Transcript - Press Conference - Western Sydney International Airport

PAUL O’SULLIVAN: Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Western Sydney International Airport. We’re very fortunate to be able to begin proceedings today with local Dharug Elder Aunty Thelmarie Rudd, who has offered to give us a welcome to country. Aunty Thelmarie. 

THELMARIE RUDD: Worimi, everyone. [Indigenous language spoken] I would like to welcome everyone here today and pay my respects to the Dharug people, in particular, the Cabrogal people on whose land we are here today. It is very significant for us as Dharug people to be involved in the process of the Aerotropolis. For us, our connections go deep from the first sunrise. Our connections go through our waterways that connect a number of our clans together from [indistinct] Garigal on Wianamatta Creek going through to Cabrogal down to Mulgoa and further down to [indistinct] at the Hawkesbury River. 

Our waterways, our travel corridors are significant. These were places where many Aboriginal people from across Australia came and used to go and trade, to participate in ceremony. It’s significant because today we look that our corridors are now being used for everyone. Our travel corridors connected many clans and nations together. It’s very important that we acknowledge our Dharug people from the Blue Mountains down to Gadigal country and across to Campbelltown and back up to Katoomba. 

We pay our respects, and those respects run deep for us as Dharug people. They run deep because of our ancestors who have led the way for us. And we continue that journey for our elders. 

I’d also like to acknowledge Minister King for being here today and pay my respects to the work that she is doing to ensure that Aboriginal people have a partnership with the infrastructure that’s happening around the Aerotropolis. Thank you. 

CATHERINE KING: Beautiful, thanks very much. Thelmarie, thank you very much for that Welcome to Country and for reminding us again of the important partnership here at Western Sydney International Airport with First Nations people, because this land and the community that we are on very much is integral to the First Nations story in this region. 

Can I acknowledge particularly my parliamentary colleague Anne Stanley, whose federal electorate the airport sits within, and I know that the huge opportunities for jobs for people from Anne’s seat are widely recognised. To Paul and Simon and also Richard from Charter Hall, we’re going to hear a little bit from before. 

But this is another great milestone today in the development of this precinct. You can see behind me that we’ve got 73 per cent of the airport – both the runway and the terminal – are complete, and this is really the next piece that we are developing. And this is the business precinct that we’re turning the sod on today. Stage 1, it’s over 190 hectares of land which will be home to warehousing, the airport hotel, gyms, retail opportunities, food opportunities here on the Commonwealth airport land, very much creating job opportunities for this region. 

There’ll be some 400 jobs in construction of this master planned precinct as well as 2,000 jobs when it’s up and operating. The airport is on track for opening in 2026. Can I again do as I do each time I come out here say thank you so much to the thousands of construction workers who are here on site building frankly what is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country. It’s not every day you get to build a brand new airport from scratch, and that is what we’re doing here at Western Sydney International Airport. 

It is already benefitting the Western Sydney community from the substantial jobs that are here, not just in construction of the airport but, of course – which is a $5.3 billion investment from the Commonwealth – but, of course, the partnership we have with the New South Wales Government in building the M12 and other connecting roads that are here in this region. 

I’m looking forward to turning the sod but, more importantly, coming back as I do each time here to Western Sydney International Airport to see the huge progress that is underway to make sure this significant piece of infrastructure that benefits not just the west but the whole of New South Wales – as the Prime Minister said when I was at Moorebank with him opening the Moorebank Interstate Terminal – again, a huge investment from the Commonwealth in Western Sydney – really what these two projects combined do is ensure that we’re not just looking to the east in Sydney for new jobs, for new development but, really, the west is at the heart of not only productivity and jobs growth in the economy of Western Sydney and not only jobs growth for New South Wales, it is actually part of the engine room of productivity in the economy for the whole of the nation. 

So looking forward to that today, and I think we’ve got Simon talking next. 

SIMON HICKEY: Thank you, Minister. Well, it’s a great day to be here. We’re announcing today the partnership with Charter Hall to build the first stage of the business park here at Western Sydney International Nancy Bird-Walton Airport. This is a great demonstration of us just getting on with the job here at Western Sydney airport. This is going to be a precinct that has a hotel, conference facilities, retail, café, commercial office. It’s a great mixed-use development. And that’s going to bring business to Western Sydney, and that means jobs and opportunities for the people of Western Sydney. 

