By NSW Premier Mike Baird @MikeBairdMP
In a major engineering feat the roof has been installed for the new exhibition centre being built at Darling Harbour, which is on track to be completed by the end of the year.
The installation of the roof for the International Convention Centre (ICC) marks a significant milestone towards the delivery of Sydney’s new convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct.
A strand-jacking technique, normally reserved for the construction of aircraft hangers, bridges and stadiums, was used to ensure the roof was raised in the most efficient way possible. The project is making great progress and will cement Sydney as the number one place to live, work and do business.
More than 7,000 people have been working on the site of the ICC and about 2,000 people are now being recruited ahead of the opening to help deliver major event experiences.
Our record infrastructure program is driving jobs creation, and it’s estimated the ICC will inject at least $200 million into the NSW economy each year. I’m pleased to report about 40 international conventions have already been locked in for 2017, as well as 50 major exhibitions, demonstrating how pivotal this type of infrastructure investment is to our economy and the liveability of our state.
The ICC Sydney is the centrepiece of the Government’s $3.4 billion revitalisation of Darling Harbour, which includes interconnected buildings that will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology to host world-class conventions, exhibitions and events. It will also boast a 5-star luxury hotel, vibrant public spaces around the expanded Tumbalong Park, and a new city neighbourhood, Darling Square, which will include apartments, retail spaces, offices and restaurants. The area will also be linked to the city and surrounding areas by a boulevard and pedestrian connections.
This project is powering ahead and has been creating huge benefits both during construction and well into the future.
Also this week, I was joined on a visit to Crown Street Public School in Sydney’s Surry Hills by a senior adviser to US President Barack Obama.
Shellie Pfohl leads the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition and shapes efforts related to First Lady Michelle Obama’s national Let’s Move! initiative to solve childhood obesity within a generation.
I accompanied Ms Pfohl on a visit to Crown Street Public School, which participates in two of NSW’s key programs aimed at reducing childhood obesity – Live Life Well @ School and Crunch&Sip. Ms Pfohl was impressed by the student kitchen at the school, where students were learning cooking skills to help them develop healthy eating habits, and was impressed by the school vegetable garden and play areas.
Reducing childhood obesity is a goal we share with the US Government and we’re determined to protect children from the poor health and wellbeing outcomes associated with being overweight or obese.
I feel strongly about the issue and have made it one of my 12 priorities. The NSW Government is now working toward the goal of reducing overweight and obesity rates by five per cent – or about 68,000 children – over 10 years.
