With respect for Aboriginal cultural protocol and out of recognition that its campuses occupy their traditional lands, Western Sydney University acknowledges the Darug, Dharawal, Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri peoples and thanks them for their support of its work in their lands (Greater Western Sydney and beyond).
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At the Centre for Western Sydney, we provide data-informed insights that support governments, industry, communities, and the university in making better decisions on issues that affect our region. Our work has a proven record of driving positive change and shaping a stronger future for Western Sydney.
Our research excellence delivers the ideas and impact Western Sydney needs for the future. We:
- Measure social, economic and cultural impact through the robust use of data.
- Compare patterns across regions and over time to reveal important trends, inequities, and potential.
- Work alongside communities, policymakers, and industry to ensure local voices are heard.
- Provide practical recommendations that guide investment, program design, and policy reform.
Past Projects at a Glance
Unlimited Potential
Unlimited Potential outlines a once-in-a-generation strategy to transform Western Sydney’s economy and harness its inherent and emerging strengths. In November 2024, the Centre for Western Sydney launched ‘Unlimited Potential: Western Sydney’s Economic Strategy.’, focused on delivering a Western Sydney Economic Acceleration Zone through six targeted and actionable “leaps”:
- Create a 30-Year Infrastructure Funding Compact
- Establish a Western Sydney Infrastructure Advisory Council
- Accelerate Technological Innovation, Digital Skills and Agility
- Strengthen Capability Links to International Supply Chains
- Secure a Fair Share of Creative Industry Funding
- Benchmark and Target Investment and Infrastructure Delivery
Alongside this strategic framework, the Centre produces the Western Sydney Economic Update, an ongoing economic assessment that:
- Provides detailed analysis of Western Sydney’s economic health, workforce capacity, and productivity.
- Examines whether local job creation aligns with workforce skills and size.
- Evaluates whether the region is receiving the investment needed to support future growth.
- Offers policymakers a clear picture of where the region is thriving and where targeted investment is needed.
We welcome any feedback that you may have on the strategy and invite you to stay connected with our team at the Centre for Western Sydney as they deliver an implementation plan that will see Unlimited Potential presented to local and state government, policy makers and key community, industry and advocacy groups.
Current contributors: Professor Jennifer Westacott AO, Professor Azadeh Dastyari, Professor Neil Perry, Dr Anastasia Mortimer, and Joelle Sassine.
Cumberland Plain Research
The project has received $6 million in funding from the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Category 2 grant).
Researchers: Professor Neil Perry leading the key research theme of ‘Peoples and Culture’
Partners: NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment and the WSU School of Business
This modelling project quantifies the economic and social value of ecological restoration across Western Sydney and NSW. It translates nature-based interventions, such as revegetation and canopy growth, into measurable benefits for landholders, communities, and the environment.
This project:
- Evaluates the economic and social returns of ecological restoration on private land.
- Supports evidence-based decision-making for environmental policy and land management.
- Demonstrates the broader benefits of nature-based interventions for local communities and biodiversity.
For more information: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/hie/research/cumberland-plain-research
Using Our Voices
The project was awarded $30,000 from the Revesby Workers Club Grant.
This project is a creative workshop series designed to engage young people in Western Sydney with democratic tools, using social media and traditional methods of advocacy. Participants explore how to amplify their civic voice, influence decision-making, and understand government processes at local and national levels.
This project:
- Builds civic knowledge and confidence through interactive and creative activities.
- Provides practical experience with advocacy strategies both online and offline.
- A series of workshops have been run and are planned across WSU Bankstown campus and Belmore Youth Resource Centre.
- Includes interviews with workshop participants to capture their perspectives and experiences.
- Encourages young people to participate actively in democratic processes.
Researchers: Professor Azadeh Dastyari, Melissa Phillips, Joelle Sassine, and Afsana Kazi.
Partners: Whitlam Institute.
Cent$ Lab
The project was initially funded through $8,000 from WSU Global Challenges. Recently, the project received additional support: the Faculty of SABEL Internal SEED Grant has been successful, awarding $10,000 to grow the project into a larger initiative titled Making Cent$: Economic Literacy and Civic Participation for CaRM Youth.
This youth-led research examines how young people from culturally and racially marginalised backgrounds think and talk about money, financial pressure, and socioeconomic belonging. Using creative and participatory methods, the project explores who has access to wealth, how young people understand economic power, and what support they need to navigate cost-of-living constraints.
This project:
- Engages young people in creative workshops to explore financial literacy.
- Provides insights into economic pressures affecting culturally diverse communities.
- Generates recommendations for policies and programs that improve youth financial inclusion.
- Sessions have been run at ACE, with ongoing workshops planned.
- Expansion under the SEED Grant will scale the project to include broader civic participation activities for CaRM Youth.
