By NSW Premier Mike Baird @MikeBairdMP
This week I had the opportunity to take a spin in the Doc’s famous time machine from the cult sequel to “Back to the Future” to mark the exact day the Doc and Marty McFly travel “back to the future” on 21 October 2015.
This Government is securing this state’s future by investing in infrastructure and creating new jobs to ensure Sydney remains a truly global city.
NSW is Australia’s ICT capital and many global tech companies have chosen Sydney as the base for their Australian and Asia Pacific operations, including SurveyMonkey, Google, Facebook and Twitter.
Over the next 25 years we expect the digital economy will grow as a share of the total economy from just over five per cent now, to 22 per cent in 2040. Just as our new roads and railways will prepare us for population growth, we need to build the places that will support these kinds of jobs. We need to create the spaces where good ideas can incubate.
One of the potential jewels in our city is the Bays Precinct, a vast area that has enormous potential and sits right next door to the greatest harbour in the greatest city in the world.
For many years it was 100 hectares of ugly, urban wasteland, five and a half kilometres of waterfront, just two kilometres from the Sydney CBD. But it’s now set to become the most exciting urban renewal project in Australia, if not the world.
Under our plan for the Bays Precinct, the inner harbour precinct in and around Sydney Fish Market, Rozelle Bay, the White Bay Power Station and Sydney waterfront will be revolutionised.
Our plan showcases the Government’s ambition for the area to become a hub for knowledge-intensive industries by creating spaces on Sydney Harbour that will attract the high-tech jobs of the digital economy.
I visited the old White Bay Power Station this week to announce it will be the first area in the Bays Precinct to be reborn as part of our plan, and we’ll be inviting proposals for its re-use later this month.
Reviving the White Bay Power Station will give us a chance to restore the heritage building and provide public access to the foreshore as we create a knowledge-intensive hub to attract jobs in the high-tech sector.
We’ll also ensure the precinct also contains public space and housing. We want the sustainable homes of the future built in the area and will ensure that there will be a continuous waterfront promenade from Balmain to Pyrmont.
The overall plan for the Bays Precinct has been informed by more than 200 submissions to the ‘call for great ideas’ process, and community feedback following a summit hosted by the Government earlier this year. It’s a plan that has been developed with the community and urban transformation specialists from across Australia and around the world.
Our commitment to technology and innovation will send a global signal that Sydney is a place for investment, a place for start-ups, and a place that is geared towards the future. More information can be found at: www.thebayssydney.com.au
Finally, I would like to remind everyone travelling into the Sydney CBD to plan their journeys ahead of time as part of George Street between Market and King Streets is closed to traffic. I would encourage drivers, taxis, couriers and tradespeople to plan ahead and visit the MySydney website: www.mysydney.nsw.gov.au