Western Sydney has entered a golden age according to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, in her address to the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) Annual General Meeting last week.
During the visit, Ms Berejiklian highlighted her optimism for Western Sydney’s future and stressed the importance of providing councils with certainty so they can plan for their communities.
WSROC President, Councillor Stephen Bali said, “It was an honour to host the Premier and discuss some of the issues most critical to Western Sydney.
“During the meeting, Western Sydney councillors shared their views on a range of topics including: public transport, WestConnex, council-state collaboration, minimum street widths, schools funding, urban heat, refugee settlement, youth unemployment, and social infrastructure funding.
“Both the Premier and councils agreed on the need to prioritise green space and look at innovative ways to maximise community access to parks, sports fields and recreational areas.
“We also agreed that while the wider unemployment rate is currently low, there are still areas and sectors that need additional focus,” Cr Bali said.
“However, councils believe more focus must be given to local liveability if Western Sydney is to become a first choice for people to live, work and invest.
“Western Sydney is growing rapidly, and as a result critical social infrastructure – the libraries, parks, swimming pools, arts facilities and community spaces that are key to everyday liveability are falling behind.
Councillor Bali said WSROC is keen to work with Government to improve current models for delivering social infrastructure so the whole community benefits from the growth they see around them.
“We hope that the Premier has taken away some new insights into the challenges and opportunities facing Western Sydney and we look forward to working with her on some of the issues raised at the meeting.”
