The Fair Share Framework

The Fair Share Framework is GWSAN’s core model for understanding whether Greater Western Sydney is receiving fair access to the housing, infrastructure, services, healthy environments, opportunities and civic participation needed for communities to thrive.

It provides a practical way to assess whether growth is being matched with investment, whether communities can access opportunity close to where they live, and whether people have a genuine voice in shaping the future of their neighbourhoods and region.

At its heart, the Fair Share Framework asks a simple question:

Are public decisions creating healthier, fairer and more connected communities across Greater Western Sydney?

Explore the Framework

Why Fair Share Matters 

Greater Western Sydney is one of Australia’s fastest-growing and most diverse regions.

The region plays a critical role in the state and national economy, yet many communities continue to experience:

• housing stress and affordability pressure

• long commute times

• infrastructure gaps

• urban heat vulnerability

• unequal access to services and opportunity

• limited participation in decision-making

Growth alone is not enough.

Fair Share means ensuring population growth is matched by:

• infrastructure

• transport

• healthy public spaces

• affordable housing

• local opportunity

• civic participation

• long-term investment in community wellbeing

The framework recognises that fairness is not only about equal spending. It is about equitable access to the conditions that allow people and places to flourish.

The Five Fair Share Pillars 

Fair Home

Fair Home means every person should have access to secure, affordable, well-located and appropriate housing.

Housing is more than shelter. It shapes:

• health

• education

• employment access

• financial stability

• social connection

• long-term wellbeing

GWSAN supports:

• diverse housing options

• affordable housing pathways

• medium-density and missing-middle housing

• housing close to transport and services

• infrastructure aligned with growth

• neighbourhoods designed for long-term liveability

Fair Share question:

Is housing growth being matched with infrastructure, affordability and quality of life?

Related Work

• Read our housing and planning articles

• View policy submissions on housing reform

• Explore the Better Planning White Paper

• Share housing experiences through Equity Diaries

Fair Access

Fair Access means people should be able to reach jobs, schools, healthcare, shops, parks and community life without excessive time, cost or car dependence.

Access shapes opportunity.

In Greater Western Sydney, long commutes and limited transport options affect:

• family life

• productivity

• health

• participation

• economic mobility

GWSAN supports:

• walkable local centres

• safer streets and crossings

• active transport

• public transport access and frequency

• time equity

• place-based transport planning

• access to services close to where people live

Fair Share question:

Can people realistically access daily needs within a reasonable time, cost and distance?

Related Work

• Read our walkability and transport articles

• View transport-related submissions

• Explore Movement and Place concepts

• Contribute local access issues

Fair Health

Fair Health means communities should have access to environments that support physical, mental and social wellbeing.

Healthy places are not a luxury. They are essential public infrastructure.

In Greater Western Sydney, heat, limited tree canopy, poor walkability and unequal access to green space can significantly affect health outcomes and quality of life.

GWSAN supports:

• urban cooling and tree canopy

• parks and green infrastructure

• healthy streets and active neighbourhoods

• access to fresh food

• preventative planning

• climate resilience

• public spaces that support social connection

Fair Share question:

Are neighbourhoods designed to support health and wellbeing, or are communities left to carry the long-term costs later?

Related Work

• Read our healthy places and climate articles

• Explore heat and liveability research

• Partner on healthy communities projects

• Share local environmental concerns

Fair Opportunity

Fair Opportunity means people should have fair access to education, employment, participation pathways and the ability to build secure futures close to where they live.

Opportunity is shaped by place.

Communities need:

• local jobs

• education pathways

• youth support

• civic participation

• safe and connected neighbourhoods

• access to services and transport

GWSAN supports:

• youth civic participation

• leadership development

• prevention-focused investment

• local economic opportunity

• education and employment pathways

• inclusive community infrastructure

Fair Share question:

Are people being given meaningful opportunities to participate, contribute and thrive within their own communities?

