Driving a Locally-Led Economic Recovery in the City of Sydney
As a global city, the City of Sydney Council must have a crucial role creating jobs.
Cities are a hub for employment, threatened by the impacts of COVID. The City of Sydney must drive a locally led economic recovery - both as an employer but also as a government committed to stimulus spending to support employment to grow in our local government area.
In the Committee for Sydney’s Benchmarking Sydney’s Performance 2020 Report, Sydney is noted as being in the bottom 3 for the size, scale and growth trajectory of our start-up ecosystem.
In 2020, Sydney lost its status as a so-called “global financial leader” for the first time in over 5 years. In comparison with 2019, the City fell six places when considering the number of Fortune 500 corporate headquarters; the City declined by ten places for perceived fintech strength among financial sector experts.
This must change.
Central to Labor’s vision for the future of the City of Sydney is a locally led jobs recovery.
If elected Lord Mayor, Linda Scott and Labor will work to prioritise creating local jobs that promote productive and creative activity throughout our City.
Labor is committed to increasing expenditure on capital works – reversing the $40 million decrease in the City’s projected investment from 2019/20 budget to the 2020/2021 Budget.
Labor is committed to increasing grants to creative and innovative industries.
Labor is committed to ending unnecessary privatisation of services to create more permanent, quality apprenticeships and jobs.
Labor will examine opportunities to open up our City’s property portfolio to innovative business start ups as well as those providing essential services to our community. We will be open and transparent, setting targets and reporting on how many jobs are created by every project and initiative we implement.
Subject to the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, we will rejuvenate the CBD by encouraging workers to return to CBD offices and attracting increased visitation through the reinvigorated local tourism sector.
The Sydney CBD must regain its place as a truly global city where people can live, work, play and create to ensure its economic future.
Key initiatives include:
Fast-tracking works on Sydney Square to create a hub of local economic and cultural activity in the heart of the CBD.
Open up City property portfolio for innovative job creation opportunities.
Establish an incentive or marketplace for underutilised spaces in the city to be let to creatives and start-ups.
Create incentives for multiple businesses to use the same space – office by day and performance space by night.
Increase the City’s own capital works program to deliver projects in every suburb in the City.
Establish mini stages and open up streets for creatives to perform via a booking system. Launched in cooperation with prominent artists including Peter Garrett in Sydney's CBD and on the City’s high streets.
Provide entrepreneur mentors to support new start-ups across the City similar to the Bright Square Model in Darling Harbour.
Set procurement targets to examine the feasibility of maximising local businesses wherever possible.
Undertake a review and develop a business case to examine feasibility of reducing outsourcing on Council services to improve the quality of service delivery to residents and businesses.
Promote strategic use of technology and design hubs to better coordinate and support Sydney as a leading business growth and technology innovation centre.
Establish a Start-Up Awards Annual Fair to showcase successful innovative businesses at a City location.
Open up community spaces for chambers of commerce and business networking.
Create more opportunities for pop-up shops for clothing, vintage, and artisan markets to encourage office workers to stay and bring locals into the City for a unique shopping experience.
Extending free Outdoor dining licenses beyond October 2021.
City of Sydney Labor will explore opportunities to expand the Vivid Light Festival, facilitating late night trading and supporting the recovery of the night time economy.
City of Sydney Labor is proposing bold initiatives that will drive a locally-led recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic not only in the CBD but across the City of Sydney.