Business Sydney

CBD REVITALISATION REQUIRES IMMEDIATE GOVERNMENT ACTION

9 February 2022

Business Sydney says while there are many plans for boosting the CBD economy, the state government can lead the way in revitalising the empty city streets immediately by implementing a series of direct actions.

“Ahead of Friday’s CBD Summit, the state government should be ready to implement six direct actions to bring workers and visitors back into the CBD starting from next Monday,” said Paul Nicolaou, Executive Director of Business Sydney.

1)  Bring public service staff back into their city offices at least three days a week to begin with, - similar to what the South Australian and Queensland governments are already doing.

2)  Join with the federal government in announcing the restart of cruising from next week, giving the industry time to organise ships and crew in order to begin cruising into Sydney by Easter.

3)  Urge universities and TAFE to bring staff and students back on campuses across Sydney as soon as possible.

4)  Allow office staff to work mask-free while at their desks, so long as they are safely distanced.

5)  Provide free public transport to the CBD with a return to normal timetables and launch a ‘public transport is safe to use’ communications campaign.

6)  Double the value of the ‘Stay NSW’ vouchers to $100 per person for stays in Sydney CBD hotels.

“These strategies can be implemented straight away and will have an immediate impact on the economy by bringing back people and the vibe of our beautiful city.”

“Friday’s CBD Summit is the perfect opportunity for the Premier to signal it’s time for action, showing industry and the community that the government is leading the way in CBD revitalisation, for the good of the city’s, state’s and nation’s economies.”

“NSW has led the way in Covid recovery, welcoming back interstate and international visitors and students, but the CBD urgently needs feet on streets every day of the week to get its mojo back and build our night-time economy,” Mr.Nicolaou said.