Revealed: Crucial projects at centre of history-making spend-up

Regional Queensland will be a major beneficiary of the most expensive building program ever undertaken in Queensland history. Check out the major projects.

Regional Queensland will be a major beneficiary of the most expensive building program ever undertaken in Queensland history as the State Government forecasts a record $89 billion will be poured into projects across the state over the next four years.

This budget allocates more than 65 per cent of capital investment outside the greater Brisbane area, representing $13.3 billion in the next financial year alone.

A significant portion of this money will flow to a series of crucial water projects, with spending in the next 12 months alone to include:

* $548 million for the 117km Fitzroy to Gladstone pipeline to improve water security for expanding Gladstone industry and housing precincts.

* $157 million to complete the new Rockwood Weir on the Fitzroy River behind Rockhampton.

* $116 million for renovation of Bundaberg’s Paradise Dam and eventual restoration of its 300,000 megalitre capacity.

* $19 million for pre-construction activities for improving the Burdekin Falls Dam and increasing its capacity.

* $13 million for the Toowoomba to Warwick water pipeline.

SCROLL DOWN FOR A FULL LIST OF THE MAJOR PROJECTS

The Fitzroy to Gladstone pipeline project.

Many of these projects have significant implications for Queensland agriculture which Treasurer Cameron Dick directly referenced in his budget speech, declaring our world class “food and fibre’’ were a key part of the state’s economic success story.

“Queensland’s reputation for high quality agriculture is a competitive advantage that must be maintained,’’ the Treasurer said.

The budget will also funnel around $22 million towards addressing threats to primary industry including the biosecurity risk of foot-and-mouth disease and lump skin disease while a further $22 million will go towards biosecurity preparedness for plant pests and diseases.

$22m will go towards addressing threats to primary industry.

The big ticket item, the Borumba Pumped Hydro Project which the government says will have the capacity to provide one third of the state’s average electricity demand for 24 hours, will swallow up around $6 billion of equity investment over four years.

That project in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland expected to be completed by the end of the decade will provide a major economic stimulant through construction work alone.

A long-duration pumped hydro facility for the Pioneer Valley and nearby ranges west of Mackay is also on the government agenda, with one billion dollars made available in this budget.

Further north the 1000km Copperstring project between Mount Isa and Townsville, designed to supply cheap and reliable electricity to communities and mining projects across the north west, will receive $594 million in the next financial year.

Around $673 million will also be allocated to develop the Wambo and Tarong West wind farms and large-scale batteries while $312 million will go through CS Energy for Central Queensland wind farms and large scale batteries.

Mr Dick said the record regional capital expenditure was possible because of a resource owned by the people of Queensland _ coal.

“That revenue is generated in regional Queensland, so it is only right that regional Queensland stands to benefit from what the revenue provides.’’

ends.

SPOTLIGHT: MAJOR PROJECTS FUNDED IN THE 2023 BUDGET

The site of the proposed Rockwood Weir, west of Rockhampton. Picture: Peter Wallis

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

Rockhampton Mental Wellbeing Safe Haven

$1 million in 2023-24 out of a $3.1 million total spend to deliver the Rockhampton Mental Wellbeing Safe Haven.

Rookwood Weir

$156.7 million in 2023-24 out of a $568.9 million total spend to complete the new Rookwood Weir on the Fitzroy River in early 2024, weather permitting.

Blackwater Multi-Purpose Health Service

$13.5 million in 2023-24 out of a $26.2 million total spend to replace

aged infrastructure at the Blackwater Multi-Purpose Health Service facility.

Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline

$548.5 million in 2023-24 out of a $983 million total spend to construct the

117-kilometre Fitzroy to Gladstone pipeline.

Housing and Homelessness Hub - Gladstone

$100,000 in 2023-24 out of a $864,688 total spend to construct a Housing and

Homelessness Hub in Gladstone.

Central Queensland renewable projects

$171.1 million in 2023-24 out of a $500 million total spend for CleanCo to

progress the development of renewables projects across Central Queensland.

