Opinion, Golden Age: Annastacia Palaszczuk says Coast in state of prosperity
THE Gold Coast is in a state of prosperity and transformation, writes Annastacia Palaszczuk. But there’s more to come for the growing city.
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AS the Gold Coast Bulletin’s Golden Age campaign has shown, the Gold Coast is in a state of transformation and prosperity.
The recent staging of the Commonwealth Games and significant investment in infrastructure are paving the way for new opportunities and new industries to diversify the local economy and cement the Gold Coast’s future as one of the greatest cities.
The region’s tourism and major events industry continues to go from strength to strength, supporting more than 46,000 local jobs and injecting about $5 billion into the economy.
Only this week, we announced a series of Big Bash League cricket matches at Metricon Stadium, set to generate more than $12 million for the city over the next few years. On the back of our Commonwealth Games success, Games venues are now fully booked for the rest of the year and booked hours are expected to double between 2017-18 and 2018-19.
While tourism will always be one of the cornerstones of this economy, the spotlight of the Games and the pre-Games investment in sport, community and transport infrastructure is providing many more opportunities to grow new industries.
The Gold Coast film and television industry continues to attract big name movies and productions to support the talented local industry.
The Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct is set to attract investment which will see the Gold Coast at the forefront of the latest health research and development, including 3D/4D printing, medical device development, design and manufacturing, robotics or artificial intelligence, medical supply chain and nanotechnology development.
GOLDEN AGE: ‘STILL MORE WORK TO BE DONE’
The precinct is expected to support more than 20,000 jobs and significantly diversify the city’s economy for the future.
My government is committed to keeping the Gold Coast moving so we can continue to position the Gold Coast as the place to invest, play and do business.
That’s why we continue to make significant investments in Gold Coast light rail and why we will continue to prioritise M1 upgrades to make it at least six lanes wide from Brisbane to the NSW border.
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We have already delivered the Exit 54 upgrade and heavy works are now underway at the Gateway Merge and Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes. Last week, the tender for the $25 million upgrade to Exit 57 at Oxenford was awarded and this year’s Budget includes four much needed M1 upgrades supported by $2.3 million in joint funding.
Our investment in stage two of light rail was critical to the success of the Commonwealth Games, and now we are working closely with Gold Coast City Council on a business case for a proposed extension of that light rail system which will further enhance the local lifestyle and economic opportunities.
Annastacia Palaszczuk is the Premier of Queensland
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