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Business is set to take off with the finalisation of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis’ first private-sector Master Plan, which is expected to create nearly 12,500 jobs and attract significant investment into Bradfield, Australia’s newest city.

The Ingham Property Group-led project will transform 184 hectares around Badgerys Creek Road into a dynamic hub of industry and innovation, attracting both local and global companies.

The Master Plan assessed by the NSW Government aligns with strategic goals for the Aerotropolis, mixing industrial and commercial zones with accessible public green spaces.

Business growth will be supported across 625,000 square metres in an enterprise estate featuring warehouses, distribution centres, light industry and a local commercial centre.

It also includes 45 hectares of open space – twice the size of Barangaroo – featuring three protected riparian corridors and a public park where workers and visitors can relax, play and exercise.

The Master Plan supports job creation and liveable communities striking the right balance between growth and sustainability, with strong protections for biodiversity and access to green space built into the design.

Shaped in collaboration with Indigenous communities, the plan embeds “Design with Country” principles that reflect the cultural heritage of the Dharug, Dharawal and Gandangara peoples.

The development is in a prime position to benefit from the economic activity of the future Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, when it opens in 2026.

This project builds on recent momentum across the Aerotropolis, including the opening of the first building in Bradfield City Centre and the release of the NSW Government’s infrastructure delivery plan to support growth in Western Sydney.

The Badgerys Creek Road Master Plan is a strong example of how we are doing development the right way—ensuring new communities and businesses grow together, with access to jobs, services, and green space.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“This is another exciting step in the future of Western Sydney, delivering 12 500 jobs right on the doorstep of Western Sydney’s new Airport.

“Inghams masterplan forms part of $14 billion worth of private development applications currently in the pipeline for the Aerotropolis which are expected to create 120,000 jobs.

“The Minns Labor Government and industry are together building better communities by enabling businesses growth together, with access to jobs, services, and green space.”

Acting Minister for Western Sydney Courtney Houssos said:

“The Minns Labor Government is building better communities by investing in Western Sydney’s future, and this plan will help to enable the growing potential of the region.

“Providing well-paid, highly-skilled jobs close to where people live, with the right infrastructure, is key to improving the lives of local families.

“This is another crucial step towards this Aerotropolis becoming a hub for industry and innovation, attracting both local and global companies.”

Member for Leppington Nathan Hagarty said:

“It’s great to see momentum continuing to build in the Aerotropolis to deliver more opportunities for Western Sydney.

“This masterplan is reflective of the Minns Labor Government driving outcomes for our communities which support more jobs, homes and infrastructure.”

People are being reminded to protect themselves from the sun even during winter, with a new report estimating that almost one million adults across the state were sunburnt at least once over a four-week period.

Cancer Institute NSW’s latest Sun Protection Behaviours Report, released today, shows 15 per cent of people surveyed reported being sunburnt, up from 12 per cent in the previous report.

The report found young people were more likely to be exposed to the sun and experience sunburn, with one in four 18-24 year olds reporting a sunburn in a four-week period.

Young adults were also less likely to adopt sun protection behaviours such as wearing a hat and sunglasses.

Encouragingly, the report found more than 80 per cent of respondents used at least one form of sun protection, though only 35 per cent always or often used three or more. It also found exposure to the sun for more than 15 minutes when UV is at its highest reduced among NSW adults overall from 46 to 41 per cent.

Ninety-five per cent of melanoma and 99 per cent of non-melanoma skin cancers are caused by overexposure to UV radiation from the sun and can be prevented with proper sun protection. The general rule is to protect your skin from the sun when the UV index is at three or above, which in NSW is most of the year including in winter.

The most effective defence against overexposure to UV radiation is to follow these five key steps:

1. Slip on protective clothing
2. Slop on SPF50+ sunscreen. Sunscreen should always be applied 20 minutes before heading outdoors and re-applied every two hours.
3. Slap on a wide brimmed hat
4. Seek shade
5. Slide on sunglasses

Other report insights

• Close to 50 per cent of young adults (aged 18 -24 years) reported higher levels of sun exposure, compared to 41 per cent in the overall population.
• Close to 26 per cent of young adults reported sunburn, compared to close to 15 per cent of the overall population.
• Almost 50 per cent of males were likely to report being exposed to the sun, compared to  about 34 per cent of females.
• Participants from Sydney metropolitan local health districts (LHDs) were significantly less likely to report often or always being exposed to the sun compared to coastal and regional/rural LHDs.
• Shade is harder to come by, with a reduction in ease of finding shade down three per cent to 77 per cent.

The latest Sun Protection Behaviours Report analyses data from the 2022 NSW Health Population Health Survey, which asked about 13,000 people to report on their sun exposure, episodes of sunburn, adoption of the five sun protection behaviours and the ease of finding shade at public parks.

The Cancer Institute NSW has several initiatives in place to reduce the impact of skin cancer in NSW as part of its Skin Cancer Prevention Strategy 2023-2030.

More information on how to reduce your risk of skin cancer is available on the Cancer Institute NSW website.

Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“The release of the latest Sun Protection Behaviours Report is a good reminder, especially to the state’s young adults, to always take protective measures when outdoors.

“Being sun smart isn’t just for summertime. Skin damage is still a serious risk in winter, when you often don’t think about harmful UV because the weather is cooler.

“Australia has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world and we need to take the threat of skin cancer seriously and follow the simple, life-saving steps needed to reduce our risk of this deadly disease.”

Member for Coogee Marjorie O’Neill:

“Sun safety isn’t just a summer concern — the UV index can be high even in the cooler months.

