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ISSUE 11 MARCH 2012
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Firms raise concerns over regional unity A SUBMISSION to the NSW government states financial, property and professional services are Sydney CBD-centric and calls for an increased presence in areas such as Parramatta, Norwest, Penrith, Campbelltown and Liverpool. By Red Dwyer report prepared by AECGroup for RDA Sydney * noted Central Sydney, which includes the CBD and 10 inner-Sydney suburbs, accounts for 91,771 workers in the professional and property services sectors, compared to 57,885 in Western Sydney. Figures for specific areas were: Parramatta, 15,945; The Hills, 9,088; Penrith, 4,188, Liverpool, 3,438; and Campbelltown, 2,574. The submission said the potential existed for Sydneybased firms to “export” finance, professional business and engineering services including global best practice and innovation to clients across the region The submission said the presence of these sectors in these areas could contribute to the establishment of business parks, close to existing transport and infrastructure. The submission, to the Professional Services Industry Action Plan being developed.by the NSW government, was based on feedback from the six workshops with a total of 250 participants. A frequently raised issue was the lack of a consolidated business attraction strategy from the NSW government that emphasised west and south-west Sydney as key areas when attracting national and international businesses to the region. The submission suggested a NSW government pro-
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gram be introduced to specifically coordinate the activities of local, state and federal government business attraction initiatives and resources, resulting in joint initiatives to encourage more business to be located within the growth corridors of west and south-west Sydney “Attracting and retaining the required industry capability and expertise to Sydney and its sub-regions was seen as essential to build regional centres of excellence and attract the finance, property and professional business services,” the submission said. The submission said concerns were raised at the workshops about the lack of a unified business voice for Western Sydney . “Although there are a number of small chambers of commerce [in the region], it was felt that there was a need for a coordinating body to get partners together to work on strategic local economic development drivers,” the submission said. The submission said the NSW government’s lack of compliance to a long-term, clearly defined economic development plan, with slow release of employment lands and delays in providing improved access to transport and skills, created barriers for companies to come and invest in Sydney and its specific regional centres. * RDA Sydney, based in Parramatta, is one of 55 voluntary committees across Australia working in partnership with federal, state and local governments to strengthen regional communities.