Construction on the Western Sydney Airport is now underway and expressions of interest have been called for the first of three major earthworks and airside civil works packages, which are expected to be awarded in mid-2019.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Western Sydney Airport will provide a gateway to the world, not just for people but for job-producing freight as well.
“For half a century Sydneysiders have talked about a second airport. By tomorrow, bulldozers will be moving and work on the Western Sydney Airport will be underway,” Mr Morrison said.
“This airport will remove the handbrake from the Western Sydney economy.
“This is job generating infrastructure. Most times when infrastructure is built, there is job creation in the short-term and then it tails off when the project is completed. But with this project, job creation will accelerate when the airport is completed.”
The Prime Minister said the Government had achieved all the approvals over the last four years and congratulated Western Sydney Airport Company, which it established to make the airport at Badgerys Creek a reality.
Minister for Finance and the Public Service, Senator Mathias Cormann, said the Government’s investment of up to $5.3 billion in equity in Western Sydney Airport will have long-term economic returns.
“The airport will be at the centre of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, which will be a global hub of innovation for sectors including defence and aerospace, freight and logistics, agribusiness, pharmaceutical and biotech industries.
“We have already seen industry leaders Qantas and Virgin commit to being at the airport from the day of opening and significant investment from the defence and science sectors committed.”
Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population, Alan Tudge, said the project is not just about building an airport, but about bringing jobs, education, industry and innovation together to create a prosperous and sustainable future for the people of Western Sydney.
“Western Sydney Airport is all about boosting jobs, busting congestion and bringing opportunities to the region,” Mr Tudge said.
Around 11,000 jobs will be created during the construction phase and around 28,000 within five years of opening.
“The airport is already driving further investment in the region, including billions of dollars of Commonwealth and NSW Government investment in road and rail connections, including the M12 motorway and North-South Rail Link,” Mr Tudge said.
“The rail link is part of the historic Western Sydney City Deal, a 20-year agreement that will make the region around the airport a better place to live, with better transport, education, liveability and job creation.
“Through the City Deal, all levels of government are working together to deliver a modern and vibrant Western Parkland City, an employment-generating Aerotropolis, and congestion-busting road and rail infrastructure, all of which will enhance liveability for people in Western Sydney.”
Western Sydney Airport will cater for up to 10 million passengers when it opens, but a gradual expansion to two runways means it will eventually cater for up to 82 million passengers, the size of London Heathrow and JFK in New York.
Initial earthworks are due to be completed by the end of 2019.
