The University of Sydney joined the NSW Government in a ceremony on the rooftop of the Central Acute Services Building at the heart of Westmead's innovative health, education and research precinct.
Our investment confirms that we are the University that is for all of Sydney. By 2050, we hope to host 25,000 students here, generating 20,000 jobs and adding $13 billion to the NSW economy.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Health and Medical Research Brad Hazzard, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education and Member for Parramatta Geoff Lee.
The University of Sydney today joined partners Westmead Hospital and The Children's Hospital at Westmead in a "topping out" ceremony to celebrate a construction milestone for the new Central Acute Services Building.
Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Michael Spence joined NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Minister for Health and Medical Research Brad Hazzard to celebrate the landmark building reaching its topmost level of construction.
Minister Hazzard said: "I want to thank Sydney University because these days governments don't just build hospitals, they build entire health and educational precincts."
Dr Spence said the new Central Acute Services Building formed part of a much larger plan to cement Western Sydney's reputation as a world-class education precinct, with co-located health facilities and ground-breaking medical research.
"We're thrilled that we've reached this milestone and that the first phase of our commitment to invest $500 million in the future of Western Sydney is well and truly underway," Dr Spence said.
"Late last year the NSW Government announced that we had been selected to develop a new campus in Sydney's expanding west and our Parramatta/Westmead Campus proposal is currently being developed.
"This once in a century investment in Western Sydney confirms we are a university that is for all of Sydney. By 2050, we hope to host 25,000 students here, generating 20,000 jobs and adding $13 billion to the NSW economy.
"We are committed to improving the lives of the people of Western Sydney and beyond with our investment in globally innovative infrastructure and facilities, research, education and training."
The University's Parramatta/Westmead Campus proposal builds on its 80-year history in Western Sydney and complements its longstanding leadership in the Westmead Health and Education Precinct, which contains the largest concentration of health services in Australia. Around 160 staff, 1100 affiliates and 2200 students currently work or study at Westmead.
Once complete, the 14-floor Central Acute Services Building will link Westmead's adult and children hospitals with research and teaching and is designed to enhance the health outcomes of people with critical and complex conditions with a range of facilities including state-of-the-art operating suites and dedicated carer zones.
The University will occupy 1.5 floors which will include unique spaces for formal and informal teaching and workplaces for staff and higher-degree research students across multiple disciplines.
By 2050, four million people are expected to call Western Sydney home, with Parramatta now the third largest economy by GDP in Australia, behind only Sydney CBD and Melbourne.
