Di Bartok, Parramatta Advertiser

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With being a “westie” now “a badge of honour”, Western Sydney businesses gathered to hear how to attract and keep one of the biggest workforces in the country, at a Parramatta lunch today.

Deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph Ben English used his experience as driver of the Fair Go for The West campaign to inspire employers at Western Sydney Business Connection’s What’s Driving Employment in GWS lunch at the ParkRoyal.

Mr English was keynote speaker along with demographer Mark McCrindle, leading the way into a panel discussion involving workplace specialists from Matthew Folbigg, Fay Calderone and Stewart Gough; TAFE NSW strategic projects director Ron Wright and Greg Travers from William Buck Chartered Accountants. Mr English said he discovered during the NewsCorp/NewsLocal/Channel 7 Fair Go for the West campaign that people in the greater west were proud. “People in the west are proud of their area and as we went around the area we found they wanted to celebrate what was already great about the west,” Mr English said. Mr McCrindle confirmed what everyone in the room suspected — that greater Western Sydney was continuing to grow at a faster rate than Sydney city.

Mr McCrindle said the west was the “fastest growing region, in the fastest growing state in the fastest growing OECD country” and that presented challenges for employers, to attract and retain staff.

“There is a higher proportion of the younger generations in Western Sydney. In Sydney, one in four people are under 20 years, in the west, it is one in three,” he said.

Ms Calderone said younger people appreciated flexible working arrangements, the right balance between work and family life and being rewarded for their loyalty in non-monetary ways.

Ben English and NSW Premier Mike Baird — Champions of the West Ceremony at Rooty Hill RSL. Picture Craig Greenhill Source: News Corp Australia 

WITH being a “westie” now “a badge of honour”, Western Sydney businesses gathered to hear how to attract and keep one of the biggest workforces in the country, at a Parramatta lunch today.

Deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph Ben English used his experience as driver of the Fair Go for The West campaign to inspire employers at Western Sydney Business Connection’s What’s Driving Employment in GWS lunch at the ParkRoyal.

Mr English was keynote speaker along with demographer Mark McCrindle, leading the way into a panel discussion involving workplace specialists from Matthew Folbigg, Fay Calderone and Stewart Gough; TAFE NSW strategic projects director Ron Wright and Greg Travers from William Buck Chartered Accountants. Mr English said he discovered during the NewsCorp/NewsLocal/Channel 7 Fair Go for the West campaign that people in the greater west were proud. “People in the west are proud of their area and as we went around the area we found they wanted to celebrate what was already great about the west,” Mr English said. Mr McCrindle confirmed what everyone in the room suspected undefined that greater Western Sydney was continuing to grow at a faster rate than Sydney city.

Mr McCrindle said the west was the “fastest growing region, in the fastest growing state in the fastest growing OECD country” and that presented challenges for employers, to attract and retain staff.

“There is a higher proportion of the younger generations in Western Sydney. In Sydney, one in four people are under 20 years, in the west, it is one in three,” he said.

Ms Calderone said younger people appreciated flexible working arrangements, the right balance between work and family life and being rewarded for their loyalty in non-monetary ways.

Source: Parramatta Advertiser by Di Bartok. Original Article.

Nominate your business for the Bankstown Local Business Awards

The Bankstown Local Business Awards are an inspirational celebration of some of the finest businesses in Bankstown. The awards are highly respected within the local community.

In the past, the retail and service business sectors servicing the Bankstown community have benefited through the awards process.

As part of the 2014 Bankstown Local Business Awards, self nomination catergories are being offered to recognise businesses achieving excellence in other fields, namely:

• Export
• Innovation
• Sustainability

The awards are open to all Bankstown businesses. Entrants nominate themselves in one or more categories simply by completing the entry form. Click here to download your Bankstown Local Business Awards Entry Form.

Entries close Wednesday 9 July 2014.  For further information please contact:

steveloe@precedent.net or phone (02) 8577 5060
domenica.mirarchi@bankstown.nsw.gov.au or phone (02) 9707 9227

There have been many great things about the Fair Go For The West campaign organised by the Daily Telegraph. But the essence of it all can be summed up in one word. Passion.

