Opinion: Mega projects must be new start for the west

The following opinion piece by Vice-Chancellor Distinguished Professor George Williams AO was first published in The Daily Telegraph (print), on Thursday, 5 November 2026.

Within the space of a fortnight, three of Australia’s mega projects will come online in Western Sydney, heralding a bold new era for the region. This is not the end of the infrastructure Western Sydney needs. It is just the next major step in unlocking the enormous potential of its people.

Western Sydney International Airport, which has already generated about $12 billion in economic value during construction, and the Southwest Metro are open for business. On Saturday, the ribbon will be cut on the Powerhouse Parramatta, the most significant cultural project in NSW since the Sydney Opera House.

While the rise of the west continues at an incredible pace and Sydney’s economic centre steadily shifts to Western Sydney, decades of underinvestment mean giving residents a fair go is far from mission accomplished.

One-third of NSW residents call Western Sydney home, its population is increasing faster than anywhere in Australia, and the region’s economy has outpaced the rest of Sydney for the past decade, and will do so for the next.

Yet there are fewer jobs per person in Western Sydney than in the rest of the city, forcing people into long commutes. The productivity gap between east and west is growing, and Western Sydney only attracts 3.4 per cent of national arts funding compared with 23.5 per cent for the rest of Sydney.

While the airport, Powerhouse and metro to Bankstown are helping to right past investment inequities and herald new opportunities, what’s next? How do we keep that momentum going long after the fanfare from grand openings have fallen silent? What’s our collective vision, backed by plans and skilled people, for Sydney 2050?

Western Sydney University is the region’s anchor institution and most important supplier of talent – providing businesses and public sector organisations with the skilled people who accelerate economic growth.

We match education, skills and training to existing and emerging industries so the next generation can enjoy great careers, live fulfilling lives and give back to their communities.

But to really open up those opportunities, NSW needs concrete plans on the drawing board to generate the next wave of nation-building and productivity-enhancing infrastructure, high-skilled jobs and great industries, including maximising the airport’s role as a critical business and logistics hub into Southeast Asia. WSU’s Centre for Western Sydney estimates it has already helped attract up to $30 billion in private investment to the region.

The region’s transport system has historically been designed to move people east, rather than between the major centres of Western Sydney. We need to complete the missing Metro connections, including proposed extensions north towards the North-West Metro and south towards Leppington, Glenfield and Macarthur, alongside better connections between our existing centres such as Liverpool, Bankstown and Parramatta.

The Centre for Western Sydney recommends a 30-year infrastructure compact between all levels of government and the community, with investment reflecting population size and growth rather than historical spending patterns. The airport is a once-in-a-generation catalyst for growth, but without connection and activation, the full benefits will take much longer to realise.

Next steps should include transport, housing, schools, hospitals, digital infrastructure, green spaces and cultural and community facilities. We need to plan the next big leaps forward to achieve the state we want in 2050.

There is no region in Australia with greater potential or ambition than Western Sydney. What we need now is the collective action and long-term vision to match it.

ENDS.

5 November 2026
Media Unit