Western Sydney’s investment potential the focus of Swedish virtual visit

A virtual trade delegation led by Liverpool City Council in partnership with Business Sweden has put new development and growth opportunities in Western Sydney front and centre.

Originally scheduled as a tour of Western Sydney in April this year, the high-level delegation proceeded in virtual form. It featured an innovative series of webinars and virtual networking events attended by Swedish government officials and some of Sweden’s top business leaders in Australia to showcase Western Sydney’s investment potential.

“Liverpool City Council is proud to have hosted government and business leaders from Sweden, highlighting investment opportunities and celebrating the diversity, ingenuity and skills of those living in fast-growing Western Sydney,” Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller said.

“Council sees a bright future for Liverpool and the wider Western Sydney region, with continued investment in commercial operations, transport, freight and education infrastructure bringing new job opportunities for residents, providing greater global connections and bolstering the economy.

“We are Sydney’s third CBD and home to Western Sydney International Airport, the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and the Liverpool Innovation Precinct, established in partnership between Liverpool City Council and local health, education and research institutions to harness the city’s strengths and support economic growth.”

Business Sweden’s Vice President for APAC, David Hallgren, said: “This initiative has been an excellent opportunity to exchange learnings and develop a platform for increased collaboration between the two countries in Smart City development. We see great opportunities for Swedish companies to be part of the exciting development of Western Sydney through their sustainable and innovative offerings.”

Sweden’s Ambassador to Australia, Henrik Cederin, said: “It’s no coincidence that we now focus our work on topics related to smart and sustainable cities. Sustainability and innovation are key priorities for the Swedish government as well as for our companies.”

Western Sydney Business Chamber Executive Director David Borger said the trade delegation with Sweden was an example of the innovation and collaboration that is helping to shape Western Sydney into Australia’s next economic powerhouse.

“As a fast-growing and culturally diverse region, government organisations at all levels are collaborating with the tertiary education and private sectors to empower people, build resilience and support economic growth,” Mr Borger said.

“The great research and innovation being developed in Western Sydney is putting this dynamic region on the global map and that is attracting interest and investment from some of the world’s leading companies.”

The trade delegation hosted by Liverpool City Council in partnership with Business Sweden (representing Team Sweden) is the first planned collaboration initiative. The virtual delegation featured industry and government leaders from Western Sydney highlighting the region’s significant investment opportunity through a series of webinars and break-out networking sessions, which ran between June and early September 2020.

About Liverpool City Council Liverpool is one of the largest local government areas in metropolitan Sydney, Australia, with more than 220,000 residents living in 42 suburbs. Home to Western Sydney International Airport, the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and Liverpool Innovation Precinct, Liverpool is emerging as Sydney’s third CBD and Liverpool City Council is working to make the growing city a wonderful place to live, work, invest, study and visit. At the heart of every council is our ability to deliver local community services – such as the maintenance of parks, roads and collecting household waste.

About Team Sweden

The Embassy of Sweden, Business Sweden (the Swedish Trade and Invest Council) and the Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce together form Team Sweden, whose purpose is to support Swedish companies in Australia.