Deal struck to deliver $1.8bn in 2032 Olympic Games infrastructure
Southeast Queensland has been promised more than a dozen infrastructure projects after a $1.8bn deal was struck between all three levels of government ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
A $1.8bn City Deal has been signed by the federal, state and local governments in Queensland to deliver more than a dozen infrastructure projects across the state’s southeast ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
The City Deal – signed-off and funded by all three levels of government – will deliver 30 infrastructure projects within the first five years of the 20-year agreement covering Brisbane, Ipswich, the Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba.
The big-ticket item in the agreement, announced on Monday and receiving the most funding, is the $450m Gabba Metro station, which is being designed to connect the state’s new Cross River Rail station to other transport options.
The agreement also approves $3m for a business analysis for a proposed First Nations cultural centre in Brisbane and funding for a $190.5m green bridge connecting Kangaroo Point to the CBD, and a $250m Liveability Fund.
Outside Brisbane, $41m has been committed to upgrading the ferry terminal at North Stradbroke Island, $40.5m for road safety upgrades on the Brisbane Valley Highway, and $25m to increasing housing stock in a priority section of Toowoomba.
The federal government has committed $667.77m, backed by a state contribution of $618.78m and a further $501.62m from the Council of Mayors of South East Queensland. In addition, industry will add a further $75m.
Speaking at the Gabba on Monday, Scott Morrison said the City Deal was not only designed to support the Olympic Games but also to meet the future demands of the growing southeast Queensland region, which is expected to be called home by 5.4 million people by 2041.
“We want to have a southeast Queensland that is growing but we also want to have a southeast Queensland that is managing that growth responsibly and is ensuring that we are protecting the liveability of the cities,” the Prime Minister said on Monday.
“We’ve been able to land on what I think is a great portfolio of projects that will take southeast Queensland forward over not just the next decade but beyond.”
Another $105m was committed to resource recovery infrastructure in order to develop a region-wide approach to managing waste with a focus on the circular economy, while $70m was put aside for digital connectivity projects to support place-based telecommunications infrastructure.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the City Deal signified that all three levels of government can co-operate.
“I always say we work best when we work together,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“This is about connectivity, it’s actually another chink in the armour of infrastructure that is absolutely necessary for the growing population of the southeast.”
An estimated 2000 jobs are expected to be created as a result of the announcement.
Similar City Deals are currently under way in Perth, Adelaide, Geelong and Hobart, although the agreements stand for just a decade.
The commitment in Townsville will last for 15 years, with Western Sydney the only other region to receive a 20-year commitment alongside southeast Queensland.
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