I’m delighted to be joined by Richard Stacker of Charter Hall, one of the leading property companies in Australia. And that really demonstrates the joint vision in Western Sydney airport of developing a precinct here that’s going to really super drive the economic development of Western Sydney. Charter Hall is a company that really knows Western Sydney, and they’re a great partner for us as we develop this first stage 1 of the business precinct. 

Ultimately, this business precinct will be about the same size as the Parramatta CBD, and here we are starting it. It will open before we open in 2026. It will be here for the workers that we have – around three and a half thousand workers on site every day – and then it will transition to being a business precinct for all of Western Sydney going on through airport operations. 

With that, I’ll hand over to Richard, thank you. 

RICHARD STACKER: Well, thanks, Simon. And it’s a pleasure to be here today alongside our partners Western Sydney International Airport, in particular, Chair Paul O’Sullivan, CEO Simon Hickey as well as the Honourable Catherine King, really to turn the first sod of this exciting project. 

As the largest diversified property group in Australia, Charter Hall has an unmatched track record in developing and owning and managing high-quality mixed-use commercial real estate for the long term. It’s this deep expertise and years of experience that gives us the perspective to know what a true significant project looks like, and Western Sydney International Airport is truly that. 

We’re pleased to be working in close partnership with Western Sydney International and leveraging our extensive tenant-customer relationships to ensure that mixed-use development now underway will attract high-quality businesses, creating a vibrant precinct that makes strong economic contribution to this region. 

To achieve success in a project of this scale true partnership is critical. Thank you to the Western Sydney International team for your close partnership and collaboration thus far. And we look forward to delivering a truly transformational precinct together. Thank you. 

CATHERINE KING: Now you’ve got to sign something. You’d better go and do that. These guys are going to do that, then we’ll take questions after that. 

Thank you, we’re very happy to take some questions. 

JOURNALIST: Minister, how transformational will the airport be not just for Western Sydney but for Sydney? 

CATHERINE KING: Well, it is, as I said, a transformational project. I mean, basically it is not just about – look, it’s really opening Sydney up, as I think the Prime Minister said last week at Moorebank. You know, the development of Sydney has really been very focused towards the east, but this is actually turning the city towards the west. The growth that you are seeing here not just because of the airport but Moorebank has obviously been a really integral part of that as well, freight will all move to Western Sydney International Airport. All the freight movements that you’ll see through aviation, and what that brings in terms of other industries here, but also the tourism opportunities, really opening up the beautiful, magnificent Blue Mountains to international visitors. Having this as an international destination for people to really come into the country and really as a gateway as well alongside Kingsford Smith Airport. So it’s not just about the jobs; it’s really opening Western Sydney up to the world. 

JOURNALIST: What difference does having a 24/7 airport in an area with lots of space [indistinct] Sydney? 

CATHERINE KING: Well, obviously, you know, Kingsford Smith has served Sydney incredibly well, and it has a really strong future, particularly in relation to domestic and international aviation. But obviously because it’s a curfewed airport there are some constraints around that. Here, having a 24/7, particularly being able to operate freight out of this airport, the incredible produce that is made in this part of the world, whether it’s manufactured goods, whether it’s what we grow in this magnificent soil here as well, providing that opportunity and new opportunities for agribusinesses to get their produce to international markets as well as international markets being able to come here really is a great economic success story for this region. And I know that, you know, there’s going to be businesses who haven’t even thought that – you know, they haven’t even – you know, they’re a spark in someone’s eye and they’re an idea that really will be generated as a result of this infrastructure investment here in Western Sydney.

JOURNALIST: What do you say to residents who [indistinct] flight path and are understandably concerned about planes flying overhead 24/7? 

CATHERINE KING: Well, of course the importance of this airport has to also balance the needs of the local community. To some extent, the benefit of having such a greenfield site is that we haven’t seen this – you know, there’s not a huge amount of housing development in the area. But, of course, as part of the development of the flight paths, they are on track to be approved shortly. We’ve been open to public consultation. I put those preliminary flight paths out in June last year to give people plenty of time. And, of course, as part of that there was a draft noise insulation and also the flight paths are really around also ensuring that we minimise noise impacts as much as we possibly can, bearing in mind that we are putting an airport here in a greenfield site. 

