Federal Minister for Education, the Hon Jason Clare MP, and Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Barney Glover AO, at the Bankstown City campus site in the heart of the Bankstown CBD.
Western Sydney University has welcomed a visit by the newly-appointed Federal Minister for Education, the Hon Jason Clare MP, to its Bankstown City campus currently under construction in the heart of the Bankstown CBD.
Minister Clare met with University leaders, including Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Barney Glover AO, and toured the $340 million world-class vertical campus – due for completion at the end of 2022 and set to deliver major economic and social benefits for the communities of Western Sydney.
As part of the visit, Minister and University representatives also discussed wider opportunities for the higher education sector and the vital contribution that universities like Western Sydney University make to national productivity and to the social and economic future of Australia's rapidly-growing urban regions.
Minister Clare said Western Sydney University's newest campus will provide quality educational and employment opportunities to Australia's fastest growing region.
"Growing up Western Sydney, I had to travel hours each day to get to and from university. This development, which is right across the road from my electorate office, means young people who grew up here can go to uni here."
Professor Glover said the University was pleased to welcome a visit by Minister Clare so soon after the federal election, and warmly congratulated him on his appointment.
"The University looks forward to working very closely with both the Minister and the Albanese Government to maximise the extraordinary advantages higher education generates in the national interest. The role of universities in dynamic and diverse regions like Bankstown, and Western Sydney more broadly, is critical in lifting productivity and creating social and economic opportunity in sustainable and equitable ways. This first visit from an incoming Minister is important recognition of that fact," said Professor Glover.
"As a longstanding representative of Western Sydney, Minister Clare is deeply committed to our region, and he understands the transformative impact that higher education has on our local communities. His strong support for initiatives like our new Bankstown City campus is an important signal to local industry, the community, and also our international partners, of the centrality of education to Western Sydney's continued development."
The University's new vertical campus is being developed in partnership with Walker Corporation – creating hundreds of jobs during its construction and providing a multi-million dollar boost to the economy. When complete, it will deliver approximately $140 million a year in additional economic uplift to the Canterbury-Bankstown economy and the wider region.
The campus will have capacity for up to 10,000 students and 1,000 staff – bringing them into the CBD and embedding them in the cultural, economic and social life of the city.
The building features highly-accessible, technology-rich, cutting-edge teaching and research facilities as well as opportunities for work integrated learning for students, collaborative enterprise partnerships, and strong industry, community and business linkages. It will offer:
- Health, advanced manufacturing and education-focused research programs
- Courses in teacher education, psychology, arts and humanities, business, accounting, non-clinical health areas and associated pathway programs
- Teaching, research, conference and social spaces
- Informal learning areas and indoor and outdoor terraces
- Easy access to the future Bankstown Metro station.
Designed by award-winning architects Lyons, the University and its development partner Walker Corporation are also strongly committed to a sustainable building, aiming to achieve a 6-star Green Star rating. Sustainability features include the capture and re-use of rainwater, as well as innovative thermal and lighting systems and solar roof panels.
Western Sydney University was recently named number one in the world for its social, ecological and economic impact in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings.
