City deal delivered for South East Queensland after 30 months of negotiations

The frustrated federal government has offered a final package of projects for South East Queensland’s landmark city deal, saving some choice words for the Deputy Premier.

The frustrated federal government has offered a final package of projects for South East Queensland’s landmark city deal, accusing the Deputy Premier of dithering on negotiations and cancelling a meeting just days after making the latest tiff public.

Negotiations over the SEQ City Deal have dragged out for more than two-and-a-half years, delaying a 20-year-pipeline of infrastructure including projects for the Olympics that is meant to be supported by all three levels of government.

Urban Infrastructure and Cities Minister Paul Fletcher has now offered a “final package” of projects to both the state government and SEQ Council of Mayors in order to get the deal done.

The list of projects in the final offer have not been released but are understood to include non-offensive infrastructure items that all three levels have been discussing through the year.

Paul Fletcher Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts of Australia. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

It’s understood one of the projects recently added is the Toowoomba Railway Parklands project, which Groom MP Garth Hamilton said would revitalise the town’s CBD, and generate new business and housing opportunities.

But the Toowoomba Wellcamp Entertainment Precinct — a project of Queensland construction giants the Wagners and championed by the state government — has been left out of the deal.

Mr Fletcher’s offer comes after Deputy Premier Steven Miles came out swinging against the federal government, accusing them of short-changing the state of $400m worth of infrastructure projects.

The last meeting relating to the stalled deal was held on July 15, with Mr Miles on Friday agreeing to meet with Mr Fletcher next month.

But that meeting has since been “cancelled” according to the federal government, an accusation Mr Miles’ office vehemently denies.

“We haven’t cancelled a meeting, we are in the process of finding a suitable date. Mr Fletcher’s diary appears similarly full as they have declined several of our proposed dates,” a spokeswoman for the deputy premier said.

Mr Miles’ office maintained the City Deal on offer was not a good deal for Queensland.

Mr Fletcher said the deal as it stands contained projects that had been “thoroughly discussed” by all levels of governments and deal partners were “comfortable with” the plan.

“We have offered a package of projects for the City Deal to the state government and the Council of Mayors (SEQ), based on their requests and after years of discussion. The Council of Mayors (SEQ) has replied with in-principle support,” he said.

“However, the state government has not provided agreement on any project.”