Sydney’s nightlife is to be revamped under a new strategy to boost business and jobs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Announced by the Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres, the 24-Hour Economy Strategy will be spearheaded by a new 24-hour Economy Coordinator General tasked with unlocking the city’s cultural and economic potential.
Mr Ayres said the Coordinator General would bring stakeholders together from across industry and Councils and look at opportunities to cut red tape and regulation.
“Sydneysiders deserve a global city that’s thriving 24-hours a day, and the world wants a 24-hour Sydney,” Mr Ayres said.
“When we started planning this Strategy our goal was to take advantage of the $16 billion economic uplift from realising the potential of non-traditional work hours,” he said.
“Now, with the job losses resulting from the pandemic, that goal is more important than ever.”
Mr Ayres said the Strategy was led by industry and aimed to grow and support jobs in hospitality, tourism, retail and the arts.
“We are going to turbocharge Sydney by working closely with industry and Councils to implement the 39 actions across the Strategy’s five strategic pillars so the productivity of the night can rival that of the day to create more employment opportunities in arts, entertainment and cultural events throughout the evening,” he said.
He said a Neon Grid or ‘night map’ would also be developed to target investment towards and help promote 24-hour economy hubs across Sydney.
The 24-Hour Economy Strategy can be accessed on the Global NSW website at this PS News link.
