Government Scraps New SBS Site In Western Sydney

The federal government has alerted Australia’s multicultural and multilingual national broadcaster, SBS, that it will no longer proceed with the planned expansion into Western Sydney.

In 2024 the government initially provided SBS with $5.9 million for a scoping study to develop a Western Sydney production hub and talent incubator. The hub was planned as a home for increased SBS programming, including news and current affairs, multilingual audio services and screen content, as well as providing local communities with improved access to SBS jobs and education pathway.

The initial plan back in 2019, as part of Labor “Fair Go With the West” campaign, was to completely relocate SBS from its Artarmon office to Western Sydney, but a study found the relocation would be too costly, settling on a hub instead.

An email was sent out on Tuesday evening by SBS acting managing director Jane Palfreyman.

“It is disappointing that the initiative will not be progressing, given the opportunities it presented to expand SBS’s facilities and content capacity, build on our existing work, tell more stories, and deepen engagement in one of Australia’s most diverse and fastest-growing regions,” the email said.

“The government has indicated that its decision has been made in the context of the current fiscal environment.”

Blacktown Council had previously emerged as the forerunner for the site, which was planned to be integrated into the council’s redevelopment of its CBD.