MACKAY/WHITSUNDAYS

Proserpine Hospital

$4.4 million in 2023-24 out of a $7.9 million total spend for the delivery of renal services,

the refurbishment of the clinical assimilation training area, clinical assessment rooms, management office space and upgrade to the acute primary care clinic. T

Mackay police facility upgrade

$3 million in 2023-24 out of a $4 million total spend to continue the upgrade of

the police facility at Mackay. The project will support 12 jobs.

Mackay Base Hospital

$23.7 million in 2023-24 out of a $256.1 million total spend for the expansion

and improvements at the Mackay Hospital site, including refurbishment of the Mackay

Community Mental Health facility. It also includes the $250 million Mackay Base

Hospital Expansion delivering an additional 128 beds to support healthcare for the

region. The expansion project is expected to support 610 local construction jobs and is due to be completed in the second half of 2026.

Walkerston Bypass

$44.8 million in 2023-24 out of a $187.4 million total spend towards the Walkerston Bypass project, improving safety, capacity and flood immunity. The bypass will create a direct route for heavy vehicles and reduce congestion through Walkerston. It is estimated to support an

average of 225 direct jobs over the life of the project.

Delivery Hub

$1.9 million in 2023-24 out of a $5.7 million total spend to support the Resources Centre

of Excellence (RCOE) in Mackay to develop a Future Industries Hub.

Clermont replacement police facility

$3.3 million in 2023-24 out of a $3.5 million total spend to complete the replacement

police facility at Clermont.

DARLING DOWNS

Mitchell auxiliary fire and rescue station upgrade and refurbishment

$2.2 million in 2023-24 to complete the upgrade and refurbishment of the auxiliary

Mitchell Fire and Rescue Station to provide refreshed, frontline fire and emergency

response capability for the community of Mitchell and surrounding areas.

Chinchilla Battery

$18.5 million in 2023-24 out of a $110.7 million total spend for battery storage

investment. The Chinchilla Battery is the first project in the Kogan Creek Clean Energy

Hub.

Dalby police facility upgrade

$10.1 million in 2023-24 out of a $19 million total spend to complete the upgrade of the

police facility at Dalby.

Oakey State High School

$7.2 million in 2023-24 out of a $9.1 million total spend to deliver a new single court

multipurpose hall with a kinesiology lab, staff work rooms, store rooms, amenities and

a kiosk.

New Toowoomba Hospital

$50 million in 2023-24 out of a $1.3 billion total spend for the construction of the new

Toowoomba Hospital, delivering around 118 additional overnight beds. Construction of the new hospital is expected to support around 3,100 jobs. Completion is expected in the second half of 2027.

Millmerran Multi-Purpose Health Service

$17 million in 2023-24 out of a $29.9 million total spend to replace aged infrastructure at

the Millmerran Multi-Purpose Health Service facility. The replacement Millmerran Multi Purpose Health Service facility will comprise of an 8-bed inpatient unit, 5-bed residential aged care space, and acute and non-acute spaces.

FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND

$343.7m will be allocated towards the Kaban Wind Farm. Picture: File image

Thursday Island Hospital

$9.5 million in 2023-24 out of a $66.4 million total spend for the redevelopment of the

Thursday Island Hospital, the separate Primary Health Care Centre, and delivery of a new CT scanner. The redevelopment will include 31 inpatient beds including an extra negative pressure isolation room, 7 emergency department spaces, a new operating theatre with 4 recovery spaces, a birthing suite and extra space for emergency birthing, and 5 outpatient rooms.

Cairns Hospital

$37 million in 2023-24 out of a $389.3 million total spend for a range of projects, including

the delivery of a new surgical centre, the construction of a new mental health unit, and the expansion of the emergency department to deliver a new pre-admission clinic and an additional endoscopy room.

Cairns Marine Precinct - Common User Facility

$5.6 million in 2023-24 out of a $360 million total spend for development

of the Cairns Marine Precinct Common User Facility, subject to approvals. The facility will enable larger vessels to be repaired in Cairns, including Defence, commercial and private vessels.

Atherton Neighbourhood Centre

$3 million in 2023-24 out of a $4.1 million total spend towards the redevelopment of

a new neighbourhood centre in Atherton. The redevelopment will enhance the existing

support and services available from the centre and will include a large community

garden and meeting space for community events.

