Since the first sod was turned on Sydney’s new international airport, we’ve made an enormous effort to engage with our local communities and this remains a top priority.
The community have in fact been at the forefront of decision making around this airport for several decades. Successive governments ensured appropriate land use controls were put in place, which even preceded the formal decision to build a new 24-hour airport, here, in Western Sydney.
The aim was to safeguard local communities and the airport from potentially incompatible developments. It’s one of many ways in which Western Sydney International Airport has been built with the future, and its communities, in mind.
As the owner of the airport lease granted by the Australian Government, we are responsible for the development and operation of Western Sydney International Airport to improve aviation services for the people of Sydney while maximising the economic benefits of this asset for all Australians.
This is the first greenfield international airport our nation has seen in more than fifty years. Ensuring our communities could join us on the journey to build this airport, readily receive information on the project and, importantly, benefit from its associated economic opportunities was therefore paramount.
Our airport is not simply located in Western Sydney…rather, Western Sydney International Airport is part of the community in which it operates. We have and will continue to work closely with residents, community groups, schools and local councils across the region.
This is illustrated by the more than 85,000 people who have visited our Experience Centre to learn about the airport. And by our Community Engagement team – who through events, letter box drops, door knocking, phone calls and more – continue to work alongside our local communities every week. We’ve also engaged more than 200 schools and reached over 26,000 students as part of our community outreach.
A recent NAB report showed that this region is set to grow by more than 25 per cent to about 3.2 million people in the next 10 years. That same report recognised how a new 24-hour Western Sydney International Airport will connect this growing population to global markets for local industries and businesses while unlocking opportunities for the region’s manufacturing and logistics sectors. In turn, this growth is anticipated to generate tens of thousands of jobs.
Our airport and precinct partners are acutely aware of the incredible potential of this moment. Right now, we have about 3,500 people working to build the airport each day, thousands more jobs will be required during operations and we’re already thinking about these jobs of the future and equipping our young people with the skills they need to harness these opportunities.
From the project’s outset, we have been cognisant of potential community impacts. The airport is a large infrastructure project and that means we have a responsibility to work with the community to minimise impacts to the best of our ability. We have demonstrated our commitment to mitigation strategies during construction and I can reassure everyone listening today that those efforts will continue in earnest over the years to come.
Western Sydney International Airport will be a 24-hour airport for everyone in Sydney. It will connect Western Sydney, Greater Sydney and our nation to the world in ways we’ve simply never seen. The job, business and tourism opportunities it will bring are unprecedented – and much of the benefit of that economic growth will flow into our local communities.
When all is said and done, we acknowledge and appreciate that there are some in the community with concerns about the airport. It’s important that their views are heard as part of a fair and transparent process.
For our part, we will continue to listen and engage our diverse, local communities – just as we have done during construction and as we will continue to do, in the lead up to opening and beyond – to ensure any feedback is carefully considered.
