Western Sydney projected to become the second largest city in Australia

Social commentator, Bernard Salt, is predicting that on current trends Western Sydney will become the second largest city in Australia by the middle of the century. The following slides were shared in a recent webinar he presented on the future of Western Sydney and its importance as a community and commercial hub in future Australia. The current projections are that it will outgrow the balance of Sydney and rank behind Melbourne as the second most populous urban centre in Australia.

Even now, Western Sydney is bigger than Brisbane and, in Salt’s words, is the “SME and sole trader heartland of Australia”. Sole traders are at least triple the number of those found in the balance of Sydney.

These projections highlight the importance of our own thinking in praying for, planning and funding new churches, and indeed new church models in these fast growing suburbs. These are suburbs that will contain a great deal of diversity, with a streak of entrepreneurialism. Another key element will be the continuing rise of multi-culturalism, with greater numbers from East and South Asia rapidly swelling the number of residents.

May we be ready.