2027 Program

‘Delivering a legacy’ is the theme of the 2027 Sydney Summit.

It’s an invitation to consider how Sydney’s past, present and future are connected. The legacy we inherit is shaped by the ideas, institutions, infrastructure and decisions of those who came before us. The choices we make today, across housing, energy, migration and the economics of a growing city, will in turn shape the Sydney that future generations call home.

Sydney Summit 2027 will bring these perspectives together: reflecting on the ideas that have shaped our city, exploring the opportunities and decisions before us, and considering what we want to leave for the Sydneysiders who come after us..

First session

Eamon Waterford, CEO, Committee for Sydney

Presented by James Smithers, Partner, Project & Infrastructure Advisory

Sydney is a city in motion. New communities are taking shape, more homes are in the pipeline than at any point in recent memory, and the decisions being made right now, on financing, on energy, on the communities growing around new arrivals, are decisions that will still be felt in twenty years. This panel brings together the leaders making those calls to examine what delivery looks like at this scale and pace, and what it takes to get it right for the people who will inherit the city we are building today.

What is the one idea that would deliver a legacy for Sydney this is one of the following:

  • Mighty: the idea so ambitious it could reshape the city
  • Ready: the practical fix that just needs someone to say yes
  • Cheap: the almost free solution hiding in plain sight

Insights presetned by Matt Levinson, Head of Corporate Affairs, Committee for Sydney and Adira Wiryoatmojo, Senior Research Executive, Ipsos

Second session

Kellie Sloane MP, NSW Leader of the Opposition. Followed by a fireside chat with Jordan Baker, Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.

Returning for the second year in a row, Sydney has great examples of how big visions are turned into reality. What can major projects teach us about how we can realise future projects that can benefit all Sydneysiders? 

The decisions being made in Sydney today will be inherited by people who are not yet in the room and in some cases, not yet born. This panel asks what we owe them: the transport corridors that will shape where people can live and work, the cultural institutions that will tell the city’s story, and the communities that will either hold together or fracture depending on the choices made now. Four voices, from federal government, local government, the arts and the opposition, examine what a city built for the long run actually looks like.

Michael Rose AM, Chair, Committee for Sydney