Ken Morrison, CEO of the Bradfield Development Authority, discusses building Australia’s first new city in a century, a high-tech urban project linked to the new Western Sydney International Airport.
Paul Sanger: I’m Paul Sanger from the Finance News Network, and today I’m talking with Ken Morrison, the CEO of Bradfield Development Authority. Ken is at the helm of one of the most ambitious urban development projects in Australia, Bradford City and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis. Ken, it’s a pleasure to have you here.
Ken Morrison: It’s a pleasure to be here, Paul.
Paul Sanger: So, Ken, let’s delve straight in. For those who aren’t familiar, can you give us a brief overview of the Bradford Development Authority and what it represents?
Ken Morrison: Well, what we’re trying to do is create Australia’s first city in a hundred years, and we’re doing that super-powered by a new Western Sydney International Airport, which will be opening in 2026. But it’s more than an airport, it’s an economic development strategy to create an Aerotropolis around that airport. And, at the heart of that Aerotropolis, the new city of Bradfield, creating 20,000 jobs, high technology, leveraging the proximity of the airport and leveraging Western Sydney’s expertise in advanced manufacturing. So, that’s the vision, and it’s very exciting, and it’s right in front of us.
Paul Sanger: And that is an incredible vision. How does the BDA, working with various stakeholders, government, industries, and communities, bring those projects to life?
Ken Morrison: All those stakeholders are really important. And, in fact, the organisation that I lead is a creature of the Western Sydney City Deal, a deal between all three levels of government to create this new city, which is going to bring high-value jobs to a part of Sydney that needs it, and also to ensure that we’re accelerating innovation within the manufacturing sector. So that means that there’s a whole range of sectors that are important. It’s a government-led initiative, but of course, the technology companies, the manufacturing sector, the property industry, the university sector, all those are really important and heavily engaged in what we’re doing.
Paul Sanger: It’s clear that the BDA is set to have a huge impact on Western Sydney. Moving to a different topic, I understand that Bradfield Development is supporting the Semiconductor Australia Conference, which is happening next Thursday, the 24th. Can you tell us why this event is so important?
Ken Morrison: What we’re doing is really two things. We’re creating a new city, so there’s those city-building attributes that we see in plenty of places around the world, but we’re also creating an economic development strategy for Bradfield, and that is really led by our advanced manufacturing research facility, which is an innovation accelerator designed to target advanced manufacturing and provide them with shared access to high-end equipment that they would not be able to get access to elsewhere, as well as access to our skilled staff, and they can accelerate their innovation and therefore drive growth in the region. And semiconductor technology is really important for that and will be in fact, the primary focus of our second phase of our AMRF facility. So, it’s great to be part of this conference and be able to speak to the people who’ll be really important for this part of our strategy.
Paul Sanger: Fantastic. And it sounds like the future of technology and manufacturing is a big part of Bradfield’s vision. What do you think will be the key takeaway for those attending the Semiconductor Australia Conference?
Ken Morrison: Well, there’s something new and different coming that we don’t have in Australia, and it’s something that can help them grow their business. It’s also something where universities and those institutions are very heavily engaged, so they can be confident that they’re getting the interactions with what the university sector can bring in here. And I think it’s also having that awareness with enough time to feed into your forward business plans. You know, next year we’ll be creating the building which will house this phase two of our AMRF targeting the semiconductor sector. So, we’re not asking people to think about it five minutes before it turns up, we’re asking people to think about it within two years of it turning up. So, there’s enough time for business to factor it into their growth plans and really starting to think about how this facility might help their business and help accelerate their innovation.
Paul Sanger: And I guess also from a global perspective, it’s a big tick for Australia on a global platform that this is actually coming to fruition and going to be providing a futuristic city for our kids, their kids, and for future generations, something we should all be very proud of as Australians.
Ken Morrison: Well, I hope so, and certainly that’s our ambition, and when we’ve looked at how we are going to create what we are creating, we’ve looked to the best-case examples right around the world. So, we think we’re delivering something which is as good as anybody, and it’s something that builds on these amazing attributes we have in Sydney — of course, with one of the key ones being a brand new airport, which will be open in 2026.
Paul Sanger: Now, am I right? Did I see a plane landing at the airport for the first time this week?
Ken Morrison: You are not wrong, Paul. So, quite exciting. For a five-billion-dollar piece of infrastructure, that airport is ahead of budget and ahead of schedule, which is a fantastic thing. Of course, it’s not just an airport, there is a total of $20bn of government infrastructure money going into the region, including with what we are delivering at Bradfield, as well as nearly $10bn of private sector investment projects making their way through the planning system right as we speak within that Aerotropolis. So, government money, private sector money and innovation focus. It’s a very exciting future.
Paul Sanger: Ken, it’s been fantastic hearing all the great work the BDA is doing and your involvement in the semiconductor industry’s future. Thank you for your time today.
Ken Morrison: Thanks, Paul. It’s been great, and I look forward to the conference. Thank you.
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Click here to visit the Semiconductor Australia 2024 website.