From a personal perspective I was able to ­experience this passion ­directly when I attended a forum for young people, ­organised by the Daily Telegraph, at the University of Western Sydney campus in Parramatta last month.

I’ve had the chance to do many wonderful, unexpected things since I became Premier less than seven weeks ago. I even got to ­announce our great State of Origin team.

But nothing I have done has been more fun, or moved me more, than this opportunity to speak with about 50 young people from Western Sydney.

Premier Mike Baird takes a ride on a Waratah train from Central to Parramatta / Picture: Bradley Hunter Source: News Corp Australia

Tara, a young woman who spoke at the forum, is a student at Mount Druitt TAFE. She said she loved her studies but she was frustrated at the time it took her to get to Mount Druitt from Penrith on the 759 bus, which was frequently late.

I promised to check it out, and I have. It turns out the 759 runs pretty much to schedule, but there have been some timetable changes lately; so I’ve organised, through the Tele, for the latest timetable to be forwarded to Tara.

A young automotive ­apprentice called Michelle spoke of her excitement about getting up and going to work each morning.

She contrasted this with the attitude of her friends, and asked what I could do to get them excited about work too.

Then there was Gene, an apprentice plumber who was asking about greater opportunities and education for apprentices in Western Sydney. I found him inspiring too; not just for his plumbing skills, which I totally lack, but for his dream of one day running his own business.

Western Sydney was taken for granted by Labor for decades. But now, finally, the passion of the ­people of Western Sydney is being matched by the ­investment the NSW government is making.

Western Sydney is now home to the largest road project, WestConnex, and the largest public transport project, the North West Rail Link, currently underway anywhere in Australia.

In fact, nearly one out of every two transport infrastructure dollars spent in NSW is now being invested in Western Sydney.

And, of course, along with the federal Coalition government in Canberra, we are building Sydney’s second airport at Badgerys Creek. The airport will drive 30,000 extra jobs in the region.

But more can be done, and the Fair Go for the West campaign has shown the way.

One suggestion that has come forward from the campaign is for a high-powered Sydney development authority, based in Parramatta, to oversee major ­development projects across the whole of Sydney, co-ordinating outcomes and removing bottlenecks.

This deserves support.

I’m pleased to announce we have begun work on the establishment of the ­Greater Sydney Commission, which will co-ordinate planning and infrastructure delivery, boosting housing and employment.

The campaign also threw up the suggestion of a feasibility study for a light rail project linking Parramatta with Bankstown, Macquarie Park and Castle Hill.

Tonight I can announce the government will undertake a study examining up to 10 key corridors around Parramatta for future light rail and bus rapid transport. Fair Go has also asked the government to address youth unemployment in Western Sydney.

This brings us back to apprentices like Michelle and Gene. The key connecting thread between government and their dreams is infrastructure.

So, from now on, in the procurement process for major infrastructure projects, bidders will be asked to spell out how they will leave a lasting skills dividend for local communities through apprenticeships.

They will be assessed on the number of apprenticeships they are prepared to create during construction, through the partnerships they forge with local TAFE and other tertiary institutions.

I am confident this will create at least 1000 new ­apprenticeship positions over the next four years.

It will be a boon for apprentices everywhere; but especially in Western Sydney, which is the infrastructure engine-room of the state. And young people like Michelle and Gene will be given a hand up through their commitment to work hard and learn.

I want to support the ­visions, dreams and passions of young people all across NSW but especially in Western Sydney.

I was inspired by what I heard at the Youth Forum, because, as a Liberal, I ­believe that government, rather than directing people’s lives, should be an ­enabler. This can mean things as big as a new airport or motorway; or as small as the 759 bus.

Mike Baird is NSW Premier

Source: The Daily Telegraph by Mike Baird. Original article.

Western Sydney’s landmark construction projects, including Badgerys Creek airport and WestConnex motorway, will be used to create at least 1000 apprenticeships.

