New tech precinct in Sydney could bring 10,000 jobs to the city

In a move that has been hailed as the beginning of ‘Australia’s Silicon Valley’, the New South Wales Government and software company Atlassian have announced plans to create a new technology precinct in Sydney.

Announced on August 7, the project is set to place Sydney as the premier Australian city for technology innovation. It is also expected to create as many as 10,000 new jobs by 2036. 

Atlassian is finding help from all over the technology and innovation scene in NSW

Atlassian will be joined by Tech Sydney, an industry representative body, and Fishburners, a company that provides local co-working spaces, in order to bring the precinct together. These private companies will also have the support and leadership of a NSW Government taskforce, which will be headed by Jobs for NSW chair David Thodey.

This taskforce will also have the help of representatives from the Sydney Business Chamber, the University of Sydney, and the University of Technology Sydney, as well as experts from a number of start-ups.

Minister for Trade and Industry Niall Blair said that the government can’t create the precinct without help, and that it needs to work with the companies that are already behind the innovation and growth of Sydney’s technology sector today, as well as the technology leaders that will be offering the opportunities for work in the future.

As well as creating a significant number of new jobs in the region over the next eight years and into the future, the precinct is set to revitalise the Central to Eveleigh area. Additionally, project leaders are hoping it will safeguard the area’s heritage.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that the precinct will “help turbo-charge our economy”.

“We’ll make sure that every person around the world wants to work here. The best and brightest locally, but also the best and brightest around the world wanting to work here for those tech innovation jobs,” she added.

Why base the precinct in Central to Eveleigh?

Central to Eveleigh was chosen as the home of this new precinct thanks to the fact that it’s already a known hub for innovation, as it already includes the largest number of start-up firms in the country. The area will also have numerous transport links for workers to commute from all over the city, making it an ideal place to work.

Scott Farquhar, Atlassian Co-Founder and Co-CEO, said he is excited at the idea of the tech community having a place to call home.

“If you look at every successful innovation hub in the world, from Silicon Valley to Tel Aviv, they all have a centre of gravity – a place the start-up community calls home,” he explained. 

“Sydney has the potential to be of one of the world’s leading tech cities and the creation of a tech hub sends a very loud signal – not only to the country, but to the rest of the world – that we’re in the race,” he added.

If you’re looking to find a role in Sydney’s innovative technology sector, contact us at Michael Page to find out what kind of opportunities are available to you.