The powerful alliance was formed two
years ago to successfully lobby the NSW Government to commit to a metro
strategy for Sydney,
but only publicly ‘outed’ itself six weeks ago as it intensified its
lobbying. It consists of the Housing
Industry Association, NSW Council of Social Services, Property Council of
Australia, State Chamber of Commerce, Total Environment Centre and Unions NSW.
The alliance said the strategy was a
genuine attempt to quantify the challenges facing Sydney and plan for its
future. The inclusion of clear jobs, housing
and environmental targets was a particular strength.
However the alliance identified
several shortcomings which need to be addressed. Foremost among them was the lack of an infrastructure
strategy to underpin Sydney’s
growth and the lack of an independent watchdog to review the ongoing
performance of the strategy.
The alliance said the attention must
now turn to implementation of the strategy.
The alliance announced it will issue
its own scorecard rating the key elements of the strategy later this week.
Media Contacts:
Wayne Gersbach, Director NSW, Housing
Industry Association
Gary Moore, Director, NSW Council of
Social Services
Ken Morrison, NSW Executive Director,
Property Council of Australia
Margy Osmond, Chief Executive, State
Chamber of Commerce (NSW)
Jeff Angel, Director, Total
Environment Centre
John
Robertson, Secretary, UnionsNSW