Malanda State School

$1.3 million in 2023-24 out of a $1.4 million total spend to enclose the existing covered

basketball courts to create an indoor weatherproof space. The enclosed space will

provide an all-weather accessible space for play and education, including supporting

STEM programs, enhancing the school’s drone program, and providing a meeting

space for the local community.

Kaban Wind Farm capacity purchase agreement

$343.7 million in 2023-24 to exercise the rights to 157 megawatts of renewable

energy capacity from a new wind farm in the Atherton Tablelands region. The Kaban Wind

Farm, being developed by Neoen, will consist of 28 wind turbines and will supply around

457 gigawatt hours of electricity each year, enough to power 96,000 homes. During construction, this project will support up to 250 jobs and provide clean renewable energy

for the grid.

OUTBACK QUEENSLAND

Normanton Hospital

$22.1 million in 2023-24 out of a $36.4 million total spend to replace

infrastructure at Normanton Hospital. The program will undertake enhancements

to the facility and is expected to include construction of a new facility with 14 beds, 4 consult rooms, kitchen, morgue, X- ray, and administrative facilities.

Camooweal Primary Health Centre

$9.6 million in 2023-24 out of a $18 million total spend to replace infrastructure at the

Camooweal Primary Health Care Centre. The program will undertake enhancements to

the site and is expected to include a new facility with acute, non-acute and clinical

administration areas, along with general support.

Flinders Highway (Julia Creek - Cloncurry), Scrubby Creek,

strengthen pavement and widen floodway

$16.1 million in 2023-24 out of a $42.7 million total spend towards strengthening pavement and widening floodway on Flinders Highway at Scrubby

Creek. This investment is estimated to support an average of 75 direct jobs over the life of the project.

Julia Creek Community Children’s Services Hub Project

$1 million in 2023-24 out of a $6.3 million total spend to deliver a children’s services

hub in Julia Creek to help address the demand for childcare services in McKinlay

Shire. When completed, it will be able to accommodate more children as well as

babies and school-aged children through the provision of Outside School Hours

Care.

Boulia Industrial Estate

$497,400 in 2023-24 out of a $994,800 total spend to develop an industrial estate

adjacent to the Boulia Mount Isa Road. This estate will have a focus on servicing

the transport industry especially long-haul transport, providing layover facilities and service opportunities. Once complete, the estate will facilitate economic growth in

Boulia through capitalising on increasing transport and logistics activity.

Longreach replacement police facility

$50,000 in 2023-24 out of a $13.8 million total spend to continue the replacement police

facility at Longreach. The replacement facility will provide a modern state-of-the-art facility

to support frontline officers. The project will support 40 jobs.

SUNSHINE COAST

Nambour General Hospital

$7.1 million in 2023-24 out of a $86.2 million total spend for the adaptive reuse of the facility

to meet the functional requirements in its new role as a subacute facility as part of the Nambour General Hospital Redevelopment.

Palmview State Secondary College

$16 million in 2023-24 out of a $93.8 million total spend to construct Palmview State

Secondary College.

Sunshine Coast University Hospital

$21.6 million in 2023-24 out of a $1.877 billion total spend to continue construction of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, which delivered 450-beds at the completion of Stage 1 and is growing to 738-beds at the completion of Stage 3.

Caloundra South new permanent fire and rescue station

$7 million in 2023-24 out of a $8.5 million total spend to continue development of a new, permanent Caloundra South Fire and Rescue Station to provide contemporary, frontline fire and emergency response capability to the community of Caloundra and surrounding areas.

Sunshine Coast Industrial Park (Stage 2)

$10.6 million in 2023-24 out of a $31.5 million total spend for planning and development

of Stage 2 of Sunshine Coast Industrial Park.

This project will ultimately provide 25.5 hectares of essential industrial land for the

region, supporting long-term jobs generation and economic development. This project will

support 100 local jobs during construction of the industrial land and up to 1,390 ongoing

jobs once Stage 2 is completed.

Caloundra South new police facility

$4 million in 2023-24 out of a $13.5 million total spend to continue development of the

new police facility at Caloundra South. The new state-of-the-art facility at Caloundra South will be designed to provide frontline officers a modern, mobile and flexible policing facility, which will meet the needs of the community now and into the future.