Researchers: Dr Sherene Idriss (School of Arts), Joelle Sassine, Dr Genevieve Ritchie and Dr Joshua Kalemba (School of Social Sciences)
Partners: Arts and Cultural Exchange (ACE)
Price of Democracy
The project was awarded funding from the Whitlam Institute.
Researchers: Professor Azadeh Dastyari, Dr Sherene Idriss, and Joelle Sassine.
Partners: Whitlam Institute
This project explores how financial stress affects young people’s ability to participate in Australian democracy. Young people from Western Sydney share their everyday experiences of the cost-of-living crisis, including working multiple jobs, navigating rent or family financial pressure, and balancing study with income.
This project:
- Investigates how financial pressures influence trust in institutions, civic voice, and political engagement.
- Examines barriers to youth participation in democratic processes.
- Provides evidence to inform policies that support equitable civic participation.
- Interviews with participants capture lived experiences and insights into the cost-of-living impact on engagement.
Past Projects at a Glance
Researchers: Dr Rhonda Itaoui, Dr Angela Smith, Professor Kate Huppatz (School of Social Sciences).
Unlocking Women’s Potential: Labour force participation in Western Sydney
On International Women’s Day in March 2024, Western Sydney University Chancellor, Professor Jennifer Westacott AO, launched the Centre for Western Sydney’s groundbreaking report ‘Unlocking Women’s Potential: Labour force participation in Western Sydney.’
The report highlighted a significant spatial gap in the income levels between women in Western Sydney and the rest of Sydney. The Centre’s work on this important topic continues, with the Centre committing to release an annual report card on women’s labour force participation each year in time for International Women’s Day.
Funded by the Western Sydney University Research Partnership program (RPP) and City of Parramatta Council.
Creating a vibrant future for NSW creative industries
As an important extension of our landmark 2023 report, State of the Arts in Western Sydney, the Centre for Western Sydney has partnered with Western Sydney Creative, City of Parramatta, and a range of local artists and creative industries practitioners on the ‘Creating a vibrant future for NSW Creative Industries’ project.
The project aimed to identify the cities and suburbs within Western Sydney that are current hotspots for arts and cultural activity as well as sites with potential for future investment, development, and growth.
In November 2024, the report ‘Unleashing Creativity: Strategies for Growing Western Sydney’s Creative Industries’was launched. The report revealed that, with the right investment, Western Sydney’s creative industries could quadruple in size, contributing an additional $6.4 billion per annum in economic output, creating over 24,000 new jobs and further enhancing the region’s position as a leading creative hub.
Researchers: Dr Rhonda Itaoui, Dr Angela Smith, Vera Xia, Dolla Merrillees (Western Sydney Creative), Associate Professor Katrina Sandbach (School of Humanities and Communication Arts).
Partners: Western Sydney Creative, City of Parramatta Council.
Researchers: Professor Azadeh Dastyari (Whitlam Institute), Associate Professor Corrinne Sullivan (School of Social Sciences), Dr Rhonda Itaoui.
Partners: BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation, Jesuit Social Services, Bidwill Uniting, Digital Literacy Foundation, Salvation Army, Blacktown City Council, My Skills Australia, Baptist Care and Think and Do Tank.
First Nations Digital Inclusion in Western Sydney
Funded in the 2023 round of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) Independent Grants Program.
First Nations peoples are experiencing high levels of digital exclusion, however little is known about the extent of the digital divide in Western Sydney – the home of the largest population of Indigenous people in Australia.
This project:
- Explores the barriers, causes and consequences of digital exclusion for First Nations people in the region in Western Sydney.
- Provides vital data to inform culturally appropriate solutions to address digital exclusion.
- Through an intersectional approach, considers how disability, age, gender, LGBTQIA+SB status and socio-economic class contributes to the access and use of digital technologies.
The project is overseen by an Indigenous Research Governance Committee.
Digital poverty and the right to education in NSW schools
Funded by the Whitlam Institute, Western Sydney University.
The Centre for Western Sydney proudly partnered with the Whitlam Institute and Wester’ly on the Digital poverty and the right to education in NSW schools project.
445 NSW school staff were surveyed between April and June 2023, finding alarming levels of digital exclusion among certain groups and a significant disparity in digital equity based on location.
The findings indicate:
- In Western Sydney and regional New South Wales, there were higher rates of students relying on only their mobile phones for completing educational activities at home, compared to the rest of Sydney.
- Asylum seeker and refugee students and students from lower socio-economic backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to digital exclusion.
- Some students, particularly those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, are more digitally excluded today than they were prior to the pandemic.
The findings are detailed in the new report ‘Digital Equity and Education: A NSW Case Study.’
Researchers: Professor Azadeh Dastyari (Whitlam Institute), Dr Rhonda Itaoui, Dr Gina Hawkes, Associate Professor Tanya Notley (School of Humanities and Communication Arts and Institute for Culture and Society).
Acknowledgement of Country
