Western Sydney housing, construction lead policy talks

Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue has named housing and construction at the top of its priorities, with policies from tonight’s Federal Budget announcement, the recent NSW state election and upcoming federal election to impact the region’s economy and growth.

“Construction is a major factor in Western Sydney’s economy so any major policy shifts or changes to housing, such as the banks and lending practices, are going to have serious effects on the regional economy,” Adam Leto, Executive Director, Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue told Michael Page Australia.

“We always set out to have a better understanding of what is proposed and what will be next when it comes to construction and development in the property space, as it’s going to be a pretty strong indicator of the direction that Western Sydney’s economy goes, over the next 12 to 24 months.”

Leto said housing and construction will always be crucial factors for the region, and therefore lead the independent community body’s policy discussions.

He underscored that no matter the outcomes from the budget and elections, the Dialogue has worked with both sides of government successfully since inception and will continue to do so.

“Our primary focus is to ensure the issues from both sides of government are understood, and that we have the right people in the room to be able to have a productive and hopefully successful outcome,” he said.

Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue also welcomed the new NSW government cabinet, announced over the weekend, following the recent state election.

A number of key ministers retained their portfolios.

The Dialogue recently held conversations with the Premier’s office to commend the importance of Andrew Constance continuing in the Transport portfolio, Stuart Ayres remaining as Minister for Western Sydney, Rob Stokes returning as Planning Minister, and Brad Hazzard continuing as Health Minister for the state.

Christopher Brown AM, Dialogue Chairman said Ayres has been one of the region’s strongest advocates, and the addition of jobs, investment and tourism is a smart move particularly given the leading role he has played in the development of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.

“The Dialogue believes it is vital that Stuart Ayres, with his Western Sydney and Investment portfolio roles, maintains control of both the Western City Aerotropolis Authority and Sydney Olympic Park Authority to fully leverage these dynamic job precincts,” Brown said.

“We look forward to working with the government and assisting the new cabinet as they get on with the job of delivering better infrastructure initiatives, including the Sydney Metro West, health and education.”

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Commenting on the region’s employment opportunities Adrian Oldham, Managing Director, Michael Page said the recruitment firm anticipates a balancing out of employment distribution in Sydney, and continued growth for Western Sydney in sectors including property, infrastructure and construction, manufacturing, sales and service-related industries.

“As Australia’s third largest economic region, Western Sydney’s contribution to the state’s bottom line is significant,” Oldham said.

Three key hiring trends for the property market were identified in the Michael Page “Salary Benchmark Report 2019”.

With the development market turning, job-seeking professionals are focusing more on the pipeline of works and stability, it said.

In addition, career progression and stability in organisations has become increasingly more important than remuneration.

The third trend highlighted was professionals showing a desire to be in more nimble organisations with fast career progression opportunities.

The property report also revealed the average salary increase was 5 per cent to 15 per cent when switching jobs within similar industries.

Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue was launched in early 2015 by then premier Mike Baird. It facilitates interaction between key opinion leaders across industry, government, academia and the community to inform policy debate, and advance the region’s agenda through research, advocacy and events.

To view the latest property and construction roles in Western Sydney or to find out what’s happening in the region from a hiring front, contact us.

For a copy of our Salary Benchmark Report 2019, download it here.

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