OPINION
opinion
6
Airport will change the west for the better TONY ABBOTT Prime Minister
Western Sydney is getting the jobs, the roads and the airport that it deserves
For 50 years, there’s been talk about an airport at Badgerys Creek. The talk is over. The decision has been made. Western Sydney is getting the jobs, the roads and the airport that it deserves. One in 11 Australians live in western Sydney. Over the next 20 years, its population is expected to increase by 50 per cent from two million to three million. Western Sydney needs a major airport and is big enough to sustain one. The new airport in Badgerys Creek will generate 4,000 new jobs during construction. The airport development is expected to create 35,000 jobs by 2035, increasing to 60,000 jobs by 2060. Around the world, we have seen that once airports are built, other businesses seek to locate themselves near the airport. Transport providers, logistics companies, parcel services, caterers, hotels and businesses needing access to the airport tend to locate themselves in the vicinity. Currently over 200,000 people in western Sydney have to leave the region for work every day. By creating more jobs in western Sydney pressure is reduced on the entire Sydney road system.
The typical western Sydney worker drives 18 kilometres to work, compared to just eight kilometres in some other regions in Sydney. The 1,700 hectares put aside for the airport site and the 10,000 hectares zoned for commercial and industrial development should become an economic lung for western Sydney – with more jobs closer to home. This is the largest project ever undertaken in western Sydney, with the new airport expected to see its first flight in the mid-2020s. Building a new airport means major road and transport upgrades in western Sydney. The Government has already committed $1.5 billion towards WestConnex and is backing the airport with major road commitments to be announced in coming days. Roads and transport links must be ready and operating long before the airport is complete. Roads first; airport second is the approach we will take. The people of western Sydney are smarting from Bob Carr’s failed policies that saw population first; roads second. We will get the roads
completed first so that the airport is a success from day one. Building better infrastructure is part of the Government’s Economic Action Strategy that will deliver a strong and prosperous economy. In western Sydney, this will mean bulldozers on the ground and cranes in the air to build the airport, transport infrastructure and roads of the 21st century. Thousands of people will be involved in the construction of the terminals, car parks and runway as well as the roads and transport linkages that will lead to the site – and tens of thousands more will be employed once the airport is up and running. Planning and design work will get underway almost immediately. Construction should begin in 2016. I will work closely with the state government to ensure that western Sydney gets the modern infrastructure that creates jobs, improves productivity and keeps people out of traffic jams. A new airport in western Sydney with supporting infrastructure will make life better in Sydney and make the economy stronger.
Dear Penrith, We’re pleased to announce that the new Westpac Penrith branch is now open. Our new open-plan layout is designed to make banking more convenient, more helpful, more welcoming and, well, more open. We’ve also installed 24/7 self service banking facilities, so you’ll be able to:
Friday 18 April 2014 the western weekender
• Deposit cash and cheques safely, anytime
a new way of banking in Penrith © Copyright 2014 Westpac Banking Corporation ABN 33 007 457 141 AFSL and Australian credit licence 233714.
• Receive cheque deposit details printed on the back of your receipt • Get change whenever you need it • Access our Night Safe for ease of depositing your days takings So why not come down and take a look at the future of banking? We’re open. Yours Sincerely, Sashi Reddy Bank Manager, Westpac Penrith. Experience the new Penrith branch. Borec House Cnr Henry & Station Sts, Penrith, NSW, 2751
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