This is the view of. Patricia Forsythe, executive director, of the Sydney Business Chamber.
“Parramatta has a proactive campaign to brand itself as Sydney's second central business district, but economic strategies for Penrith and Liverpool are less clear,” she said.
“[This] requires a strong NSW vision as well as local buy-in to reshape the discussion so that the Sydney basin is perceived to be home to four major centres, not just the CBD.
“It is not a case of an office or two but the relocation of some large central departments.”
Liverpool, Penrith and Parramatta each had access to a University of Western Sydney campus and Westmead was a major health precinct but much more was possible, Ms Forsythe said..
The law society in Parramatta was leading a campaign to appoint a Supreme Court judge to Parramatta to make use of (underused) facilities.
The future for Penrith had endless possibilities, including as a major health and recreation hub.
Liverpool, close to the proposed Moorebank Intermodal, would emerge as a major hub in the supply and distribution of goods.
“The focus of the [metropolitan] strategy is managing Sydney's growth by ensuring the mismatch between where people live and work is better aligned and, with that, the creation of a liveable city where hours are not spent commuting long distances,” she said
“An airport at Badgerys Creek would be a catalyst for jobs in Western Sydney but the possibilities to expand the economies of the three cities is so much greater, she said
“It will require some bold action by governments, including overcoming the resistance of those agencies that see their future as tied to the [Sydney CBD]”.
She said Sydney as a liveable city required a strong Liverpool, Penrith and Parramatta and that the private sector would respond to strong market signals but those signals needed to come from the NSW government.
