Chair's Report

On behalf of the Board and the Western Parkland City Authority (WPCA), I am pleased to present the 2021-22 Annual Report.

The Federal and State Governments are driving huge improvements in the Western Parkland City with $20bn committed to game-changing infrastructure. This includes a new metro line, motorway and a 24/7 international airport.

Last year, the NSW Government unlocked this investment with an injection of more than $1 billion to kick start the creation of the Bradfield City Centre development. Since then, WPCA has begun fast tracking work to capitalise on this development as a way of driving economic prosperity across the Western Parkland City.

In the last year, we welcomed the transfer of land for the city centre from the Commonwealth Government, undertook detailed planning work and prepared Strategic and Final Business Cases. We secured $260 million to deliver a full-sized Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF) and talked to the market about agribusiness opportunities in the broader Aerotropolis.

We also completed the design for the First Building, a multi-purpose shared-use facility where we will pilot the AMRF and published four tender packages for new equipment. And we issued the tender for civil works and construction of the First Building.

The market has responded with enthusiasm, and we are already attracting leading global tenants. We secured our first tenant for the First Building - Japanese conglomerate Hitachi and had confirmation that the country’s peak science organisation, the CSIRO, will move into a new purpose-built facility within the city centre.

Technology is driving rapid change and we’ve heard industry feedback that current education and training models are not keeping pace. This year we launched a $37.4 million New Education and Training Model with courses already underway.

We started work on a Masterplan for the South-West Community and Justice Precinct in collaboration with Campbelltown Council and other State and Commonwealth Government agencies. And we evolved the Place-Based Infrastructure Compact model to meet the specific needs of the councils in our area.

We increased the number of our industry partners to 34, building a strong pipeline of potential investment, job creation, and economic growth.

We launched the draft Blueprint and draft Economic Development Roadmap – Phase 1 both of which mark a fundamental shift away from old planning approaches where homes were developed before transport, services and jobs. Instead, we’ve outlined how we will focus on jobs-led growth and the delivery of services and infrastructure aligned with that growth.

Looking ahead, the Board will continue to support the Authority as it builds on this momentum. Priorities include co-ordinating the delivery of the commitments in the Western Sydney City Deal, releasing the Bradfield City Centre Masterplan and delivering the next phase of critical infrastructure for the new city centre.

We’ll go back out to market to attract new tenancies for the city centre, further develop our agribusiness opportunities and support the work continuing apace at the new airport site and the metro.

A key step forward will be going out to market for world leading providers for the energy, digital, cyber and circular economy systems that will service stage one of the Bradfield City Centre development. In the next year, the Authority will also move into their new headquarters in Penrith.

This is an enormous and exciting undertaking. I would like to acknowledge the strategic guidance and oversight my fellow Board colleagues have provided and thank WPCA CEO, Dr Sarah Hill, and everyone at the Authority for their work. We are only as good as our partners and I look forward to continuing to deepen our relationships with local council, landholders, industry partners and the community.

In all of this, our mission remains clear. Western Sydney will be the social, economic and environmental powerhouse of Australia delivering new industries and jobs that will improve the lives of people in Western Sydney and all of Australia.

Jennifer Westacott AO
Chair, Western Parkland City Authority