The Diocese of Parramatta has welcomed the NSW Government’s record $4 billion investment in Western Sydney as a potentially significant step towards long-term renewal and support for one of the state’s fastest growing and most multicultural regions.
Announced on 24 June 2025, the 2025–26 NSW State Budget includes major funding commitments for health care, education, transport and housing – including services and infrastructure in Greater Western Sydney.
With significant population growth, cultural diversity and areas of social need across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains – a region covered by the Diocese of Parramatta – this investment recognises the increasing pressure on local services and the need for sustained support.
The Diocese, through its parishes, schools, agencies and ministries, engages with many of the individuals and families affected by these pressures – supporting people from all backgrounds and faiths, across all stages of life.
A Budget for the future. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
Renewed in spirit and prayer
Catholicism is strong in the Diocese of Parramatta, thanks to a renewed interest in the sacraments, increased youth engagement, and the continued expansion of culturally diverse communities in Sydney’s west. Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher from The Demographics Group recently observed that religion, like sport, plays a key role in fostering social connection, particularly in multicultural communities.
In 2025, the Diocese welcomed its highest-ever number of adults into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil. Events such as this year’s Good Friday Night Walk – the largest to date, included more than 1,400 young people walking from Blacktown to Parramatta.
Young Catholics at the 2025 Good Friday Night Walk. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
In addition, more than 30 young people registered for this year’s Jubilee of Hope youth pilgrimage to Greece and Rome, with applications open for an adult pilgrimage overseas later in the year. This keen interest and active participation by the local faithful signals a vibrant and growing local Catholic spirit in the Diocese.
On top of that, Western Sydney continues to welcome people from countries with strong Catholic traditions, including the Philippines, India, Sudan and South Sudan, and China. Many families moving west in search of affordable housing are also finding connection and belonging through Catholic parishes and schools.
In response, the Diocese continues to invest in school infrastructure, parish life, youth ministry and community support programs. Programs like RCIA and Catholic Youth Parramatta, agencies including Catholic Care Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains, Family Day Care, Ambrose; and other local Catholic organisations continue to expand to meet the growing needs of the community.
A multicultural community in Emerton. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
Hope in the Budget
For Catholic Care, the Diocese’s social services agency, the Budget signals progress on longstanding issues.
“This is a strong signal that Western Sydney matters,” said Executive Director Helen Emmerson.
“We welcome this investment – but the real test will be ensuring it reaches the people and communities who need it most.”
Catholic Care supports individuals and families in need. Images: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese CEO Jack de Groot also welcomed the NSW Government’s first-of-its-kind Performance and Wellbeing Statement as a positive step towards outcomes-focused education policy.
“As the largest non-government education provider in Western Sydney, we’re encouraged by the Budget’s recognition of well-being and investment in our region – critical steps to helping all children, across school sectors, thrive.”
Anthony Goonan, CEO of Community Ventures, which is the Approved Provider of the Diocese’s uniquely Catholic Ambrose® Early Years Education and Care services, noted the continuing aspiration of Government to bring a preschool education to more children to provide a strong learning foundation for improved learning and wellbeing outcomes.
“The Diocese itself is embarking on a substantial program of investment so many more of our primary schools enjoy a co-located preschool to serve the families throughout the communities of the western suburbs and Blue Mountains,” Anthony said.
“Most recently a new preschool was opened at Good Shepherd Parish in Plumpton to bring to seven the number of preschools operated by Ambrose.”
Community Ventures, a not-for-profit agency of the Diocese, is also committed to providing quality childcare services. With Ambrose now offering out of school hours care services at almost every Diocesan primary school, Anthony has welcomed the reforms announced by the NSW Government to further strengthen the early childhood sector.
Ambrose services support young families, Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
What’s in it for Western Sydney
Key Budget measures for Western Sydney include:
- $0.8 billion over four years for the Sydney Metro West – connecting Greater Parramatta with the Sydney CBD
- $5.5 billion over four years for Western Sydney roads
- $3.9 billion over four years to maintain, upgrade and build new schools across Western Sydney
- $3.4 billion over four years in health infrastructure for Western Sydney, including Rouse Hill Hospital, the first major adult hospital built in Western Sydney in over 40 years
- $801.4 million over four years for the City to South West Metro to deliver the final stage of an extension of the M1 Line, transforming a 130 year-old former T3 Bankstown line into a modern metro between Sydenham and Bankstown.
- This Budget also continues the work of getting the Aerotropolis back on track after a decade of inaction and underinvestment.
- The NSW Government and Australian Government have invested over $25.0 billion in infrastructure projects in the Aerotropolis.
- Continued cost-of living measures to ease pressures, including energy bill relief, toll relief, and first home buyer support
- Upgraded infrastructure across the Blue Mountains.
Fr Fernando Montano VG, Episcopal Vicar for Social Welfare in the Diocese of Parramatta, welcomed the Budget announcement.
“We welcome the efforts the NSW Government is taking to provide some support to the ongoing issues affecting many,” Fr Fernando said.
“Government and social care agencies – we need come together to find a solution to the underlying cause of the issues highlighted in the Budget, such as isolation, violence, lack of opportunities and unfair practices,” he added.
“This is where we as a Church can also offer some support and we are always willing to work together to make a difference in people’s lives.”
As the Western Sydney and Blue Mountains population continues to grow, the latest Budget represents hope that, if effectively implemented, it may help alleviate pressures on individuals and families facing hardship and contribute to a stronger, thriving community.
Read the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue’s media release.
For more information on how the latest Budget affects those in Western Sydney, read the NSW Government’s Plan for Western Sydney, or download the 2025–26 NSW Budget.
