New Bankstown CBD campus to bring $54 million economic uplift for south-west Sydney

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Western Sydney University has announced it will establish a world-class teaching and research campus in the Bankstown CBD, part of a landmark plan that will help spearhead economic growth and knowledge job creation in Sydney's south west.

The decision follows the success of the University's flagship high-rise Parramatta City Campus, which is embedded in the heart of Parramatta and is one of the most technologically advanced teaching and research spaces developed in Australia and across the world.

Construction also continues on the University's new Liverpool CBD campus, set to open in February 2018.

A report by Deloitte Access Economics reveals that Western Sydney University's presence in the CBDs of Bankstown and Liverpool will make a $54 million contribution to the local economy, and at the same time bring efficiencies in terms of campus operating costs.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Barney Glover says the University is set to be a major economic catalyst for Australia's fastest growing region over the next decade, embedding the University in western Sydney's key growth centres, and connecting thousands of students with business, government and industry within the region.

"The University's investment in developing campuses that are truly embedded in western Sydney's central business districts marks an important new era in how we deliver teaching and research, and how we engage with the community," says Professor Glover.

"This campus model not only provides significant benefits for students and the broader community by creating more opportunities for work integrated learning and fostering greater research collaborations with a focus on industry impact, it delivers major operating efficiencies for the University – which is vital in the context of a changing higher education sector," says Professor Glover.

"By building more meaningful and more tangible connections with local business and industry, we can provide unique learning opportunities for our students as we prepare them for the knowledge jobs of the tomorrow."

The University is working with key stakeholders, including Bankstown City Council, to identify potential sites in the Bankstown CBD over the coming months, and plans to make further announcements about the timing and location of the new campus in the months ahead.

The University continues to have discussions with students, staff and the broader community about the future of the existing Milperra campus, and is exploring a range of options for the future development of the site as staff and students gradually transfer to the new CBD campuses in Bankstown and Liverpool.

ENDS

2 August 2017

Amanda Whibley, Manager, Media and Public Relations
a.whibley@westernsydney.edu.au 
(02) 9678 7084, 0418 438 399