Independent partnership to promote Greater Sydney as Australia’s global, creative city
The establishment of an independent, not-for-profit organisation to enhance and promote Sydney’s interests as Australia’s global city has received endorsement from all levels of Australian Government, along with key business and community stakeholders.
The Greater Sydney Partnership Limited will be launched today by founding chairman Peter Holmes à Court at CarriageWorks, in Sydney’s Eveleigh / Redfern. Mr Holmes à Court said the Partnership will manage the ‘Brand Sydney’ initiative and support the development of other key economic and community sectors including: education, finance and creative industries and areas of social inclusion. Interested Sydneysiders will view the proceedings and provide feedback via a live webcast from 1pm today.
Says Holmes a Court: “Today is the start of an important and timelyconversation about Sydney. We have been established as an independent,apolitical body with a board representing all levels of Government andthe peak business bodies of this City. The Greater Sydney Partnershipencompasses not only the obvious iconic parts of central Sydney, butalso represents the interests of areas such as Parramatta as our secondCBD, right through to the West, the East, the North and the South ofSydney encompassing many different local government areas.
“This initiative is built on the successful principles employed by someof the world’s most recognised cities such as New York, London,Amsterdam and Edinburgh.
“We have received generous seed funding from the NSW State Governmentand support from the City of Sydney. The Federal Government has alsorecognised the importance of the Partnership in growing Sydney’sinternational standing as the key gateway into Australia.
“I look forward to a engaging with the broad Sydney community, andgetting their input into how the Partnership can enhance this greatcity,” says Holmes à Court.
Premier Kristina Keneally said the Greater Sydney Partnership is in aunique position to champion and promote Sydney across all sectors -industry, business, education and creativity and to the world: “We allshare one objective – to promote this great city as Australia’s globaldestination. Sydney’s credentials as a leading global city are wellacknowledged – we have a great brand. Now with the help of GreaterSydney Partnership we can get that message out to the people of Sydney,the people of NSW and Australia, and to the rest of the world.”
Adds Lord Mayor, Clover Moore: “The plan to promote Sydney aligns withour Sustainable Sydney 2030 work in partnership with the businesscommunity and other levels of government to support investment inSydney. Our great City is a hub for business, education, culture,tourism and events, and we must promote our green credentials to therest of the world.
“Sydney is Australia’s only global city and by promoting it we not onlyinvite tourists, but support local jobs, open the door to newopportunities and encourage investment in our economy,” says Ms Moore.
The Hon. Mp Tanya Plibersek said: “I welcome the establishment of theGreater Sydney Partnership as we work together to maintain Sydney’sposition as the nation’s premier city. I look forward to working withthe Board as we embrace the challenges of the future.”
Greater Sydney Partnership board director, Chris Brown said: “Thebusiness community recognised that it was time we took more directresponsibility for Sydney’s trade reputation and its social fabric. Weare proud of the lead we’ve taken and grateful for the support we’vereceived from public sector. GSP is the partnership this city deservesand will launch the revival of Australia’s global positioning.”
Around 300 influential and passionate Sydneysiders from commercial andcommunity sectors will attend the launch including the Premier andmembers of the opposition, the Lord Mayor and various Mayors of thegreater Sydney area, senior representatives from corporate, education,the arts and the not-for-profit community. Interested Sydneysiders willview the proceedings and provide feedback via a live webcast from 1pm today.
4 Comments
As a Sydneysider who has been living in Melbourne for around 18 months, I’ve really noticed how much effort Melbourne and Victoria put into brand-building as well as event promotion. It is good to see that Sydney is starting to realise that similar actions are neccessary.
Boy Sydney has some chips on its shoulders! “…only global city..” What does that mean? What a load of crap! Maybe it wants to succeed from the rest of hick Australia.
Yes, so much the only global city Sydney loses 40-50% of tourism to backwater places like Brisbane and Melbourne because they have 24 hour airports.
The last thing Sydney needs is another f*cking committee, or another tunnel, whatever you do, lobby to fix the existing infrastructure. The town is falling to pieces.
As they say, if you build it, they will come.
Backwater places like Melbourne? Clearly anonymous has not been to Melbourne even though most of his/her counterparts prefer to have a weekend here than in boring old Sydney. Melbourne is now Australia’s leading tourist destination. It was a global city well before Sydney, recognised for its Olympics and Commonwealth games, apart from its world sporting events. It was the location of Australia’s first Federal Parliament in 1901 before Sydney whinged and it was moved to Canberra in 1928. Melbourne was once the world’s largest city. It still retains the title of having Australia’s tallest buildings. Unfortunately it is incorrect to say we have a 24 hour airport. We have three. Tullamarine, Avalon and Essendon, the later used for private jets. We have a fourth at Mangalore if you count an hour’s drive to the CBD. Alas we don’t have your Mardi Gras….quite frankly, you can keep it. But we do have the Formula One Grand Prix, the Motorcycle Grand Prix (which NSW failed to secure again recently) the Melbourne Cup, the AFL Grand Final, the Australian Tennis Open, one of only a handful of world grand slams, iconic trams (700 at last count) Sydney has uhm, One? Not one international sporting event is held in Sydney. Not one. You still rely on a rusty old bridge and an Opera House with bad acoustics for your tourism because frankly, there is nothing else in Sydney worth stopping for. The best transport system in Australia, the widest boulevards, the largest number of Parks. We even have Australia’s largest container shipping port and we are still the only city in Australia that can accept the world’s largest container ships. We have a bid in for the world’s largest event, the World Cup in 2020, and in just 15 years, will overtake Sydney in population and size. We also have Australia’s largest casino if you are that way inclined. On the liveability index, Melbourne has been number one in the world many times and we stopped pumping raw sewerage into the sea 70 years ago. Sydney stopped three years ago. But keep telling us what a backwater we are, even to go as far as to say you are Australia’s only global city. Now, that really is showing your ignorance and shallowness. Please stick with your sister tinsel town city LA. Melbourne is and always will be aligned with New York, London and Paris, not just for architecture but also for the weather. Even that, you have nothing in common with the other cities. Thank you, ignorant one.