Blacktown the Entertainment Epicentre

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1 MEDIA RELEASE EMBARGOED UNTIL 11AM 7 SEPTEMBER Media Alert Launch of Sydney Zoo Mark Speakman, Minister for Environment and Heritage will be announcing the site and plans for Sydney Zoo. Mayor Bali will be speaking at the launch Date: Monday 7 September Time: 11am Location: Bungarribee Super Park Site, Great Western Highway, Bungarribee opposite intersection with Rudders Street. Note to media: This release is sent as a strictly embargoed story, in order that local papers can allocate space for coverage. It is not to be posted online until after the announcement is made on Monday morning. Blacktown the Entertainment Epicentre Blacktown City is to get a world class zoo that will attract around 740,000 visitors to Western Sydney each year. The $36 million Sydney Zoo will be one of the largest in Australia and will be located in Blacktown s large scale entertainment precinct, in Bungarribee Super Park. Blacktown City Council is incredibly proud to be associated with Sydney Zoo, said the Mayor of Blacktown City, Councillor Stephen Bali. A zoo in the heart of Blacktown City is the latest in a growing list of reasons why Western Sydney is fast becoming the must visit destination for New South Wales. It will be a cage free zoo with limitless horizons which brings visitors safely face to face with animals, making it a hugely successful attraction. It is estimated by economic analyst KPMG this major tourist attraction will initially create 59 full time and another 50 part time positions, with 160 jobs being created during construction and between 120 and 210 jobs once it begins full scale operation. KPMG also forecasts the zoo will contribute around $45 million a year to the NSW economy and an extra $3 million in extra tourist spending. Sydney Zoo Managing Director Jake Burgess said the zoo will be a significant contributor to job creation for the Western Sydney area. The jobs created will be in a range of roles and industries. Importantly we will have a number of entry-level, flexible positions for young people seeking to join the workforce, he said.

2 Our brand will be widely recognised and working for us will represent a good start for young people. We are working proactively with Blacktown Council to maximise the number of roles provided to people from the local area. Mayor Bali confirmed Council is working with Sydney Zoo to ensure the majority of jobs remain locally available. Blacktown City is home to over 332,000 people, made up of over 184 different nationalities, speaking 156 different languages, Mayor Bali said. We are discussing the potential of employing people from this diversity of nationalities to greet international visitors. The zoo will contain approximately 30 exhibits with a variety of exotic and native species including: a glassed-in viewing area to observe hippopotamus, crocodiles and other aquatic life an Australian reptile and nocturnal animals house elevated walkways across African grasslands with elephants, giraffes, rhinos, lions, cheetahs and chimpanzees native waterways with fish, including bull sharks Australian and Aboriginal cultural exhibits and a central area for educational shows. It has been a privilege to work with Sydney Zoo Managing Director, Jake Burgess and the Western Sydney Parklands Trust Director, Suellen Fitzgerald, to bring the project to this stage, Mayor Bali said. We anticipate much more, particularly as the Zoo stands strongly alongside the other large scale entertainment venues we have attracted to Blacktown City. The Zoo is surrounded by other outstanding, major attractions in Blacktown City such as Wet n Wild, Sydney s only drive in movie theatre, Sydney Motorsport Park and the 2000 Sydney Olympics legacy venue, the Blacktown International Sportspark. Blacktown is fast becoming an entertainment epicentre. Pictures available at the Blacktown Media Unit dropbox:

3 Entry Building, Sydney Zoo Boma Building, Sydney Zoo

4 African Grasslands exhibit giraffes and elephants to the left, lions to the right. The fenceline runs under the boardwalk and perimeter fencing is concealed in moats, creating an open horizon. South East Asian walk through exhibit Sydney Zoo

5 Cumberland Plain Woodland Australian native exhibit Media Contact: Alan Gale , or Kate Jones , Communications Unit, Blacktown City Council