Sydney's Connected Community 

Georges River’s rail connections, proximity to the airport and the Sydney CBD make it key to delivering a 30-minute city. This is the vision of Greater Sydney Commission (GSC), where people have access to jobs and services within 30 minutes of their home. 

We also know that we need to raise our job containment rate, improve our connections to other employment hubs such as Parramatta and the Central City, and bring to the attention of the NSW and Australian government the investment opportunities that exist in Georges River. Council is leading for change by identifying and promoting priorities and opportunities on behalf of our community. Our priorities are connected to Council’s activities and interactions at all levels. We will be opportunistic and informed. Our passion for issues impacting our community and Greater Sydney is the driving force behind our advocacy. 

View Georges River Council's Advocacy Priorities 2021-22.

 

The 'Southern Aerotropolis' - The Future of Sydney Rediscovered

The growth of Greater Sydney has a north/south and an east/west bias, reinforced in all metropolitan strategies for the past 20 years. Parramatta CBD is now firmly positioned as Sydney’s second CBD and further growth is planned for the Greater Parramatta and the Olympic Peninsula area. The vision and long-term plans for the Western Aerotropolis around the future airport at Badgerys Creek has ensured continued jobs growth and economic prosperity for Western Sydney. However, there has been no similar attention to jobs growth south of Sydney Airport.

Now is the time to rediscover the future of Sydney with the ‘Southern Aerotropolis’. Within this area of Greater Sydney there are seven strategic centres including Hurstville and Kogarah. There is an opportunity to leverage off the potential of these well­-established centres; proximity to the airport and port, the availability of employment lands, the transport connections (both for the movement of workers and goods) and the unrivalled natural assets and liveability of the south.

Read more about the Southern Aerotropolis in Council's Thought Leadership Report. 
Read a Summary of the Southern Aerotropolis Report.

Georges River Council hosted a thought-leadership event titled 'Sydney Rediscovered - A Metropolis of 5 Cities' on 27 October 2021, in partnership with Business Western Sydney, Wollongong City Council, City of Newcastle and the Committee for Sydney. Council secured award-winning journalist and host of ABC TV's The Drum, Ellen Fanning, as MC along with esteemed speakers including Dr Tim Williams, David Borger, Adam Zarth, Prof Roberta Ryan and Roderick Simpson. The event stimulated discussion around the current narrow 'three cities' model of Greater Sydney and the need for future plans to take into account gateway and liveability centres such as Newcastle and Wollongong, with the possibility of a metropolis of 5 cities rather than 3. In addition, the event emphasised that the South District is largely ignored from an investment point of view, despite there being latent opportunity for a Southern Aerotropolis, with established housing, strategic centres and transport connections. 

Peter Poulet, District Commissioner for the South District and the Central City, briefed participants on the GSC's review of the Region Plan taking place at the end of 2023. Read more about the Next Steps for Greater Sydney process.

Dr Tim Williams spoke about the opportunities to reshape how cities work and how they interact. Dr Williams called on the GSC to redefine Greater Sydney to acknowledge the role of the southern region of Sydney, with its established centres and skilled communities in an undeclared, well-connected Aerotropolis. View Dr Williams presentation (please be sure to reference the presentation if you use it, cite as: Dr Tim Williams, Publicani, for Georges River Council - 'Sydney Rediscovered - A Metropolis of 5 Cities'). 

Watch the recording of the 'Sydney Rediscovered - A Metropolis of 5 Cities' online event below:



Council's collaboration with other councils and peak bodies will continue in the form of future 'Sydney Rediscovered' events and joint submissions. 
 

Connecting Greater Sydney with the 'River Rail' 

Current NSW Government infrastructure plans propose new infrastructure that improves connectivity to support and facilitate this growth, in particular the River Rail, the rail link from Kogarah to Parramatta, and will shape the future of the Southern Aerotropolis and connect the south to Central River City.

The region plan for Greater Sydney, A Metropolis of 3 Cities, envisages a city where everyone is 30 minutes by public transport to work and the facilities they need. This vision of a 30 minute is not achieved in the South District and growing jobs south of the airport and connecting to the Central City, with the River Rail, will transform the South District to a 30 minute city.

For more information, please contact Council's City Marketing and Strategy team on (02) 9330 6054.