Western Sydney Airport — an "opportunity" for contractors

The federal government’s intention to build the Western Sydney Airport will provide an enormous economic opportunity for NSW electrical contractors, said the CEO of the National Electrical and Communication Association (NECA), Suresh Manickam.

The new airport, to be located on a 1780-hectare parcel of Commonwealth owned land at Badgery’s Creek, 56 kilometres from the Sydney CBD, is set for the construction commencement next year and be ready for operations in 2026.

Throughout the first stage of the airport’s construction, more than 11,000 direct and indirect jobs are expected to be created in addition to those created through the construction of road and rail access projects as part of the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan. Ultimately, up to 35,000 jobs may be created from construction across Western Sydney.

The construction of a new airport in Western Sydney is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create economic infrastructure, boost industry and provide significant project-related opportunities across the building industry, including our own electrical contracting sector. A commitment to the construction and delivery schedule delivers certainty for the building sector where an alternative decision could have led to delays,” said Manickam.

“Not only is this construction specifically related to the airport’s development, it also flows through to surrounding access infrastructure such as motorway and arterial road upgrades and construction as well as attached business and industry space generated by the new airport’s location. This investment will create significant opportunities for electrical contracting firms over the next decade and will help to build employment and apprenticeship growth throughout this time period.

“Economic infrastructure is the key to unlocking and removing transport bottlenecks across Australia and NECA welcomes the decision of the government to push ahead with the construction of the Western Sydney Airport, given the positive economic effects for the electrical contracting sector.”