JOURNALIST: Today marks a thousand days until it opens. Is this the longest countdown ever? 

CATHERINE KING: I think we’re all incredibly excited. I mean, I’ve been coming out to this site well before when it was just a paddock and an idea. And to be able to see every single time I come out here new things are opening, being able to see, you know, the terminal station, the railway station, you know, this business precinct is unique in the sense it will have its own station for the workers to actually come here to – who work in this precinct as well as the station that link it is to the airport. Actually seeing that, seeing the work connecting the M12 into Elizabeth Drive, which is just behind all of you, every time I come there is more happening – 73 per cent complete, on track for 2026 opening. 

Any other questions? Did you have – anyone else? No? All good. Thank you. 

SIMON HICKEY: So we’ve been at it since 2018, and we keep at it every day. We’ve got three and a half thousand people here today that come to this site to work in unison to create this massive piece of infrastructure. I’m really confident about being – opening in 2026. We’re well through the construction period at this point in time. And so we’re in really good shape when you look at international comparables about how we bring this together. 

There’s a lot to do. There’s always a lot to do. There’s a lot of orchestration in bringing all of the agencies together and making this work. We’ve got to develop all of our operating procedures. We’ve got to get all that technology working together. But we’re right on top of that. We’re working well as a team. I’ve got great confidence in all of the three and a half thousand people that are working here, and we’re going to bring something that’s really special to Western Sydney, to Sydney and to Australia. 

JOURNALIST: Talk us through the vision of the business precinct and what is ultimately going to be [indistinct]. 

SIMON HICKEY: So this is a business precinct which won’t just be warehouses. It’s actually going to be a commercial office, it will have retail here, it will have hotels so that the cabin crew and others that are using our airport can make sure that they’ve got a place to stay. It’s going to be actually quite a special place. 

We’ve got a metro stop here in our business park as well. And so as we continue to develop this over the years ahead – remember, this is stage 1 of what will with ultimately be developed – this will grow into a thriving commercial precinct in its own right. Right next to the airport. 

And, of course, that’s a massive benefit where people come in. We can have conferences here from all across South East Asia, people fly in – all across the world really – with people flying in, straight into the conference and off they head to see some of this wonderful country. 

So the vision is that this is a fantastic place to dwell, a fantastic place to come to work and somewhere that is close to those transport connections because we’ve got the airport here and all of the development work that the government has funded to bring people to and from this airport. 

JOURNALIST: Can you reveal which hotel will be operating here, or any of the other businesses that will be opening here? 

SIMON HICKEY: So, we’re working with a number of the operators at the moment. We’re talking to a number of the operators. What I can say about that is that there’s a lot of interest, and actually we’ve been bowled over by the interest that we’ve got here. So it’s not only the vision that we see; actually, the market is seeing that vision as well. And they’re jumping on board. And that’s why this is going to be such a successful precinct. 

JOURNALIST: So you’re already open for business, taking – accepting leases? 

SIMON HICKEY: We are open for business as of today. After our announcement we will be out in the marketplace and talking to potential tenants and bringing businesses here to Western Sydney. 

JOURNALIST: Great. Awesome. Richard? Sorry. Would you just talk us through the scale of this build? How massive is this? 

RICHARD STACKER: Look, I think this is the first stage, our first business precinct. And so it’s over 13 hectares of land, and that will ultimately have an end value probably close to 350 to $400 million. So it’s an initial phase. 

As Simon mentioned, you know, some of the tenant customers that will end up being in this precinct will be office users, health, we’ll also obviously have some retail out here, hotel providers. But industrial, too. This is a great precinct right near the airport with the freight. So the interest will be significant. 

JOURNALIST: And is the timeline a challenge for you? 

RICHARD STACKER: I think, look, one of the things that is nice about this, it’s a pretty level block. There’s a lot of work already been done. The services are here. You know, we’ll be having things coming out of the ground hopefully next year and ready for occupation I think towards mid to late next year, so. 

JOURNALIST: How nice is it to be working with a blank canvas? 

RICHARD STACKER: It’s always nice to start, like, you know, as developers you always like to have, you know, a nice piece of land to work with. And also to be the entrance to the airport. You know, we’re very happy with this opportunity. Yes, thank you. 

JOURNALIST: Thank you.