Hunter Joint Organisation draws lessons from Western Sydney Airport visit

Newy 87.8 FM – The Hunter Joint Organisation says the region can learn big lessons from Western Sydney International Airport, following a tour of the airport and Bradfield City organised by the Committee for the Hunter.

The visit came 51 days before the airport's opening, with the tour hosted by Western Sydney International Airport CFO Shelley Cole and Bradfield Development Authority Chair Jennifer Westacott AC.

The airport is being built for the next 100 years, initially designed for around 10 million passengers a year and 28,000 jobs. The Hunter Joint Organisation described it as an example of airports acting as catalytic economic infrastructure that can attract investment, unlock new industries, connect businesses to markets and create jobs.

Alongside the airport, a completely new city is being planned for around 30,000 residents, featuring innovation precincts, advanced manufacturing, entertainment and public spaces, and a 15-minute walkable city model. Around 80 per cent of buildings are planned to have green roofs, with $1 billion in funding support for enabling infrastructure helping attract tenants and developers.

The organisation said the Hunter's airports, ports, transport connections, energy infrastructure, industrial land and innovation precincts could all play a catalytic role in shaping the region's future as it faces significant economic transitions.

It said transformational change requires a shared vision, long-term planning, enabling infrastructure, investment certainty and governments working together, arguing the region should be planning for the next 50 to 100 years rather than just the next few.

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