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About CWS
Our region is Australia's laboratory for the development of better economic, social, cultural and environmental solutions for the decades ahead.
Our focus is the delivery of better research for policy development in Western Sydney.
The Centre helps our community access the Western Sydney University's quality research, and gives another way for our researchers to enhance the impact of their internationally-renowned work.
Here you can seek out policy-relevant research, access novel data and visualisations, read expert white papers on major issues, and debate key issues facing Western Sydney.
Our Director
Dr Andy Marks leads major Western Sydney University strategic and development initiatives with government, industry and the community.
He has a PhD and first-class honours in political science and literature. His research examines perspectives of identity, culture and celebrity drawn from the political novel, and rendered in contemporary politics.
Andy writes regular columns for the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian, the AFR and the Daily Telegraph. He is also a panellist on ABC Sydney’s ‘political forum’.
Andy is Chair of the Committee for Sydney’s Western Sydney Taskforce, Chair of the Western Sydney Community Forum and incoming Director of the Centre for Western Sydney. In 2018, he founded the CatalystWest interactive policy forum on technology, innovation and regional development, and is co-founder of the Launch Pad start-up incubator.
Prior to his current role, Andy was a researcher in the social services sector, a Council member at the University of New England, and an ARIA nominated professional musician and composer.
