Deputy Premier Jackie Trad says it’s time for a City Deal for southeast

AN ambitious plan is in the works for Southeast Queensland’s future that will need all hands on deck, writes Jackie Trad.

IT’S time for a City Deal for southeast Queensland.

Over the next 25 years, almost two million more people will call this region home.

And why wouldn’t they?

From the Sunshine Coast to the border, Toowoomba to Moreton Bay, the southeast offers the kind of lifestyle that more and more Australians want. In fact, Queensland is now the No.1 destination for interstate migration.

We have a diverse and growing economy, iconic beaches, key agricultural zones, thriving regional centres as well as the country’s third largest city. There is something for everyone.

But, of course, with this growth comes challenges.

For example, with two million more residents, this means we need almost 800,000 new homes and one million new jobs.

And, we need the infrastructure and services that build thriving communities and preserve the lifestyle that we enjoy here.

It is critical that we act now to make sure our region doesn’t just get bigger, but it gets better.

To achieve this, we need to come together and leverage the power and insight of all levels of government, industry and the community.

The Palaszczuk Government is already working hard in this space.

We brought together the mayors across the region to develop the South East Queensland Regional Plan to deliver a 50-year vision for our region.

This plan sets the markers by which we can grow sustainably, compete globally and offer the high-quality lifestyle and services that all Queenslanders deserve.

And we brought all three levels of government and the community together to establish the Townsville City Deal – an Australian first.

This deal is already delivering for north Queensland. The future home of the Cowboys, the new North Queensland Stadium, is under heavy construction, a solution to ongoing water security challenges has been brokered – and funded by the Palaszczuk Government – and channel-widening is set to begin at the Port of Townsville to expand our closest major port to the fastest growing economic zone in the world.

Light rail on the Gold Coast. Picture: Jerad Williams

It was through the City Deal that we were able to secure these investments – the investments that the region will need for the future.

Now, it’s time for a City Deal for SEQ. A City Deal can deliver the big investments we need to transform travel throughout our nation’s largest conurbation by identifying, sequencing and delivering a new wave of major projects.

A City Deal can support thousands of new high-value jobs in sectors like advanced manufacturing, agribusiness and health and education.

And a City Deal can deliver the partnership we need between all three levels of government – and with the private sector – if we are to maximise SEQ’s potential during the next wave of global growth.

The Palaszczuk Government is already doing the heavy lifting in infrastructure delivery. We are making the big investments to transform our region, including Gold Coast Light Rail, the Beerburrum to Nambour rail upgrade, upgrades to the M1 and the Bruce Highway, and, of course, the Cross River Rail.

The Cross River Rail will unlock the bottleneck at the heart of our passenger rail network, which will mean we can run more trains more often to service our growing region.

But the scale and pace of our growth means all three levels of government need to collaborate much more effectively to deliver the planning and infrastructure we need in the right place at the right time.

The best way to do that is through a City Deal for SEQ.

Simply, City Deals are long-term, formal agreements between state, local and federal governments to deliver the projects and reforms needed to transform cities and regions.

In the UK, where the idea was first developed, City Deals are delivering big infrastructure projects, a more highly skilled workforce and more effective governance in metropolitan areas just like SEQ.

It means making a plan together, and then sticking to it. That’s what we need now.

The Courier Mail’s Future SEQ series has highlighted many of the challenges and opportunities facing our region as we grow beyond five million residents.

As we look ahead to that future, we should be ambitious about what we can become – but that ambition must be matched by action. That action starts with a City Deal.

The Palaszczuk Government is ready to start negotiating. The SEQ Council of Mayors is on board. The private sector thinks this level of co-ordination and co-operation is long overdue.

We’re just waiting for the Morrison Government to get serious and come to the negotiating table.