Local business, parks and community centres, and further innovation, are all set to benefit from the City of Sydney’s 2024 budget.
In the next 12 months, we’ll spend around $750 million on the facilities and services we provide for residents, visitors and businesses.
“Our community is still recovering from the impacts of the pandemic, but we have made significant progress over the past 12 months and it’s exciting to see people returning to the city,” Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore said.
“The new City of Sydney budget features expenditure on programs, services and capital works that will help maintain this momentum, with outstanding services and amenities for our communities.”
7 highlights from our budget
1 Expanding our bike network
We’ll spend $22.5 million this year on bike paths and cycling infrastructure. This includes making a start on the highly anticipated Oxford Street bike path. Our separated cycleways have drawn praise from around the world, even gaining a royal seal of approval.
2 More space to socialise and play
We’ve earmarked $17.8 million for community, cultural and recreational centres, including the Huntley Street and Alexandria indoor courts. A further $23.3 million will go towards upgrading and creating new parks, including stage 2 of Gunyama Park.
3 Outdoor dining and help for business
Our outdoor dining program is one of the success stories from the past couple of years. This year we’re throwing our support behind small business once again, waiving outdoor dining fees and facilitating city precinct activations like our popular Sydney Streets events.
4 Embracing the old…
Breathing life back into Chinatown is high on our list of priorities, with a long-term commitment of $5.5 million for upgrades to Dixon Street that both celebrate and highlight the area’s cultural heritage and history.
5 …while welcoming the new
Innovation will be a focal area for the City of Sydney in 2023/24 and beyond. Our multi-year projects include $8.8 million for the fit-out of the long-awaited George Street innovation hub. When complete, the hub will house 3 levels of floor space dedicated to tech and innovation at the stunning 180 George Street.
6 Reconciliation
We’re committed to reconciliation with $11.5 million pledged to the long-term plan for Yananurala, a project to celebrate the cultures and heritage of First Nations peoples along the harbour foreshore. We’re also putting $400,000 behind cultural programs at our new Aboriginal knowledge and culture centre in Redfern.
7 Greening and sustainability
Our street tree and in road planting programs remain an essential part of our work, with $5.3 million spent on these efforts as we continue to tackle the climate crisis. Waste reduction is another vital part of this challenge. We’ll be launching additional community waste education programs aimed at reducing the amount rubbish going to landfill.
View the City of Sydney's operational plan and budget and have your say. They're on public exhibition until 12 June 2023.
Published 16 May 2023, updated 17 May 2023
