Editorial: Current leaders need to think further ahead

BABY Elizabeth is a very special Queenslander who has already caught the attention of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. So why, Ms Palaszczuk, are you not looking forward to what life will be like for Elizabeth in the years to come, asks THE EDITOR.

IN MAY this year Queensland welcomed this state’s five-millionth resident, Elizabeth Lynne Mackenzie, who was born by caesarean section at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk spoke whimsically in State Parliament about this 3.7kg “special arrival” and mused about Queensland’s growing interstate migration rate.

Elizabeth Lynne Mackenzie is the five-millionth Queenslander. Picture: Adam Head

Baby Elizabeth was mentioned again in the forward of the Government’s State Infrastructure Plan where State Development Minister Cameron Dick reflected on the population milestone and how it represented opportunities and challenges.

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As The Courier-Mail embarks on our FutureSEQ series exploring these very issues, it is worth pondering just what life in this region will be like for 25-year-old Elizabeth in 2043.

She could be embarking on a career after graduating from QUT’s Garden Point campus, where she had travelled to daily via Cross River Rail.

She and her friends might like nights out at Queen’s Wharf’s sky deck, grabbing a bite to eat at the restaurants of Howard Smith wharves and taking a train and then a tram directly to Burleigh Heads beach on weekends.

Elizabeth may embark on her first solo adventure overseas from Brisbane Airport’s second runway or even on one of the world’s biggest cruise liners that exit regularly from the Port of Brisbane’s terminal. These are all infrastructure projects in the pipeline now, under construction or near complete.

How Elizabeth and her generation live, work and play in southeast Queensland in the future, however, is very much dependant on the vision of governments now and the work they are willing to undertake to make it happen.

That is why Ms Palaszczuk’s brusque dismissal of a bold $70 billion fast rail plan that has been proposed by southeast Queensland’s mayors is so shortsighted and disappointing.

The Premier says southeast Queensland doesn’t have the population to support fast rail and her administration is focused on delivering Cross River Rail.

The Palaszczuk Government deserves much credit for backing in this $5.4 billion project after Canberra thumbed its nose at the 10.2km inner-city link. The project is not just about moving extra people from point A to point B faster but will be a catalyst for urban revitalisation and improved lifestyles well into the future.

However, Cross River Rail should be viewed as the beginning of this journey, not the end. It is a challenge for every government to look beyond the electoral cycle. There is much political risk for any administration in staking themselves to a particular vision.

But it is crucial for a region growing as quickly as southeast Queensland that expansion is guided in a holistic way to avoid hideous costly fixes in the future.

The State Infrastructure Plan, which so boldly mentions Elizabeth, is a case in point. It neither embraces the opportunities nor seeks to confront the challenges of a region where 794,000 new dwellings are forecast to be needed over the next two decades.

For a start the document offers just a four-year timetable for infrastructure investment. This is a far cry from the original infrastructure plans that were produced by the Beattie government.

Those plans did come only after The Courier-Mail’s reporting over an extended period had highlighted how a dearth of infrastructure planning and investment had failed to keep pace with population. And the plans were far from perfect given the initial editions did not envisage the need for another river rail crossing.

However, they did demonstrate that the Government was cataloguing, planning, pricing and prioritising the region’s infrastructure needs over a 25-year horizon.

The Southeast Queensland Regional plan, dubbed ShapingSEQ, attempts to offer a modicum of the necessary foresight. But it is more vague than visionary and shirks many of the contentious debates of the future around housing and transport to avoid any immediate political fallout.

The Palaszczuk Government, the LNP Opposition and Brisbane City Council, as well as the Coalition and Labor in Canberra, all need to step up their game and develop meaningful visions for the southeast Queensland region.

Baby Elizabeth and her generation need more than just platitudes from our current crop of politicians.

IN FOR TOP SUMER OF CRICKET

AUSTRALIAN cricket commentary boxes are male, pale and stale no more, with Fox Sports set to deliver the sport the facelift it was craving.

Yesterday’s launch showcased the engrossing new world that awaits fans, with a commentary team as decorated and diverse as any in world cricket.

From the candid comments of Shane Warne to the wit of Andrew Symonds, the natural authority of Adam Gilchrist and the quirky analysis of Kerry O’Keeffe, Fox has assembled a team that is humorous, insightful, respectful yet irreverent all in one package.

But it is the female touch that Fox executives are equally excited about, with 10 female callers and hosts including current stars Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry to be part of the broadcast.

Fox Sports wants viewers to get closer to the action. A roving camera before play will follow the team warm-up and might even pop inside the dressing room.

Daphne Benaud, wife of broadcasting legend Richie, met with the Fox team yesterday. Richie was a great believer that innovation and change are essential for any sport. Cricket has that now. Great times await.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Sam Weir, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available at www.couriermail.com.au/help/contact-us