Thank you to Liverpool City Council and Mayor Ned Mannoun for inviting me to today.
I’d also like to acknowledge the member for Fowler, Dai Le, who I know has been a big supporter of this project.
And the member for Werriwa, Anne Stanley, who of course has proudly served as a councillor on Liverpool City Council.
I’m thrilled to join you all for the opening of this magnificent new precinct.
This development sends a strong message about the future of Western Sydney.
It says this region is growing, fast.
Businesses are moving here.
People want to live and work here.
The community is young, talented, diverse, innovative, and aspirational.
Western Sydney is one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation, home to more Australians than Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and Darwin combined.
And Liverpool is fast becoming Sydney’s third CBD.
So this is a region of immense promise – and it’s crucial to the better future that is within our reach. A Future Made in Australia.
Liverpool Civic Place will bring so much to the local community and wider region in the years and decades ahead.
It will create jobs and help grow the local economy.
It will attract businesses, government agencies, and other organisations — especially those looking to establish themselves ahead of the opening of the new international airport.
It will be home to the local council, and a meeting place for the community.
And, with the Yellamundie library and gallery, it will also be a centre for education, culture and the arts.
Yellamundie is such a fitting name. It means “storyteller” in the Darug language, and it will tell so many stories in so many ways. What’s exciting is the thought of how many stories it will inspire, and how many future storytellers it might create.
The discerning writers at Time Out have described your new library as “an absolute bookworm’s dream” – and with more than 85,000 items on 2 kilometres of shelving on six levels, it’s a seriously big dream.
A whole universe of knowledge and opportunity.
Add to that the access to computers and Wi-Fi, the gallery, and the spaces dedicated to everything from heritage research to expression to scientific programs and you have a true monument to learning, and a building block of the future.
It’s all part of a much bigger transformation.
Western Sydney is growing at a phenomenal rate.
One of the instincts at the heart of my Government is the understanding that we need to shape the future, rather than let it shape us.
With Western Sydney set to keep growing, we are planning ahead and working to seize the economic opportunities.
This morning, I had the great pleasure of watching the first interstate freight train arrive at the brand new terminal at Moorebank Intermodal Precinct.
Then there’s Western Sydney International Airport — a long-standing passion of mine and a transformational infrastructure project.
All of this is happening right here in Western Sydney, adding to your many strengths — from one of Australia’s leading universities, to one of the largest hospitals in the state, to a rapidly-growing information and technology sector.
And, of course, your greatest strength: Your people.
I’d like to thank Liverpool City Council for its vision and ongoing commitment to this incredible new precinct.
I also thank Built CEO Brett Mason — as well as FJC Studio and architect Richard Francis-Jones — for your tremendous work turning this ambitious dream into such an impressive reality.
Liverpool Civic Place is a gift to the community.