LIP Newsletter - Q4 2025
G’day,
As we share our final newsletter for the year, I’m proud of the positive progress Liverpool has made. From the announcement of a Special Entertainment Precinct to major university, hospital and school developments, momentum is building toward our vision of Liverpool as Sydney’s next CBD, anchored by world-renowned capabilities in innovation and research.
We recently released Liverpool: The World in One City – a blueprint for the next key round of government investments that are needed.
A big thanks to our partners and community who continue to make the work of the Liverpool Innovation Precinct possible. With Western Sydney International Airport launching in 2026, an exciting new chapter lies ahead. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe, restful holiday break.
Regards
David Borger
Liverpool Square: South West Sydney’s Global Gateway
At the Business Western Sydney Aerotropolis Conference in Warwick Farm in November, we launched Liverpool: The World in One City. This is a bold advocacy agenda to guide government investment in Sydney’s next major CBD. With the new airport fast approaching, the document sets out practical, city-shaping ideas to ensure Liverpool is ready to step up.
Joined by Precinct Director Vy Nguyen and Arup’s Alice Vincent, our Executive Manager of Policy & Advocacy, Alan Mascarenhas, outlined the work the LIP has been advancing this year with key NSW Government leaders. At the centre of this agenda is Liverpool Square – a city-making civic and employment heart modelled on Parramatta Square.
The concept would concentrate government and commercial offices around Liverpool Station, anchored by fast, multimodal transport links to Bradfield, the airport and greater Sydney. Flowing into Bigge Park, Liverpool Square is about providing a showpiece and sense of arrival, transforming Liverpool into the gateway to South West Sydney – a place that welcomes the world and reflects it.
Our thanks to Liverpool City Council, Western Sydney International Airport and Bradfield Development Authority for their support of the conference.
Jobs Close to Home
A core message of Liverpool: The World in One City is simple: talent shouldn’t have to leave South West Sydney to succeed. Too many young people travel long distances for study and work, contributing to a persistent local jobs deficit. Our vision tackles this head-on.
The Liverpool Incubator, housed within the Liverpool TAFE Campus, would anchor health and MedTech innovation locally, bringing together universities, clinicians, researchers, start-ups and industry. Just as Tech Central does for the CBD and the Startup Hub has done for Parramatta, founders and entrepreneurs in South West Sydney deserve a place to start, scale and stay.
Alongside this, the LIP believes that a TAFE NSW Centre of Excellence in Nursing would help build a homegrown health workforce. By aligning TAFE, universities and hospitals, Liverpool can train, employ and retain the next generation of nurses and health professionals. Supported by a second Centre of Excellence in Campbelltown, these initiatives create real pathways – allowing young people to build meaningful careers close to home, in a city built for opportunity.
Connecting the Twin Cities
Liverpool’s future is inseparable from Bradfield. Together, they are emerging as Sydney’s “Twin Cities” – but vision alone isn’t enough. Transport connectivity will determine whether this corridor truly delivers jobs and growth.
That’s why Liverpool: The World in One City puts forward three clear transport priorities, building on the advocacy of Liverpool city Council. First, a Leppington–Bradfield Rail Link – the missing connection linking Sydney’s two airports and giving Liverpool direct access to the airport within its own LGA. Second, the Fifteenth Avenue FAST Corridor, not just a road but pre-fitted for the future with capacity for electric buses, light rail and active transport. And third, extending the Sydney Metro from Bankstown to Liverpool, plugging the city into Sydney’s rapid transit arc.
These are practical, achievable projects. Together, they can ensure that Liverpool Square becomes a true multimodal gateway to the South West.
LIP Targets Jobs Gap
The NSW Government’s draft Sydney Plan highlights South West Sydney’s urgent jobs deficit. Only 9% of local residents can access more than 50,000 jobs within 30 minutes by public transport, compared with 44% in Parramatta and 71% in eastern Sydney.
At December’s final LIP Steering Committee meeting, Simone Proft, CEO of the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, emphasised the need for a targeted economic activation strategy to create local jobs and address workforce challenges in Liverpool and across the region.
The Committee also reviewed 2025 achievements and set priorities for 2026. Key highlights include the redevelopment of Liverpool Boys and Girls High Schools, the launches of the UNSW Study Hub and Perich Centre for Robotics, and the University of Wollongong’s pending arrival in Liverpool Civic Place.
Liverpool City Council updated members on the Special Entertainment Precinct, a 12-month trial to energise the CBD with live entertainment and cultural programming.
A big thanks to all LIP Steering Committee members for their ideas, energy and commitment throughout the year.
