Online retail giant Amazon is building one of the largest warehouses in Australia in its latest efforts to expand its operations in the country.
Construction on the 200,000 square metre robotics fulfilment centre has already begun at Kemps Creek in Sydney’s west, close to the under-construction Western Sydney airport.
The advanced storage and distribution facility is expected to create 1,500 warehouse jobs, in addition to 700 jobs during its construction.
It will be roughly the size of Taronga Zoo.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said today the announcement was “a huge boost for Western Sydney as it becomes the gateway for jobs of the future”.
Given the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, she added the development came at a time “when we need it”.
“The state has gone through a very difficult time and Western Sydney will become the advanced manufacturing capital of the nation,” she said.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the jobs on offer were “not the traditional warehouse jobs we’ve seen in the past”.
Amazon has opened more than 50 robotics fulfilment centres around the world but this will be the first in Australia.