Toowoomba Regional Council endorses City Deal preliminary paper by Deloitte Access Economics
Mayor Paul Antonio says the signing of a new South-east Queensland City Deal next year will open the Toowoomba region up to billions of dollars in new infrastructure and industries, but has concerns about potential key challenges.
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The Toowoomba Regional Council today endorsed a new preliminary proposition paper into a City Deal, developed by Deloitte Access Economics for the council and lobby group Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise.
The paper found the wider Darling Downs region stood to gain from opportunities around transport and logistics, connectivity, digital infrastructure and becoming an inland export hub.
“A well-crafted City Deal could induce investment in the region as businesses become more confident that vital infrastructure to support trade and economic activity will be in place over the longer-term,” the report said.
Cr Antonio said the paper would be used by TRC as its best foot forward when entering negotiations over a potential City Deal next year.
“This is about getting a deal signed by the middle of 2021, and that will give us a pathway forward, and that’s critical,” he said.
“It’s predicated on an uplift in revenue from every level of government.”
But Cr Antonio said water security needed to be major focus of negotiations, arguing that the Toowoomba region was in a unique position.
He said a lack of future water supplies would hold back future investment.
“We’re saying that our future growth will be predicated on water supply,” he said.
“It’s probably not as serious as some of the other areas, but it is a serious matter for us.
“It could impede development.
“The potential for Toowoomba to be a major inland port is significant, and an inland port will be a big employer, which will indeed need additional water.
“I think the City Deal will have to focus on water.”
The Deloitte paper explored the impacts of the Inland Rail and a fast passenger rail connection on Toowoomba’s economy, concluding that they boost productivity, reduce the environmental footprint and lessen congestion.
The paper also explored the region as both a hub for freight and digital technology.
“Establishing the right mix of digital infrastructure in the Toowoomba-Darling Downs region can assist in ensuring the region’s strategic advantages and liveability are enhanced over the long-term,” the report said.
“By bringing forward all opportunities discussed thus-far with relation to the Toowoomba/Darling Downs region, and leveraging off key infrastructure and institutions, such as the Southern Queensland Innovation in Export Hub, there is a considerable opportunity to develop the region into a export trade hub.
“This could incorporate future digital capability into the region such as digital trade and trade facilitation.”
TSBE CEO Ali Davenport welcomed the report’s findings and the prospect of a SEQ City Deal.
“The SEQ City Deal is a 25-year multi billion dollar agreement between all levels of government to deliver infrastructure,” she said.
“It’s important that Toowoomba, as part of SEQ, has its fair share of the infrastructure spend. “This report highlights the areas that could be part of the City Deal investment including including fast rail, improving digital connectivity, setting up the region as an export hub with digital trade and infrastructure to transform the region into a transport and logistics hub.”