Premier Mike Baird announced the initiative last night at The Daily Telegraph’s Fair Go for the West celebration dinner, which was attended by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and a star-studded line-up of Sydney celebrities, including Laura Dundovic.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Laura Dundovic / Picture Craig Greenhill Source: News Corp Australia

The Baird government will ­demand companies vying for contracts relating to its $60 billion infrastructure program employ a specific number of new apprentices.

“Hundreds of kids will have the opportunity to learn their trade on the largest projects to be undertaken in the country,’’ he said.

Companies tendering for work would also be asked to “spell out how they will leave a lasting skills dividend for local communities, through apprenticeships”.

“They will be assessed on the number of apprenticeships they are prepared to create during construction, through the partnerships they forge with local TAFE and other tertiary institutions,’’ Mr Baird said.

Daily Telegraph deputy editor Ben English and Premier Mike Baird / Picture: Craig Greenhill Source:News Corp Australia

“It will be a boon for apprentices everywhere, but especially in Western Sydney, which is the infrastructure engine room of the state.’’

Some Western Sydney suburbs are in the grip of a youth unemployment crisis, with at least a quarter of young people in Blacktown and Parramatta expected to be unemployed within two years unless jobs are created.

The Premier said he was “confident” the plan would create at least 1000 new apprenticeship positions over the next four years.

The state government is expected to let contracts for road and rail construction around Western Sydney’s international airport worth about $6.5 billion.

Mr Baird said he had shaped his policy after being “particularly ­inspired” by two young apprentices who spoke at a recent youth forum staged by The Daily Telegraph at the University of Western Sydney.

The apprentices, Michelle Sinai of Seven Hills and Gene Clark of Schofields, yesterday said many young Western Sydney people were desperate for work.

NSW Business Chamber chief executive Stephen Cartwright said it was critical the government ensured “tradies are not just parachuted in from other states”. “You are entitled to say ‘let’s make sure we help young people who have been disenfranchised’,’’ he said.

Michelle Sinai, apprentice motor mechanic at Trivet Honda in Parramatta / Picture: Gregg PorteousSource: News Corp Australia

Source: The Daily Telegraph by John Lehmann and Andrew Clennell. Original article.

It’s over - a Fair Go was sought, and a Fair Go delivered.

But someone should probably let that snowball know; you know, that rolling ball of momentum, gathering speed and magnitude every hour.

Good luck trying to stop it.

The fight for service equality, world-class infrastructure and job creation for the hardworking folk of Western Sydney is merely in its infancy, successfully kicked off the mountain top as a snowflake by The Daily Telegraph with its Fair Go For The West Campaign and now burgeoning with political and business backers of the highest order.

TUESDAY NIGHT’S FAIR GO FOR THE WEST GALA WHICH WSBC WERE GUESTS OF.

Apprentice Michelle Sinai and Mike Baird / Picture: Craig Greenhill Source: News Corp Australia

The campaign has become a cause; “a great legacy” for The Daily Telegraph that will carry on into the future, according to Lachlan Murdoch, News Corp’s non-executive co-chairman, who commended the paper’s editor Paul Whittaker as a key driver.

Mr Murdoch said newspapers like The Australian had been influential at a national level, but it was grassroots campaigns like the Telegraph’s that could “play a very, very positive role in shaping the debate about our politics and our communities”.

“What The Telegraph has been able to do over a course of campaigning journalism over many years, but certainly more recently and specifically under Paul Whittaker, is ­really drive a campaign about ­investing in infrastructure in Western Sydney.”

Judging by the gamut of political elite and the bevy of corporate CEOs attending Tuesday night’s Champions of the West gala at the Rooty Hill RSL Club, the light bulbs are beginning to switch on. It’s epiphanies for everyone.

Captains of industry and political heavyweights are grasping the fact that a tangible difference can be made when those with power and influence put their heads and resources together to redress decades of neglect.

A tangible difference can be made selling the region to the world and championing the talent in its ’burbs.

“For a long time we’ve thought how great (Western Sydney) could be. My strong sense as this campaign comes to a close, it is not the end, but … a realisation from everyone across Western Sydney on how great Western Sydney is and could be,” NSW Premier Mike Baird said.

