Public land sale: $4 billion in registries, TAFE sites, fire stations sold off by NSW Government
A suburban sell-off hit list has uncovered the recognisable public assets which have been sold off to the highest bidders across NSW. TAFE sites, fire stations and motor registries are among the featured assets. SEE THE LIST HERE.
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An eye-watering amount of public assets have been sold to the highest bidder across Western Sydney in the past five years, with newly released documents pinpointing the government’s suburb sell-off hit list.
A massive $4 billion in public assets, spread across 4428 properties, were sold off by the NSW Government in Western Sydney between 2015/16 and 2019/20 financial years, according to data obtained under freedom of information requests by shadow Western Sydney spokesman Greg Warren.
The Parramatta Local Government area saw $1.4 billion worth of property put under the hammer, including a $396 million sale of a property at Burroway Rd, Sydney Olympic Park, land at 160 Hawkesbury Rd, Westmead sold for $78 million, a lot at 162 Darcy Rd, Westmead for $50 million and a CBD site at 33 Argyle St Parramatta for $49 million.
While the Campbelltown Local Government Area witnessed the sale of $975 million worth of public assets including a $148 million site at Campbelltown and Macdonald roads, Bardia, multiple landholdings in Menangle Rd, Menangle Park and a $79 million lot at Macdonald Rd, Bardia.
In Liverpool, $263 million worth of public land was sold — including two lots at Campbelltown Rd, Edmondson Park to the value of $113 million — while in Blacktown $214 million was sold off, including a $35 million site at Schofields Rd, Schofields.
Mr Warren described the sell-off as the “greatest form of highway robbery western Sydney has ever seen”.
“This is no doubt the greatest rip off of all time,” the Campbelltown state Labor MP told NewsLocal. “The figure itself is shocking, but not surprising, and will have a serious adverse affect on western Sydney in the future.
“This government has gouged billions out of western Sydney and not provided the infrastructure to match it.”
Mr Warren said the $4 billion price tag was “historic”, hitting out at the government’s decision to sell off assets that “will be needed as our population continues to rise”.
I don’t think there has been this kind of sell of, at this scale in the past,” he said.
“The government’s bottom line is at the loss of the people of western Sydney in desperate need of more services, infrastructure and support.”
But a Planning, Industry and Environment spokesman argued the government “regularly recycles assets to fund its significant infrastructure program and invest in frontline services”.
“Under-utilised property is also an unnecessary financial burden on the State and rather than holding it and having to invest tax payer money in maintaining it, the money from its sale can, instead, be reinvested for better uses,” the department spokesman told NewsLocal.
“The Department’s property division is regularly engaged by other government agencies to undertake the sale of assets which are no longer required for service delivery or that do not meet modern service delivery standards.”
He said the sell-off of assets didn’t mean that the funds would be reinvested back into the same area.
“Reinvestment decisions are formally approved and are backed by thorough due diligence and business cases that justify the application of proceeds,” he said.
”The Government raised over $600m from the sale of properties in Millers Point, which has allowed us to build more than 1,458 homes for people waiting on the social housing waiting list across the State, with a further 300-odd still to be completed.
“In Western Sydney alone, the Government is investing billions of dollars on transport, health and social infrastructure projects that are being funded from Consolidate Revenue which includes the contribution from recycling of government owned property.”
The department spokesman said road upgrades surrounding the Western Sydney Airport, upgrades to Westmead Hospital and 46 social housing projects generating 542 homes across Blacktown, Cumberland, Penrith and the Hawkesbury local government areas were all funded by the reinvestment strategy.
SOLD OFF PUBLIC ASSETS
Granville TAFE annex site — $12 million
Liverpool Motor Registry — $6.3 million
Penrith South Motor Registry — $4.8 million
Penrith Education Resource Centre — $4.5 million
Fairfield Motor Registry — $4.2 million
Beverly Hills Motor Registry — $3.4 million
Auburn Ambulance Station — $2.5 million
Liverpool Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre — $2.5 million
Cabramatta Closed Fire Station — $2.1 million
Fairfield Fire Station — $1.6 million
Former Katoomba TAFE — $1.6 million
Mount Druitt Fire Station — $1.1 million
Windsor Fire Station — $1 million
Picton Fire Station — $450,000