Project Sydney: Enough is enough — let’s make Sydney a masterpiece
SOME of the biggest names in Sydney business, sport and culture have today fired off a strong message to Gladys Berejikilan’s government, saying: The pain of building our city is worth it.
Project Sydney
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SOME of the biggest names in Sydney business, sport and culture have today fired off a strong message to Gladys Berejikilan’s government, saying: The pain of building our city is worth it.
Amid Sydneysiders’ growing fatigue at the constant din of construction, a formidable list of high-profile corporate and community leaders have penned an open letter urging the Premier to keep a long-term view, warning “the job is only half-done”.
Strongly backing the ambitious infrastructure plan, the letter urges the state government to “stay the course” and “complete the vision”.
Joining forces to sign the letter are the heads of the Business Council of Australia — on behalf of the chief executives of some of Australia’s biggest employers — Sydney Opera House, Roads Australia, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, Cricket NSW, the Australian Rugby Union, the University of Sydney, the Sydney Business Chamber, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Harvey Norman.
They stand with developers, consultants, hotel operators and casinos to applaud the sale of the state’s electricity assets, which delivered the unprecedented windfall that led to the infrastructure boom, and urging the government to weather criticism in the name of progress.
“Your government dramatically changed the course of our history for the better ... We have made huge strides since then, with ambitious projects that show the world our city means business,” the letter states. But it warns: “The job is only half-done.”
The missive coincides with the launch today of The Daily Telegraph’s Bradfield campaign, which will focus on efforts to build a new Sydney and unearth plans to address the city’s greatest needs.
A record $81.5 billion will be spent on new infrastructure over the next four years in the city’s most concentrated construction program since white settlement in 1788.
A long list of new roads, railway lines, schools, hospitals, sporting stadiums and a long-awaited second airport will generate nearly 150,000 new jobs and bring $149 billion in long-term benefits.
But the state government has faced a strident backlash since unveiling tens of billions of dollars in projects including WestConnex and the CBD light rail.
Sydneysiders, fed up with sudden road closures, traffic jams and clogged public transport, are taking to social media to voice their irritation. And there are signs the building momentum could be slowing ahead of the next state election in two years.
Local business groups were surprised when the state Budget failed to commit funding for the Metro West link between the CBD and Parramatta. Finance to overhaul the state’s stadiums has also been limited.
“It feels like a rough road ... Opposition from NIMBYs and naysayers has flared. Protests have threatened train lines, trams, motorways, hospitals, schools, cruise terminals, museums, sporting stadiums and (the) second airport that are critical to our prosperity” the open letter states.
“We ask you to continue on the path to transform Sydney, in the face of the many challenges. Changes that we will be celebrating in 100 years. Disruption is painful but necessary.
“Do we want a near-enough-is-good-enough version of Sydney, or do we want the best of every city we love, in the best city in the world?”
Western Sydney Business Chamber director David Borger has long campaigned for the western Metro.
“If we don’t get this project done we will be forcing people onto trains with Japanese-style guards,” Mr Borger said.
“At the moment we don’t have a budget, a start date or a business plan. The government needs to put an express stamp on it right away.”
Other projects that remain in the “planning” phase despite commitments to begin building include the M12 and F6 motorways, Allianz Stadium upgrade and Northern Beaches and Western Harbour tunnels.
Opposition Leader Luke Foley has warned that Sydneysiders will “pay through the nose’’ via higher tolls and public transport fares. He said greater scrutiny over government spending was needed or “the public will end up paying for the cost blowouts that have arisen from poor management and waste”.
Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott said: “Under the leadership of Gladys Berejiklian, first as Treasurer and now as Premier, this state has shown what a government can achieve when it demonstrates persistence, vision and discipline on infrastructure.
“Future generations of Australians reflecting on this period will honour this government for getting Sydney back on its feet and investing to make it a world-class city.”
Bradfield Governors chair Tony Shepherd said: “The state government has been instrumental in keeping going not just NSW but the whole country post-mining boom investment ... it is important for the state and the country that they keep going.”