In a 57-day window, the campaign compelled governments into action, none more so than the pressure applied to the federal government to begin work on the Badgerys Creek airport by 2016.

Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch with Prime Minister Tony Abbott / Picture; Stephen  Cooper Source:News Corp Australia

The campaign pushed for airport infrastructure, which was delivered courtesy of a $6.5 billion road and rail commitment, with the bulldozers expected to roll down Bringelly Rd within months.

The Telegraph also ­announced the state government had committed $10 ­million for a feasibility study into the proposed $1.9 billion Parramatta Light Rail, and the creation of a Greater ­Sydney Commission to plan major developments across the west.

Other outcomes include the state government’s push to relocate 3000 bureaucrats to the west, the creation of a rail orbital corridor, a pledge to boost hospital beds, hospital upgrades at Blacktown, Campbelltown and Nepean, while the Supreme Court will sit regularly in Parramatta and the NSW Civil and ­Administrative Tribunal will sit there three days a week.

But the campaign was not confined to stories of happy endings and breakthroughs.

There were revelations of the deteriorating health of the population and elective surgery waiting lists three times longer than other regions, and sobering data that showed youth unemployment would hit 27 per cent in Blacktown and 26 per cent in Parramatta in two years unless thousands of jobs were created. Not just a bad news story but fuel for a fire that appears inextinguishable.

Source: The Daily Telegraph by Andrew Carswell. Original article.

Preparations are being finalised for the start of Stage 2 of Centenary Square Upgrade, which is set to transform one of Parramatta’s most recognisable and accessed public spaces, Church Street Mall.

“I am pleased that we are ready to commence the next stage of work on one of the biggest capital works projects we’ve undertaken in recent years,” said Lord Mayor, Cr John Chedid.

“Demolition and dismantling works have been finalised, and once this next stage is completed, our Church Street Mall area will be safer, livelier and more accessible to visitors,” he said.

“Underground services work has been underway since earlier this year. The next stage will go through to early September, and will include the construction of new event spaces, a new fountain, new street furniture, new paving and lighting, as well as the restoration of the heritage clock monument.”

Pedestrian access will be provided on both sides of the site fencing, which was installed today, and will be in place for 12 weeks.

Parramatta Farmers Market, which will continue to operate through the construction period, will be moved southwards down Church Street towards the station.

“While we wanted to ensure our regular mall activities could continue, we know there will be some inconvenience in the short term,” Cr Chedid said.

“This $4.5 million redevelopment will transform the Square – one of Parramatta’s most important spaces – into a place that residents, workers and visitors will be able to enjoy for years to come.” 

Football Federation Australia (FFA) has today confirmed that an agreement has been signed for the sale of the Hyundai A-League licence of the Western Sydney Wanderers to a consortium of prominent businessmen.

The consortium is headed by Paul Lederer, CEO of Primo Group and includes Director of Sabre Sports United Jefferson Cheng, the Pirtek director and head of international business, Glenn Duncan, and David Slade, a partner in the Australian branch of the UK retail chain Topshop- Topman.

FFA established the Western Sydney Wanderers in April 2012 and has held the licence for the past two years. The transfer of the licence will be effective from 30 June 2014.

FFA CEO David Gallop said the licence transfer was an important step in the evolution of the Western Sydney Wanderers.

“The Wanderers were built for the people, by the people of Western Sydney,” said Gallop. “That was the promise from day one and FFA has held true to that mission.

“Like FFA before it, the new consortium understands its role as the guardians of the Wanderers. They are entrusted by the members of the club to protect and build on what has been achieved.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Matthew Grounds, Guy Fowler and their team at UBS for the professional manner in which they handled the sale process.”

On behalf of the consortium, Paul Lederer said the culture at the heart of the Wanderers’ success would not be affected by the licence acquisition.

“The spirit of this club comes from the members, fans and the people of Western Sydney,” said Lederer. “Nothing will change in that regard.

“I have been a director of the club for the past two years and I’ve had the privilege to play a part and see first-hand what makes this club so special.

“The consortium has responsibility to ensure the Wanderers have a sound financial base and a strong administration so the club can continue to grow and be successful on and off the field.”