Western Sydney’s creative industries could quadruple in size with targeted investment, delivering a $6.4 billion annual economic boost and creating over 24,000 jobs, according to a new report from Western Sydney University.

The Unleashing Creativity: Strategies for Growing Western Sydney’s Creative Industries report, released by the university’s Centre for Western Sydney, outlines a roadmap to transform the region into a thriving cultural powerhouse. Its findings, backed by economic analysis, highlight untapped potential in sectors like Creative and Performing Arts ($124m), Motion Picture and Sound Recording ($99m), and Internet Publishing ($50m).

Co-author Dr Angela Smith emphasised the cultural richness of Western Sydney, one of Australia’s most diverse and rapidly expanding regions. “Western Sydney is a vibrant creative centre, deserving of recognition and investment on its own terms,” she said.

Riverside Theatres, Parramatta. Photo supplied

Despite this vibrancy, Western Sydney’s creatives face significant hurdles, including a chronic lack of infrastructure, affordable housing, and creative spaces. Over recent years, the region received only 3.4 percent of federal arts funding, dwarfed by Eastern Sydney’s 23 percent, despite similar population sizes. Rising housing costs are also pricing many artists out of the area, threatening the sustainability of...