Sydney hosts six world-class universities offering a wide range of courses for international students across undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree levels.

The University of Sydney is one of the top universities in Sydney, Australia, and is consistently ranked in the top 50 universities in the world.

UNSW is ranked 2nd in Australia and 27th in the world for Graduate Employability. Browse our range of study options and find the perfect one for you.

Western Sydney University is one of Australia's leading institutions, ranked in the top 250 universities globally.

University of Technology Sydney is Australia's no 1 young university, focused on making a difference through leading research, and inspiring education.

Macquarie University is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park.

The Australian Catholic University is a publicly funded university with several campuses around Australia.

The City of Sydney is now powered using 100 per cent renewable electricity generated from wind and solar farms in regional NSW. All our operations – including street lights, pools, sports fields, depots, buildings and the historic Sydney Town Hall – now use 100% renewable electricity from locally-sourced clean energy. Roughly three-quarters of the City’s power is wind-generated, and the rest will come from solar power.

As the bushfires from the summer of 2019-20 remain fresh in people’s minds, proactive steps are needed to improve the city’s climate resilience. By decarbonising metropolitan systems and embracing renewable energy sources, Greater Sydney has the opportunity to lead a green post-pandemic recovery. Some cities, Sydney included, have made moves to decarbonise public transport fleets.

NSW is home to 11 universities, with 2 ranked in the top 50 for medicine and health. Australia is ranked 8th in the world for life sciences research.

Significant capital investment in health precincts dispersed across Greater Sydney in Westmead, Camperdown, Randwick and Liverpool, offers economic and productivity advantages to businesses.

Precincts are where research institutions and companies can cluster and connect with startups, business incubators and accelerators. This creates a culture that supports the commercialisation of products and services and grows the future skills pipeline.

The NSW Government is targeting priority sectors including:
• medical devices
• biotechnology
• clinical trials
• gene and cell therapies
• digital health.

Is Australia’s housing crisis self-inflicted? If so, then we need a series of reforms to reverse it
The best long-term solution to the structural problems of the rental crisis is to build more public and/or affordable housing.

Make renting more Sustainable. Increase rent assistance or look at rental caps, similar to countries in Europe and some US states, long term tenancy agreements with incentives for all parties to the agreement.

Build to Rent
The Build to Rent property sector is growing in Australia – this new class of housing is focused on providing high quality purpose designed and built rental stock, creating an additional housing choice for Australian renters with greater security and service.

Build to Rent developments are typically owned by institutional investors for the long term and the owner could be the developer/ongoing building manager. The format provides tenants with the flexibility of renting with the security of home ownership.

Build-to-Rent developments are usually large-scale residential properties specifically designed, built and managed for long-term ownership and rental.

Social Housing
In the 40 years between 1981 and 2021 the percentage of all Australian households living in social housing (i.e. state owned and managed public housing or community managed housing) has ranged from 4.9 per cent in 1981 to 3.8 per cent in 2021. Such a drop in the proportion of social housing raises the question of has Australia achieved the balance right, and also just what is the right level of social housing for Australia?

In 2018 Statistics Canada said 628,700 Canadian households, more than one in ten renter households nationally (13.5% of 4,652,500), were living in social and affordable housing.
In New Zealand, as of 30 June 2021, there were 74,337 public housing households. This equates to 4.0% of households living in social housing.

In England (in 2018) 17% of households (3.9 million) lived in social housing, while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development publishes that 1.2 million households live in public housing, which is 0.98 per cent of all housing.

The Greater Cities Commission is leading the delivery and coordination of four innovation districts with the greatest opportunity to accelerate economic recovery for the Six Cities Region.

These innovation districts will complement and reinforce each other, incorporating social, economic and sustainability benefits into their strategic development. The innovation districts the Commission are focussing on are:

• Tech Central
• Westmead Health and Innovation District (including Parramatta North)
• Macquarie Park

Tech Central is a place where universities, startups, scaleups, tech giants and local communities collaborate to solve problems, socialise and spark ideas that change our world.

Westmead Health and Innovation District will continue building on its status as a globally recognised destination for innovation, health, education and research, capitalising on existing major health and research facilities and ongoing government investment in health and transport infrastructure.

The Macquarie Park Innovation District situated to the north west of Sydney CBD includes a
world class university, a major shopping centre, a hospital, a high-tech employment hub.

