One million Opal cards have now been issued as almost 800 buses go live with Opal in Sydney’s Inner West and South West, and the Central Coast.

The NSW Government is modernising the public transport system and with one million customers now using Opal, Sydney is finally catching up with other global cities around the world. 

Opal is rolling out to even more buses in Sydney – 285 buses in the Inner West and 200 buses in South West Sydney – taking the total number of Opal buses to 3,860. 

On the NSW Central Coast, Opal electronic ticketing will go live on 263 buses from next week. Residents are already able to use their Opal cards on trains.

A $110 million medical research facility in Western Sydney opened this week. The new Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research building will be home to 400 scientists and clinicians and will bring all Westmead Millennium Institute centres of research under one roof. 

The state-of-the-art building will allow the Institute to expand research in its core areas: infectious and immune diseases, cancer and leukaemia, liver and metabolic diseases, eye and brain-related disorders and heart and respiratory diseases.

The new headquarters will enhance the scope of ground-breaking research undertaken in fields such as disease gene discovery, cell sorting and imaging, and new cellular and genetic therapies.

WSBC General Manager, Michael Sugg, was invited and attended yesterday's 2014 Business Leadership Forum to represent WSBC members, the SME businesses of Western Sydney.

A new report from the NSW Government shows the NSW economy is strengthening its position in key sectors including manufacturing, creative industries and the digital economy.

Released by Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade & Investment Andrew Stoner at the NSW Business Leadership Forum, the latest Progress Report on the NSW Economic Development Framework shows improvement in NSW’s contribution to National Industry Value Add over the last five years in all these sectors.

Mr Stoner said the State Government’s revitalised partnership with industry and the research sector has been essential in building a platform for economic growth in NSW.

“NSW is now clearly emerging as the engine room of Australia’s economic future,” Mr Stoner said.

“We’re seeing growth in household demand, improving business confidence, and NSW leading the nation on key economic measures including State Final Demand and jobs growth, with above-trend growth forecast for 2014/15 and 2015/16.

“Government and industry are working together to lay the foundations for long-term growth in NSW, investing in our State’s diversity, bolstering priority industry sectors and supporting the key drivers of growth, including housing, jobs and infrastructure.”

The 2014 Progress Report on the NSW Economic Development Framework shows significant progress has been made against 34 priority actions, with more than half of these developed, or implemented in partnership with, industry and research stakeholders.

Highlights include:

·        the establishment of five NSW Knowledge Hubs - for Digital Creative, Financial Services, Medical Technology, Energy Innovation, and Transport, Logistics and Rail;

·         increased support for International Education through StudyNSW and appointment of a high level advisory board to position NSW in key global markets as a leader in international education;

·         support for SMEs with actions including design-led innovation workshops, a Supply Chain Accelerator pilot to integrate local SMEs into major domestic and global supply chain opportunities, an Export Accelerator program to help exporters win more international business, and the ongoing delivery of services from SmallBiz Connect;

·         the creation of Smart Work Hubs in Oran Park, Rouse Hill, Penrith, Gosford and Wyong, to offer alternative, innovative work options for those in high commuter areas; and

·         significantly enhanced international engagement, including new NSW trade and investment specialists in Japan and Korea.

WSBC will keep you up to date with any further developments and also the NSW government's economic development strategy for Western Sydney as details become available. 

The finalised scope for a $29 million upgrade to Parramatta’s Pirtek Stadium has been announced.

After consultation and agreement with the two major hirers of the Stadium, the Parramatta Eels and the Western Sydney Wanderers, the tenders have gone out for the first package of works.

Construction is expected to commence on the Stadium in mid-October.

The upgrade includes rebuilding the player change-rooms to contemporary international standards, an additional 2,000 seats behind the existing terraces at the north and south ends, a seating upgrade and wi-fi connectivity.

The taxi surcharge on card payments will be halved in time for the busy holiday season.

Currently, taxi customers are charged a 10% surcharge when they pay their fare with a credit or debit card. This money goes to the provider of the taxi’s electronic payment system. 

The new Passenger Transport Act passed through Parliament last month, paving the way for changes including a 5% cap on taxi surcharges.

The changes begin on 12 December 2014, meaning customers will have more money in their pockets in time for the Christmas period, when taxis are at their busiest.

Imagine pitting a team of key celebrities and business giants against the Parramatta Eels in a game of touch football, in front of a crowd of 10,000+ at Pirtek Stadium.

That's exactly what is going to happen. Parramatta Mission, in association with the Parramatta Eels, is holding a celebrity Family Day Football Challenge on Saturday December 6 at 3pm at Pirtek Stadium, Parramatta. The aim is to collect much needed funds to ensure the continuance of Parramatta Mission's Meals Plus program.

There will be rides, meet and greet opportunities, pre game and half time entertainment and of course the game. You can even fundraise to get yourself on the field!

Tickets will be available from Ticketmaster mid October.

There will be opportunities for sponsorship, corporate boxes and chances to get on the field with your idols.....our website event page is currently under construction but will be live very soon with all the details.

We are very excited about the event and the chance to promote Parramatta Mission in our community. We invite you to spread the word and bring friends and family along.

If you have contact with any corporates or celebrities who may like to get involved, please contact fundraising@parramattamission.org.au or call Nicole or Jenny on 02 8836 2015.

Platinum Partner Parramatta City Council invites you to take a journey through Parramatta and discover gourmet street foods, pop up bars, live music, art installations and surprising performances around every corner.

Parramatta Lanes runs from Tuesday 7^th October through to Friday 10^th October from 5.00pm to 10.00pm.

Platinum Partner PARKROYAL Parramatta is the proud accommodation sponsor of this event.

Ten more speed cameras are to be removed across NSW under the State Governments commitment to remove any speed camera lacking a proven road safety benefit.

Locations where cameras are to be ripped out include Delhi Road at Macquarie Park, General Holmes Drive at Botany, the Hume Highway at Burwood and the M4 at Wentworthville. Visit nsw.gov.au for a complete list of locations. 

Safety works such as additional signage, barriers and markings are carried out before any camera is removed, and all revenue from speed camera fines is directed back into road safety programs.

This year’s Speed Camera Performance Review found fixed speed cameras have saved 53 lives and prevented 919 people from being injured in the last five years.

Official figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show housing approvals in NSW are at their highest level since the 12 month period ending in May 2000. 

In a major boost to housing affordability, more than 52,000 housing approvals have been recorded in the twelve months to August 2014 - around 1,000 new homes per week.

With another two million extra people expected to be living in NSW by 2031, the State will require about a million additional homes.

The NSW Government has already started work on delivering the homes needed for the future with more than 4,200 dwelling approvals in August.

An extra 520 weekly bus services for Sydney’s North West will take the total number of weekly public transport services introduced by the NSW Government to more than 9,500. 

The latest boost to bus services will benefit customers in the growing Hills district, including Baulkham Hills, Kellyville, Beaumont Hills, Rouse Hill, Seven Hills, Pendle Hill and Bella Vista. 

The number of customers catching buses in the North West is increasing at a rapid rate. The increase in bus services has been made possible by our multi-million dollar investment in brand new accessible buses.

Since March 2011, the NSW Government have delivered more than 8,200 extra bus, 1,190 extra train and 220 extra ferry services.

Visit transportnsw.info to find out more about extra services and timetable information.