The City of Parramatta Lord Mayor has pushed for a second major broadcaster to relocate its headquarters to the local area.
In a recent council meeting, Parramatta’s Lord Mayor Donna Davis called on SBS to move its headquarters from its Artarmon home and into Sydney’s second city.
Lord Mayor Davis cited Parramatta’s position as a growing city, and the geographical heart of Sydney with significant linguistic and cultural diversity, as to why the broadcaster should relocate to Parramatta.
The push comes after ABC recently announced it would relocate to Parramatta, moving approximately 300 employees from its Ultimo head office to 6-8 Parramatta Square by 2024.
“Establishing this new facility in Parramatta is a significant step in meeting our commitment to be more local and engaged with the community and less centralised in the Sydney CBD,” ABC Managing Director, David Anderson said.
“As a new facility, ABC Parramatta provides a rare opportunity to build something from the ground up.”
The council will advocate for the Federal Government to move SBS to Parramatta by writing to Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, Arts Minister Tony Burke, Parramatta Federal MP Andrew Charlton and Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts Jim Betts.
“Council note that the Federal Government is conducting a feasibility study into the relocation of the SBS headquarters to western Sydney to support local jobs and cultural infrastructure,” Lord Mayor Davis said.
Once the study begins, it will examine the business case, benefits and risks of relocating the SBS Sydney studios from Artarmon to western Sydney, as well as “explore the best options to assist the broadcaster in any future relocation decision”.
Cr Dan Siviero supported Lord Mayor Davis’ mayoral minute and said SBS has a special place in his heart.
“I really hope that the Federal Government will really look at this wonderful city,” he said.
“The ABC is here, we’re a multicultural city, so it’s a no-brainer really.”
But Parramatta’s not the only council gunning for SBS, with Canterbury-Bankstown, Liverpool and Blacktown all lobbying to become the broadcaster’s new home.
And with Willoughby City Council, where the head office is currently located, also fighting to keep SBS in Artarmon, it’s shaping up to be a battle of the councils over the relocation of the broadcaster.
SBS has been based in Artarmon for 30 years.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.