NSW is home to the largest number of defence bases and capabilities of any state or territory and is home to one quarter of Australia’s military and defence civilian personnel. All three services have significant bases throughout the state, including major sustainment hubs for the Australian Army at Holsworthy Barracks, the Royal Australian Navy at Garden Island and the Royal Australian Air Force at Williamtown.

Each service has operational level headquarters and significant training units located across the state.

Greater Sydney provides a harbour for the Royal Australian Navy base, Victoria Barracks, Randwick Barracks, Liverpool Military Area, and RAAF bases Richmond and Glenbrook.

Research and Development related to defence is conducted at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics at University of Sydney, the Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) at the University of NSW and the Centre for Autonomous Systems at the University of Technology Sydney.

Greater Sydney has advanced manufacturing capacity in technologies identified as critical to the success of the Defence Force in the coming years.

These include:
• acoustic technologies and systems
• complex system integration
• cybersecurity
• advanced materials and optics
• helicopter and jet engine maintenance and simulation
• intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)
• electronic warfare
• space technologies
• small arms manufacturing.

Sydney is best known for its harbourfront Sydney Opera House, with a distinctive sail-like design. The Darling Harbour and the smaller Circular Quay port are hubs of waterside life, with the arched Harbour Bridge and Royal Botanic Garden nearby.

Tour the Sydney Opera House, climb the Harbour Bridge, swim at Bondi Beach, visit the zoos and aquariums, explore aboriginal culture and watch whales frolic off the coast.

Waste is a significant and increasing contributor to emissions. Moving to a circular economy will reduce emissions and improve sustainability of our cities and infrastructure. This will require major changes to waste management, recycling, and reuse across the six cities.

Increasing the separation of household food and organic waste can generate renewable energy and reduce emissions. This may require innovative solutions in higher-density areas where fewer households have access to their own garden, including through the development of community-led ‘maker spaces’ or ‘circular economy hubs’.

Projections for climate change in the Shoalhaven Region include higher temperatures, higher evaporation rates, changes to the distribution and intensity of rainfall, severe and more frequent heatwaves resulting in more severe bushfire weather and a longer bushfire season.

These risks will have impacts for agricultural activities in the region, where producers will need to invest in methods and infrastructure to mitigate high temperatures and conserve water.

Known for its 100 beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife, and boutique food and wine scene, the Shoalhaven is one of the top-visited destinations in Australia, but cultural tourists are in for a treat with the re-imagining of Arthur Boyd’s Bundanon.

Arthur Boyd chose the Shoalhaven as his place to live and make work, and his legacy lives on with the new fantastic Bundanon, his gift to the people.

Australia’s only regional art museum accompanied by seven delightful art and culture trails, all within 2 hours from Sydney and Canberra.

Sectors such as tourism, agriculture, defence, health, education, aged care, retail and hospitality will remain important employers in the Far South Coast and Shoalhaven, and continue to make a critical contribution to the economy.

The University of Wollongong has a campus in Shoalhaven. Students can complete studies in a range of courses from the Arts, Commerce, Aquaculture, Nursing, Education and Health & Behavioural Science and faculties as well as the Graduate School of Medicine.

A new mental health facility, an initiative of Shoalhaven City Council and The University of Wollongong is currently under construction at the West Nowra campus.

TAFE NSW has campuses offering courses in subjects such as Aged Care, Community Services, Health, Disabilities, Trades, Business, Agriculture, Hospitality, Tourism, Information Technology, Child Studies and Industry legislative compliance.

The dairy industry is moving towards a more intensive system of production, with efficiencies in establishing ‘dairy pads’ as well as the more traditional fodder-based dairies.

In the region, beef farming is undertaken on a smaller scale that other regions across NSW due to the smaller size of properties. It operates as part of a mixed farming system with cropping or hay production, enabling feed to be stored on farm for drier periods or sold. The nursery industry relies on many of the similar secondary industries as the other agricultural industries in the region.

Wheat, oats and maize grown in the Shoalhaven provide feed for dairy cattle in the region. Lucerne, pasture and cereal hay grown in the Shoalhaven provide feed for cattle and Lucerne hay for the equine industry. The Bega Cheese processing plant is the main milk processor in the South East and Tablelands Region. The plant employs over 500 staff in the Bega Valley.

The south coast’s oysters, mussels and scallops enjoy an international reputation as
being safe, sustainable and high quality. Aquaculture provides regional employment, tourism opportunities, food security and a reliable supply of quality fresh seafood for locals and international diners alike.

There are a number of public and private hospitals located in the region, including those at Berry, Nowra, Milton, Batemans Bay, Moruya, Bega and Pambula. There are also numerous medical centres, health clinics and GP services throughout the region including the recently completed Cancer Care Centres at Nowra and Moruya.

