I've said for a long time that Sydney, like New York and London, is a city of villages. That being said, infrastructure and public transport is the lifeblood of the city.

Many of our cities, including Sydney, are growing at a fast pace and it's important that infrastructure grows with them to underpin that growth. It's pretty obvious that new, intelligent infrastructure projects positively impact property prices. We saw it in Sydney's south-west with the M5, we're seeing it now in Epping and North Ryde with the Lane Cove Tunnel and talk of an Epping to Chatswood rail line.

The Hills market grew when the M2 was introduced, but didn't reach its full potential as the public transport wasn't adequate. In Sydney's Hills, many CBD workers in areas like Castle Hill have to drive long distances to upper north shore stations, like Beecroft, to get to the CBD.  A Hills rail link would really open up the local area to Sydney's upgrading families seeking larger, more affordable homes and blocks of land than are currently available closer to the CBD.

Ask anyone living on the Northern Beaches of Sydney who works in the CBD and they'll speak passionately about the need for better public transport and roads. I'm sure Sydney's not alone, it's critical that local government pay attention to the needs of our communities.