Craig Laundy (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the . Will the minister update the House on the Western Sydney airport project? What broader benefits will this project bring to my constituents in Western Sydney?

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Reid for his question. He and I think all Sydneysiders know that the Western Sydney airport will play a vital role in boosting the Australian economy and providing important services and facilities for Western Sydney. Already around two million people call Western Sydney home. If it were a separate city it would be Australia's fourth-largest city already. The reality is it requires that depth of investment to support a city of two million people, which will undoubtedly grow rapidly in the years ahead. In 15 years time, it is estimated that one in two of all the people living in the Greater Sydney area will be in Western Sydney. That is why this government is investing in Western Sydney and why we are building some of the key infrastructure that will be necessary. We announced Badgerys Creek as the site for Western Sydney's airport last year and we are getting on with the task. On top of that, we have committed $3.6 billion towards roads and other infrastructure in the Western Sydney area and we are getting on with that. The roads are already under construction and there is a lot more to come.

The airport is expected to create 8,000 jobs just in the period of construction. It has been estimated that we will need about 175,000 new jobs in the Western Sydney area over the periods ahead, and this airport will be the catalyst for a lot of those jobs. The airport and the infrastructure investments we are making will be the catalysts for investment. I am appalled that the members opposite would be critical of that. Do they want it to remain the back of the world or do they want it to be a progressive part of the build leading our nation's economy? We are for backing Western Sydney to provide a leadership role. The member for Reid and other Western Sydney members on this side of the House know how important it is and the opportunities there will be for advanced industry to come to that part. There will be research and medical facilities, technical and logistics industries—innovative development that will lead Australia and will lead the world, and that can happen as a result of our investment in this region.

There are already lots of leading companies identifying that their future rests with Western Sydney. We want to work with them and people who have a progressive attitude towards Western Sydney. To make sure that it is able to achieve its potential, we will be making our share of the investment. That will be an incentive for people to see Western Sydney as a place for their business, for them to live and to enjoy the lifestyle that that part of Australia can offer.