TOWNSVILLE

Bwgcolman Community School

$9 million in 2023-24 out of a $11.4 million total spend to upgrade the administration

building, including visiting specialist offices and a conference room, and to construct a

new home economics building, supporting food studies and joint school and community events. The project is supporting an average of 11 jobs across 3 years from 2021-22 to 2023-24.

Kidston Hydro 275 kilovolt Transmission Network Connection

$79.2 million in 2023-24 out of a $258.2 million total spend connecting the 250 megawatt Kidston Clean Energy Hub to the national electricity grid to help meet Queensland’s renewable energy targets. The project will support up to 400 jobs and Powerlink has engaged over 20 local suppliers

Channel capacity upgrade

$60.7 million in 2023-24 out of a $251.2 million total spend to widen the

existing shipping channels. This will allow access for larger vessels to visit the port,

providing efficiencies and supporting future trade growth in the region.

Townsville University Hospital

$58.2 million in 2023-24 out of a $591.2 million total spend for a range of

enhancements at the Townsville University Hospital site, including construction of a

new clinical services building, hybrid theatre, expansion of the Outpatients Department

and the completion of a new Acute Medical Receiving Unit (Australian Government

funded).

Charters Towers Hospital

$7 million in 2023-24 out of a $9.7 million total spend for infrastructure initiatives including

the establishment of a renal dialysis treatment service, the installation of a CT scanner

including upgrade of medical imaging services, upgrades to the Central Sterilising Services,

and the upgrade of electrical capacity to the hospital.

Burdekin Falls Dam improvement and raising projects - planning

$19.5 million in 2023-24 to continue planning and commence pre-construction activities

for the Burdekin Falls Dam improvement and raising project. As part of reinvesting

in the regions, $440 million is allocated toward improving and raising Burdekin

Falls Dam by 2 metres. This is on top of the Queensland Government’s existing $100 million

commitment.

More money will be injected into the Paradise Dam project. Picture: John Wilson

WIDE BAY

New Bundaberg Hospital

$52.3 million in 2023-24 out of a $1.2 billion total spend for the construction of the new

Bundaberg Hospital delivering around 121 new overnight beds across intensive care, coronary, medical, surgical, paediatric and mental health. It will also include additional emergency department treatment spaces, same day beds and outpatients’ treatment spaces, and an expansion of medical imaging, pharmacy, pathology and other facilities. Construction of the new hospital is expected to support around 2,880 jobs. Completion is expected in the

second half of 2027.

Urangan State High School

$8.1 million in 2023-24 out of a $10.7 million total spend to deliver a new double court

multipurpose hall with a kinesiology lab, staff work rooms, store rooms, amenities

and a kiosk. This new facility will enable activities like indoor sports, performing arts

and school functions and provide meeting facilities for the local community.

Hervey Bay Hospital

$23 million in 2023-24 out of a $82.3 million total spend for the fit out of level 2 of the

clinical services building and a new 22-bed adult acute mental health inpatient unit.

The Hervey Bay Hospital expansion will provide around 35 additional beds, including 10 more intensive care beds, and a new roof top op helipad.

Paradise Dam improvement project - planning and enabling works

$116.4 million in 2023-24 out of a $1.2 billion total spend to continue planning and undertake pre-construction activities prior to major construction works commencing in 2024. This project will deliver long-term water security for the Bundaberg region by returning the dam’s capacity to 300,000 megalitres and will ensure the dam continues to operate safety during extreme weather events.

Maryborough police facility upgrade

$3.6 million in 2023-24 out of a $4 million total spend to complete the upgrade of the

police facility at Maryborough. The upgrade works will include improvements to the

dayroom area and a new dedicated public interaction zone and custody suites.

Bruce Highway (Cooroy to Curra) Section D, construction

$170.5 million in 2023-24 out of a $1 billion total spend to construct a new highway

between the existing Bruce Highway interchange at Woondum, south of Gympie,

and Curra. This investment will improve traffic flow, safety, flood immunity and travel times, and is estimated to support an average of 576 direct jobs over the life of the

project.

Originally published as Revealed: Crucial projects at centre of history-making spend-up