No timeline yet for construction on Townsville’s long-awaited NQ Spark project

It was a big promise before the federal election but there is no certainty when the bulldozers will rev up to build the state-of-the-art project. Here’s where it will go.

Rendered representation of NQ Spark. Picture: TCC.

Months on from the Federal Election and federal budget, it remains unclear when construction would begin on the $32.2m North Queensland Simulation Park and supporting infrastructure.

The facility, known as NQ Spark, will support high-quality simulation training opportunities for Defence in collaboration with local industry.

The project will be part of an industry-led precinct and support the development of science, health, defence and emergency services expertise.

NQ Spark is being developed in Townsville’s Tropical Intelligence and Health Precinct (TropiQ), under a partnership involving Townsville City Council (TCC), James Cook University (JCU), Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) and Queensland Government.

It would be positioned on a common boundary between Lavarack Barracks, TUH and JCU.

Proposed Simulation Park (NQ SPARK) location in Douglas . Picture: TCC.

Speaking in Townsville in the lead up to the 2022 Federal Election, then-Shadow Minister for Defence Brendan O’Connor pledged his party’s support for the project.

With the budget allocated for the next financial year, Mr O’Connor expected the build to commence after July 1 with construction expected to commence “relatively quickly”, given the land agreement in place between TCC and JCU.

Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith with MP Brendan O'Connor. Picture: Evan Morgan

Since the Australian Government committed $32.2 million to NQ Spark in its October 2022 federal budget, work has continued behind the scenes, but shovels were yet to hit the ground.

When asked about the project’s progress, a TCC spokeswoman said “Council is currently in discussions with the Federal Government regarding the release of funds for NQ Spark”.

The NQ Spark facility will be equipped with cutting-edge technology, including immersive visual systems. Picture: Dept of Defence.

It is understood that the release funding would be aligned with the completion of project milestones.

A Defence spokesman confirmed that they were working closely with the Townsville City Council throughout the planning and development stages to support the successful delivery of the facility.

The business case for NQ Spark found that construction of the facility would see an estimated $255 million invested in the local economy, with around $170 million of that going directly to local companies.

The project was expected to support around 830 full-time-equivalent jobs during construction and a further 380 jobs once operational, with more jobs created as the business expands.

Originally published as No timeline yet for construction on Townsville’s long-awaited NQ Spark project