New Queensland Infrastructure Plan to manage growth

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Premier and Minister for the Arts

The Honourable Anna Bligh

26/05/2010

New Queensland Infrastructure Plan to manage growth

The Queensland Government has announced a major shake-up in infrastructure planning to anticipate and manage population growth across the entire state.

The new plan will mean the Government's entire state-wide capital works program will have a renewed focused on managing population growth.

"This Queensland Infrastructure Plan (QIP) will be a long term planning document for the entire state similar to the SEQ Infrastructure Plan and Program," said the Premier.

"For the first time we will have a state-wide plan that will anticipate infrastructure needs in growing regions as we deliver on regionalisation to help take the pressure off the south east corner.

"The new Queensland Infrastructure Plan will integrate the existing Queensland Roads Investment Program (RIP) and SEQ Infrastructure Plan and Program (SEQIPP) as well as other state infrastructure planning documents."

Ms Bligh said the first QIP would be delivered next year and key features would include:

· A clear state-wide blueprint of road, public transport, health and education infrastructure needs to match forecast population growth.

· A clear state-wide pipeline of targets with the credibility to attract federal funding

· A robust prioritisation, sequencing and maturity assessment of projects across all of Queensland's regional planning frameworks

· A plan that incorporates significant economic development activities (such as the new LNG industry) and associated infrastructure needs.

The premier said consultation with SEQ councils about existing dwelling targets in their regions would be a major new direction of QIP.

"At the Growth Management Summit, some Councils said the new dwelling targets for the local areas did not match up to their expectations," she said.

"We have listened, and will give Councils the chance to sit down with Government and confirm the forecast dwelling numbers for our region, within the existing urban footprint."

Ms Bligh said the dialogue with councils would highlight the link between infrastructure investment and dwelling targets.

"This is also an opportunity to better integrate major local government infrastructure delivery with the State's record levels of investment," she said.

The Queensland Government is investing in the largest infrastructure program in history, with a forecast expenditure of $18.2 billion in 2009-10.