Related Work

• Support youth civic participation

• Learn about Advocacy in Action

• Explore leadership and prevention projects

• Partner on education and opportunity initiatives

Fair Voice

Fair Voice means communities should have access to information, participation and meaningful influence in the decisions shaping their lives.

Planning, transport, housing and infrastructure decisions affect everyday life. Communities deserve genuine opportunities to understand and influence those systems.

GWSAN supports:

• civic literacy

• planning education

• community participation

• transparent decision-making

• inclusive consultation

• leadership pathways

• stronger trust between institutions and communities

Fair Share question:

Do communities have a genuine voice in shaping the future of their neighbourhoods and region?

Related Work

• Join the Civic Literacy Series

• Learn about Advocacy in Action

• Share your story

• Volunteer with GWSAN

The Four Fair Share Tests 

GWSAN applies four core tests when assessing policies, projects, infrastructure decisions and planning proposals.

1. Population Test

Is investment keeping pace with population growth?

2. Need Test

Is funding and infrastructure going where pressure, disadvantage and unmet need are greatest?

3. Access Test

Can people realistically reach housing, jobs, services, transport and public spaces?

4. Prevention Test

Does investment reduce future social, health, housing and infrastructure costs?

Together, these tests help shift discussion from short-term growth to long-term community wellbeing.

How We Apply the Framework 

The Fair Share Framework guides:

• policy submissions

• research projects

• civic education

• public engagement

• storytelling initiatives

• advocacy priorities

• partnerships and collaborations

We use the framework to help assess whether decisions are creating healthier, fairer and more connected communities across Greater Western Sydney.

Explore Related Work

• Policy & Submissions

• Research & Insights

• Civic Literacy Series

• Equity Diaries

• Advocacy in Action

Fair Share in Action 

The Fair Share Framework is designed to connect policy with everyday lived experience.

Examples include:

• housing growth disconnected from transport and services

• unsafe crossings and limited walkability around schools and centres

• urban heat and lack of tree canopy

• long commute burdens reducing family and community time

• limited civic participation in planning decisions

• unequal access to parks, healthy food and local opportunity

The framework helps identify where systems are creating pressure and where practical improvements can support healthier, fairer outcomes.

Related Projects & Submissions 

Better Planning for Greater Western Sydney White Paper

A flagship reform paper exploring housing, infrastructure, transport, civic participation and regional equity.

Policy Submissions

Evidence-based submissions guided by the Fair Share Framework.

Civic Literacy Series

Public education sessions helping communities understand planning, housing, infrastructure and civic systems.

Advocacy in Action

A practical civic participation and advocacy skills initiative.

Equity Diaries

Community stories documenting how systems shape everyday life across Greater Western Sydney.

Framework Influences 

The Fair Share Framework is grounded in the lived realities of Greater Western Sydney and informed by leading place, wellbeing and equity frameworks including:

• Better Placed

• Movement and Place

• Healthy Streets

• WHO Healthy Cities

• the OECD Wellbeing Framework

• the UN Sustainable Development Goals

• spatial justice and place-based planning principles

These frameworks help inform GWSAN’s understanding of how healthier, fairer and more connected communities are created over time.

A Long-Term Vision for Greater Western Sydney 

Fair Share is not only about identifying gaps.

It is about helping build a region where:

• housing is connected to opportunity

• transport supports everyday life

• streets and public spaces encourage health and belonging

• communities are involved in shaping change

• growth is matched with infrastructure and investment

• young people can see a future in the places they call home

Greater Western Sydney is not simply a growth corridor.

It is a region of communities, cultures, ideas and futures that deserve thoughtful, long-term investment and care.

What you can do

Share your story. Join the campaign. Help us show that we deserve a fair share.

• Share your housing story with us
  
  

• Join our campaign network
  
  

• Spread the word in your community
  
  

We’re proud to stand with ACOSS, ACTU, Everybody's Home, Western Sydney Community Forum, Sweltering Cities and advocates across the country.

Let’s make sure Western Sydney’s voice is heard and included in the solutions.