Time to get western Sydney moving after $1.9 billion cash injection, industry groups say

Western Sydney’s roads and infrastructure has received a $1.9 billion boost, sparking hope for accelerated development.

A $1.9 billion funding boom for western Sydney roads and infrastructure will mean little if the cash isn’t rolled out quickly – with industry groups and developers urging the federal government to pump funding out quickly to enable shovels to get in the ground.

The cash injection – revealed by The Telegraph and announced Monday – includes money for much-needed roads in the flagging aerotropolis precinct surrounding the new western Sydney airport, like Elizabeth Drive, the Eastern Ring Road, and Badgerys Creek Road.

It’s understood the announcement will form part of a 10-year pipeline of federal funding, but it’s likely to be spent before that as project milestones are completed by the state government.

Urban Development Institute of Australia NSW acting CEO Gavin Melvin said the money had to be rolled out quickly across the aerotropolis and western Sydney so that private industry could start construction, with the new airport to open in two years.

The site of the Bradfield city centre in the western Sydney aerotropolis. The site will eventually be part of the vast Aerotropolis surrounding Western Sydney Airport and span more than 11,000 hectares.

“The key question is – how much of this money will flow and how quickly?” he said.

“What’s the time frame – if this money trickles out over four or five years, that’s not ideal.

“We’ll remain optimistic the money will be provided so construction can get moving over the next year, but we don’t want it to trickle out over four or five years.”

Ingham Property CEO Matthew Ramaley – who previously said the lack of progress at the aerotropolis was becoming a “global embarrassment” – welcomed the money but said shovels had to get in the ground so private companies could supercharge lagging development in the area.

“We’re ready, willing and able to help the government make this a reality,” he said.

“(We can) make up for lost time. We’ve proven in the past when there’s genuine engagement between government agencies and private industry, we can move fast and deliver great outcomes.”

Property Council of Australia Western Sydney Regional Director Ross Grove said the budget announcement was “Western Sydney’s largest road funding allocation since the site of the airport was confirmed a decade ago”.

Ingham Property CEO Matthew Ramaley.

Mr Grove said landowners in the aerotropolis “are breathing a sigh of relief that a funding black hole is now starting to be filled”.

“There is more to do … but the integrity of the aerotropolis vision has made a major upswing,” he said.

“I guess you could say the ‘flop’ has started to ‘flip’.”

The announcement was made following The Daily Telegraph’s Let’s Get Moving campaign which called for action on roads spending by the Commonwealth, after $1.4 billion funded projects were axed in a federal government review last year.

Business Western Sydney Executive Director David Borger welcomed the federal government reinstating funds it cut last year.

“It was a mistake to cut the funding to begin with but it’s good to see the federal government come back to its commitment to invest in western Sydney,” Mr Borger said.

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