Editorial: The clock is ticking on huge project list

The government needs to get a wriggle on if it is to have any hope of avoiding an infrastructure backlog of epic proportions, writes the editor.

Queensland is running out of time to get Games infrastructure under way.

The latest Queensland Auditor-General’s report is further evidence, not that more was needed, that the Crisafulli government needs to get a wriggle on if it is to have any hope of avoiding an infrastructure backlog of epic proportions.

The report found one-third of the state’s publicly owned health buildings, worth $8.7bn, are due to be replaced within the next decade.

Things have been left to run down to such an extent by past governments that Charleville’s 83-year-old hospital no longer complies with modern standards.

St George Hospital, built in 1975, is also now at the end of its life.

And Darling Downs Hospital’s concrete baselayer is in such sorry condition there is now a mould problem – far from ideal in a facility that treats sick people.

Required upgrades have now blown out to $2bn. But there’s so much work maintaining existing facilities that the need for contractors has skyrocketed.

Auditor-General Rachel Vagg revealed there are now 16 hospitals and health services struggling to pay for maintenance.

Queensland Health says it has a two-phased strategy to deal with the problems by 2026.

That’s sounds achievable, and let’s hope it happens.

But the report is a wakeup call that Queensland must climb a much higher infrastructure mountain by 2032 when the Olympic cauldron is lit.

More than $100bn is scheduled over the next five years alone, a Major Contractors Association Queensland analysis has revealed.

Even if the money can be found without a crippling debt blowout, finding skilled workers to do the job is likely to be just as hard.

The labour shortage has already delayed existing major projects such as Cross River Rail and the Coomera Connector and also made it that much harder to churn out the thousands more homes needed by our booming population.

New and upgraded Olympics facilities are only part of the story, so ridiculous calls to cancel the Games won’t solve the problem.

There are also pumped hydro and other renewables projects to build – a daunting task in itself.

We saw only this week that our coal power plants are struggling to meet demand as they approach the end of their lifespans.

The giant Copper String transmission line in northwest Queensland is another mega commitment.

The new government says the project has now blown out to $9bn without a single power pylon yet being installed.

And the very welcome commitment by the Albanese government to upgrade the Bruce Highway, something The Courier-Mail has campaigned for through the Help Our Highway series, means Treasurer David Janetzki has to find an extra $1.8bn to uphold his end of the deal as well as the workers and materials needed.

The challenge is truly daunting. But it must be done and it can be, if the proper steps are taken.

Firstly, the new government needs to keep up its initial burst of speed in implementing its promises.

Far too much time has been wasted politicking on Games infrastructure rather than building it. Let’s hope there is concrete action soon after the 100-day review concludes.

We also have to build smarter. The Major Contractors Association, for example, suggests modular wards could speed up the construction of new hospitals, much like McDonald’s sticks to the same design for each of its new restaurants.

Ending BPIC, the union sweetheart deal ushered in by the Miles government that blew out costs by many millions, was also a great start – but time is ticking and more must be done to avoid any embarrassment in 2032.

POSITIVE STEP FOR KIDS

Tim Nicholls’ pledge to consider reporting pediatric waiting list data for the most serious dental treatment is a win for the hundreds of concerned dentists across the state who believe our children are suffering because some councils refuse to add fluoride to the water.

If we cannot see the true extent of the problem, it will be impossible to fix.

Mr Nicholls has long been a supporter of fluoride in the water, having backed Anna Bligh’s Labor government when they made the decision to mandate the mineral in water supplies in 2008.

As our State of Decay series has revealed, dental health in Queensland has gone rapidly downhill since Campbell Newman reversed that decision in 2012 and many councils opted out.

Mr Nicholls must do all he can to make that right – and if he and Premier David Crisafulli won’t reintroduce a mandate, they at least owe it to Queenslanders to be transparent on the true extent of the problem.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available here