“I’m particularly concerned about the high sunburn rates among young people, with one in four 18 to 24-year-olds reporting they were sunburnt in the previous four weeks prior to the survey.

“We know habits formed early can last a lifetime, and that’s why the work of the Cancer Institute NSW in raising awareness and promoting sun safety is so important — especially for younger generations.”

NSW Chief Cancer Officer and Chief Executive Cancer Institute NSW, Professor Tracey O’Brien AM:

“Two out of three Australians will be treated for skin cancer in their lifetime and skin cancer is the most common cancer affecting young Australians, so it is worrying to see that an estimated one in four young people report getting sunburnt.

“I urge everyone to do the simple things like seeking shade when outdoors, wearing sunscreen, putting on a hat, sunglasses and protective clothing to safeguard themselves from the sun’s harmful UV radiation.

“In NSW, UV radiation levels are high 10 months of the year, so even in winter, adopting sun protection behaviours is essential, particularly at high altitudes and on reflective surfaces such as snow or ice.”

Grace Passfield – diagnosed with stage four melanoma in 2021 at age 33:

“As a young mother with two small boys, being diagnosed with metastatic melanoma was a huge shock, it was my worst nightmare.

“As well as wearing sunscreen, hat and long sleeve shirts, I encourage everyone to be aware of the UV each day and avoid being outdoors when it is really high. I think as a parent, it’s important to model our behaviours to our kids and to always wear sun protection, in the same way we insist they do.

“It’s also important that everyone knows their own skin and what’s normal for them and takes the time to get regular skin checks.”

The Minns Labor Government has struck yet another secret backroom deal, this time with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) – delivering more than 100 perks and sweeteners with zero transparency and no costings revealed to the public.
 
According to media reports last night, the deal includes training bonuses, free travel gold passes, no forced redundancies, and union representatives embedded in every future network decision. Meanwhile, everyday workers, families and commuters are left in the dark.
 
No one disputes that our frontline workers and public servants deserve fair pay. They are the ones who keep the State running, not the Minns Labor Government, which has become addicted to headlines, inquiries, spin and re-announcements to appear to be doing something.
 
But while nurses are still waiting for a pay rise and are forced to pay to park at the very hospitals they work in, this deal gifts free lifetime travel passes to RTBU members, something not afforded to any other part of the public sector. Where is the fairness? Where is the equality?
 
For all the disruption, all the delays, all the spin and all the secret meetings, the only thing the public receives is two days of free travel as small compensation for the months of chaos on our rail network. That’s it. No meaningful cost-of-living relief. No new infrastructure. No new ideas. Just another union payoff from an already tired Labor Government that’s already run out of steam who will say sorry and that they need to do better.
 
The Minns Labor Government has:
 
Refused to publicly release the full agreement
 
Stacked the transport network with embedded union veto power
 
Axed the Country Trains division with no community consultation
 
Offered nothing to struggling households battling the cost-of-living crisis
 
Failed to deliver any new infrastructure on their own since taking office
 
Acting Leader of the Opposition, Damien Tudehope said this is a government that says one thing in public and does another behind closed doors.
 
“The public deserve transparency, not cover-ups, not secrecy, and not a train deal that reads more like a union Christmas wish list,” Mr Tudehope said.
 
Acting Shadow Minister for Transport and Roads, Scott Farlow said while nurses pay to park and families get no help with bills, Labor has gifted the RTBU gold passes, free travel and total control over the transport system.
 
“This is not a fair deal—this is political protection dressed up as policy,” Mr Farlow said.
 
The State Budget contained nothing for cost-of-living relief. No back-to-school help. No energy reprieve. Instead, the Minns Labor Government gave the RTBU free travel and left everyone else behind.

The Jewish Council of Australia has today warned that the newly released Special Envoy’s Plan to Combat Antisemitism risks undermining Australia’s democratic freedoms, inflaming community divisions, and entrenching selective approaches to racism that serve political agendas. The report is riddled with misinformation and claims about nefarious funding sources for protests and universities that verge on conspiracy theory. The Council is especially concerned about the plan’s strong endorsement of the widely discredited IHRA definition of antisemitism, which has been used to silence legitimate criticism of Israel and Zionism.  The Council criticised the plan’s emphasis on surveillance, censorship, and punitive control over the funding of cultural and educational institutions: measures straight out of Trump’s authoritarian playbook. We caution that some of the reccommendations including new visa powers and judicial inquiries into student activity — risk censoring criticism of Israel, deepening racism, and failing to meaningfully address the root causes of antisemitism. The Council is calling on the government to: Ground its response in anti-racist principles that include tackling Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, racism against First Nations people and all other forms of racism;  Engage a broad spectrum of Jewish voices, including those critical of Israel, who have not been consulted in the development of this plan;  Reject authoritarian proposals that erode civil liberties under the false guise of Jewish safety.

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Dr Max Kaiser,  Executive Officer, Jewish Council of Australia “This document reads more like a blueprint for silencing dissent rather than a strategy to build inclusion. The report’s vague language around ‘antisemitic narratives’ or ‘affiliations’ , coupled with its emphasis on the discredited IHRA definition of antisemitism, make the actions recommended dangerously unclear. Consistent with her past statements erroneously linking antisemitic attacks with Palestine solidarity protests, Segal seems fixated on driving a pro-Israel narrative and repressing legitimate criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.   Antisemitism is real and must be taken seriously. But it does not exist in a vacuum. Any response that treats antisemitism as exceptional, while ignoring Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, and other forms of hate, is doomed to fail.”