Parramatta Council continues push for SBS western Sydney relocation

Sydney’s defiant second city continues to push the nation’s multilingual broadcaster to relocate to its multicultural heartland, where more than half the population was born overseas.

Relocating the SBS from the north shore to multicultural Parramatta is a ‘logical’ choice, according to Lord Mayor Martin Zaiter. Picture: Mark Scott

Refusing to accept the federal government’s decision not to completely relocate SBS to Parramatta, the lord mayor of Sydney’s second city is pushing on with a campaign for the multilingual network to find a home in the CBD.

During Parramatta Council’s meeting on Monday night, Lord Mayor Martin Zaiter expressed disappointment with the federal government’s decision to retreat from its original goal to fund a full move of SBS from Artarmon on the north shore to the multicultural heartland of western Sydney.

The government has shelved a full SBS relocation to the city’s west because it has been deemed too expensive.

Instead, the government will invest $5.9m to scope out a production hub in the west, with a TV studio able to host live audiences, radio and podcasting booths.

Cr Zaiter hit out at the broadcaster’s “missed opportunity” to seriously invest in the region and “demonstrate it is serious about western Sydney being able to share its stories and provide the region with its fair share of cultural funding”.

He said Parramatta was the “logical” home for the national multilingual network, which had been based in Artarmon for 30 years.

Parramatta is in the diverse heart of the nation.

The federal government’s decision against heading west follows a study, commissioned in April 2023, into whether SBS should relocate.

In a letter to staff this week, SBS managing director James Taylor said the production hub was a great outcome for the network and western Sydney community.

“It allows us to expand our content offer for all Australians through news and current affairs, multilingual audio programs and screen content, while continuing with our existing Artarmon operations,’’ he said.

“It will boost our overall production capability and embed SBS in the western Sydney community, where 2.7m Australians live, including many from multicultural and First Nations backgrounds.’’

But the council has vowed to continue advocating for the full relocation.

“Locating the new studio in Parramatta is a chance to demonstrate the benefits of basing the broadcaster in the heart of Greater Sydney and closer to its audiences,’’ Cr Zaiter said.

“More than half of Parramatta’s population was born overseas and speak a language other than English at home, and almost 70 per cent have two parents born overseas.’’

He welcomed the production hub as a first step that would “ultimately” convince “all players” of the merits of investing in a full relocation.

Cr Zaiter will engage SBS for a meeting, most likely to be held in the new year.

The campaign follows the ABC’s relocation of 300 staff to Parramatta this year, with that network’s first 7pm television news bulletin broadcast on Sunday.

“There is an opportunity to leverage this move to attract a critical mass of media and creative industry jobs to an emerging creative industries hub in Parramatta,’’ Cr Zaiter said.