Is Australia’s housing crisis self-inflicted? If so, then we need a series of reforms to reverse it
The best long-term solution to the structural problems of the rental crisis is to build more public and/or affordable housing.

Make renting more Sustainable. Increase rent assistance or look at rental caps, similar to countries in Europe and some US states, long term tenancy agreements with incentives for all parties to the agreement.

Build to Rent
The Build to Rent property sector is growing in Australia – this new class of housing is focused on providing high quality purpose designed and built rental stock, creating an additional housing choice for Australian renters with greater security and service.

Build to Rent developments are typically owned by institutional investors for the long term and the owner could be the developer/ongoing building manager. The format provides tenants with the flexibility of renting with the security of home ownership.

Build-to-Rent developments are usually large-scale residential properties specifically designed, built and managed for long-term ownership and rental.

Social Housing
In the 40 years between 1981 and 2021 the percentage of all Australian households living in social housing (i.e. state owned and managed public housing or community managed housing) has ranged from 4.9 per cent in 1981 to 3.8 per cent in 2021. Such a drop in the proportion of social housing raises the question of has Australia achieved the balance right, and also just what is the right level of social housing for Australia?

In 2018 Statistics Canada said 628,700 Canadian households, more than one in ten renter households nationally (13.5% of 4,652,500), were living in social and affordable housing.
In New Zealand, as of 30 June 2021, there were 74,337 public housing households. This equates to 4.0% of households living in social housing.

In England (in 2018) 17% of households (3.9 million) lived in social housing, while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development publishes that 1.2 million households live in public housing, which is 0.98 per cent of all housing.

Shoalhaven is Australia’s centre for naval aviation and is strategically located between Canberra and Sydney.

HMAS Albatross, the main naval air station for the naval aviation branch, and HMAS Cresswell, the naval academy are both located in the Shoalhaven region.

Shoalhaven companies offer a wide-range of products and services with growing opportunities to service the defence industries. These include:
• Military-grade communications systems
• Armoured steel plate
• High-end welding and engineering
• Engineered plastics and polyurethane
• Electrical isolators and enclosures
• Specialist protective coatings
• Base safety systems
• Ruggedised medical computing devices
• Specialist labour services

With over 400km of pristine coastline as well as vast national and state parks, the NSW south coast is the third most visited region in NSW, attracting 4.9 million visitors (excluding figures for Jervis Bay).

This equates to 12.3% of total visits made within NSW making the Far South Coast one of the state’s most popular tourist destinations. This annual visitation is a balanced division between day-trippers and overnight visitors.

Over 70,000 international visitors travel to the Far South Coast region each year.

A circular economy is one that exchanges the typical cycle of make, use, dispose in favour of maximising re-use and recycling. The longer materials and resources are in use, the more value is extracted from them. The circular economy concept is best, and most often, applied in relation to resource consumption and regeneration.

Mean temperatures are projected to rise by 2.1 ºC by 2070. The greatest increases are occurring in the north west of the region, around Bourke during summer. All models show there are no declines in mean temperatures across the Far West by 2070.

Climate change is affecting the Far West region, particularly through increasing temperatures. Projections show temperatures are expected to keep rising, rainfall patterns will change and droughts will be more severe.

Summer and spring will experience the greatest changes in maximum temperatures, with maximum temperatures increasing by 2.5°C in the far future. Increased maximum temperatures are known to impact human health through heat stress and increasing the number of heatwave events.

Rainfall is projected to decrease in spring and to increase in autumn. Severe and average fire weather and severe fire weather days are projected to increase in summer and spring. Severe fire weather is projected to decrease in autumn in the near future.

One example of action being taken is a water-resilient community garden by Dharriwaa Elders Group Incorporated. This project renewed a community garden, making it more resilient to drought, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food transport by providing local food for the community.

Opened in 1904 Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery is the oldest regional gallery in New South Wales. The beautifully restored emporium displays a selection of works from the City of Broken Hill's art collection and a quality program of temporary exhibitions by local, state and national artists along with touring exhibitions. The exhibition program also includes the Gallery's annual acquisitive award, the 'Pro Hart Outback Art Prize'.

The Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery provides an annual program of locally curated exhibitions along with touring exhibitions from major cultural institutions. A selection of works from the collection is on permanent display in the upstairs gallery. The annual program endeavours to include work by established and emerging Aboriginal artists from around the Far West region of New South Wales.