliver.

But growth is not enough Western Sydney must remain a highly liveable region with parks and access to nature and bushland.

That is why the City Deal includes the $150 million Western Parkland City Liveability Program, to help fund work by local governments to deliver facilities and amenities.

As new jobs are generated by the businesses which are attracted into the Aerotropolis and other areas of Western Sydney, we need to make sure that locals have the skills to win those jobs.

Skills and education is a big part of the City Deal. A new high school, vocational education facilities and a tertiary aerospace institute - all near Western Sydney Airport - are all part of the plan.

Our aim is that over time other cities will also have what we have now achieved for Western Sydney.

This article originally appeared in the Daily Telegraph on 9 March 2018