UNSW Study Hub Launch
The Study Hub is designed to meet the growing demand for flexible learning environments and industry-connected opportunities.
Liverpool has taken a major step forward in education and workforce development with the launch of the Liverpool Study Hub. This new facility provides students, researchers and professionals with a dedicated space to collaborate, learn and innovate right in the heart of the city.
The Study Hub is designed to meet the growing demand for flexible learning environments and industry-connected opportunities. Equipped with modern technology and collaborative spaces, it offers a platform for knowledge exchange and skills development that will benefit the entire region.
The launch event showcased the excitement and support from local leaders, educators and students. By bridging education and industry, the Study Hub strengthens Liverpool’s position as an innovation precinct and ensures our local workforce is ready for the jobs of tomorrow.
Congratulations to Vice-Chancellor Attila Brungs, Pro Vice-Chancellor Precincts Zoe Terpening and the entire UNSW team.
New Bus Links Between Liverpool and Airport
Liverpool’s connection to the new airport and Bradfield is getting a boost, with the NSW Government announcing new, high-frequency bus services later in 2026.
For Liverpool residents and workers, two are particularly significant: a direct service via Leppington and Bradfield delivering a 55-minute journey from Liverpool to the airport, and a second route via Bonnyrigg taking around 67 minutes. Buses will run every 30 minutes, from 5am to 10pm, seven days a week, providing a reliable alternative to the car.
Importantly, these services also improve local connectivity within the Liverpool LGA, linking suburbs such as Casula to Leppington Station in just 20 minutes and connecting people to jobs, education, health services and retail centres.
The LIP is meeting with Transport for NSW to strongly urge further connectivity improvements for Liverpool.
Ideas With X Factor
Inclusive innovation isn’t a slogan in Liverpool – it’s how we do business. That was on full display at the UNSW Impact X Pitch Night 2025, hosted at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research and delivered by UNSW Founders as part of the Liverpool Innovation Precinct Entrepreneurship Program.
The event showcased a talented cohort of founders developing practical solutions in health, disability and wellbeing, with a strong focus on communities too often left out of the innovation economy. These were ideas shaped by lived experience, tackling real problems with clarity and purpose.
A highlight of the evening was the awarding of the inaugural $10,000 Roseus Scholarship to Gita Rahardjo, founder of Red Blood Comic – a migrant woman entrepreneur transforming health literacy through storytelling. The pitch competition winners reflected the depth of local talent: first place went to Jada Khorram from Aether Diagnostics; second place and the People’s Choice Award to Rimmi Arora and Sudin Dinesh from ChemistWise; and third place to Joseph Zhu from Everywhere Health.
Our Active Rivers: Unlocking Liverpool’s Waterfront Potential
In November, Business Western Sydney launched the Our Active Rivers report – a bold, practical vision to breathe new life into Western Sydney’s overlooked waterways and turn them into places for recreation, health, culture and economic activity.
Penrith may have “Pondi” during the summer, but for Liverpool, this agenda also matters deeply. The Georges River is one of the city’s greatest natural strengths, and the report identifies the Chipping Norton Lakes as one of seven priority river sites across Western Sydney for coordinated activation. Stretching from Casula to Sandy Point and encompassing around 500 hectares of parklands, it is a green lung that is yet to reach its full potential.
The challenges are many: fragmented governance, declining water quality and limited amenities. Our Active Rivers calls for a state-led parklands authority, modelled on the Western Sydney Parklands Trust, to drive long-term renewal. With better paths, new bridges, sandy beaches and activated foreshore cafés, Chipping Norton Lakes could become a signature river destination for South West Sydney.
The LIP believes that activating Liverpool’s rivers will lift liveability, support local business and deliver healthier, more connected communities.
Robotics a Win for Unity
The Liverpool Innovation Precinct recently welcomed Dario Hawat of Unity Grammar, who shared plans for the Liverpool Robotics Challenge in 2026 – a student-led competition designed to inspire STEM learning and position Liverpool as a hub for education-driven innovation. Unity Grammar, an independent K–12 Islamic school in Austral, combines academic excellence with strong values, leadership and real-world skills, preparing students to make a meaningful impact in their communities.
Last month, the school’s SS Robotics team, STEM Cells X, advanced from the FIRST LEGO League Regional Competition to the National Championships, highlighting the talent and dedication of Liverpool’s young innovators. Programs like the Discovery Week orientation in 2026 further develop teamwork, resilience and curiosity from the start of the year.
The LIP is backing this initiative, with the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research engaged and members exploring ways to support through mentoring, venues, sponsorship and industry connections. Growing STEM capability locally is central to Liverpool’s future.