‘Multibillion-dollar’ funding gap for Western Sydney Airport infrastructure

NSW Transport boffins raised concerns a “multibillion-dollar funding gap” would cripple the building of new infrastructure and transport required for Western Sydney Airport.

NSW government bureaucrats raised concerns a “multibillion-dollar funding gap” would cripple the building of new infrastructure and transport required around the Western Sydney Airport, internal government documents seen by The Daily Telegraph reveal.

Feedback from Transport NSW boffins on initial plans for the Western Sydney Airport last year also raised concerns the government and ministers might not be aware of the “significant shortfall” in funding, stating: “This is a whole of government issue.”

The document outlines fears that State Infrastructure Contributions (SIC) — the amount of funding provided to government by developers to pay for roads, water connections and other framework — would leave a multibillion-dollar funding gap, hobbling the building of new roads and transport crucial to the new city springing up around the Western Sydney airport.

“There is a significant shortfall in funding that will be provided by the SIC … that is required to support growth and create the places identified. This is a whole of government issue,” the note says.

“TfNSW is concerned that the Government via Cabinet might not be aware of the substantial multi-billion dollar funding gap … It is unclear how the state transport infrastructure will be provided (noting there is currently no budget for the design stages or corridor acquisition).”

Opposition Western Sydney spokesman Greg Warren wants to know if the funding gap for infrastructure around Western Sydney Airport (inset) has been plugged.

A Transport NSW spokesman didn’t answer questions from The Telegraph over what funding has been committed to infrastructure at the aerotropolis since the document was produced in March 2021.

“The NSW and Australian governments are committed to providing the Western Sydney Airport with the supporting infrastructure needed for when it opens,” he said.

Labor’s Western Sydney spokesman Greg Warren said the documents raised questions over what action had been taken to avoid the multibillion-dollar shortfall Transport NSW had warned of.

“If the services and infrastructure aren’t in place by the time the Western Sydney Airport opens in 2026, it will be utter chaos for those 10 million passengers who pass through the airport each year,” the Campbelltown MP said.

“The Premier needs to urgently explain how the NSW government has addressed these concerns surrounding this substantial multibillion-dollar funding gap.

“Ultimately it will be the people of west and southwest Sydney who pay the price for this NSW government’s incompetence.”

A spokeswoman for the Western Parkland City Authority (WPCA), which is overseeing the construction of the new city around the aerotropolis, said the body was “working closely with (Transport NSW) to identify the transport needs of the aerotropolis and the broader Western Parkland City”.

Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King announced at The Daily Telegraph’s Bradfield Oration on Tuesday that positions on a panel to assess Western Sydney‘s transport infrastructure needs and report back to the government before the 2023-24 federal budget, had been filled.

The airport is set to open in 2026, along with the Metro Western Sydney Airport line.

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