Bowen named as new home for North Queensland Water Infrastructure Authority

Those behind the water authority’s move to Bowen say it will create skilled, highly paid jobs in the region and bring in new families to support the economy.

Dawson MP George Christensen, Capricornia MP Michelle Landry, and Bowen River Utilities’ John Cotter touring Collinsville near the proposed Urannah Dam site in June 2020.

Bowen will receive a welcome economic boost as the new home of the North Queensland Water Infrastructure Authority.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce announced on Friday the Federal Government plans to relocate the NQWIA to Bowen from Canberra to put it at the heart of the region it supports, highlighting the proposed Urannah Dam, Big Rocks Weir, and Hells Gates Dam as projects that would benefit from having the hub close by.

Urannah Creek, site of the proposed Urannah Dam, west of Mackay.

Mr Joyce said the NQWIA’s move and expansion was also designed to kick off a long-term “nation-building” plan to expand irrigated agriculture by moving a portion of water resources west.

“The authority will become a bigger organisation, with the people and skills to realise the economic transformation of north Queensland,” Mr Joyce said.

“This expanded organisation will have the task of delivering my strategy of moving water from where it is plentiful, to open up new opportunities for agriculture in the west.

“This will of course require new dams and pipelines. It will be a major undertaking and will change our vision for the future of that region for decades to come.”

A digital impression of what Big Rocks Weir on the Burdekin River north of Charters Towers could look like once constructed.

Mr Joyce said the government had started discussions to create the entity, similar to the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, to start the major agricultural irrigation expansion.

“This builds on the broader work we are doing through the National Water Grid Authority to deliver the next generation of water infrastructure for this nation,” he said.

“The best thing we can do for this country is ensure a secure future for water, our farmers and our regional communities that continue to drive our economic recovery.”

The site of the proposed Hells Gates Dam on the Burdekin River, 120km north west of Townsville. Picture: Trudy Brown

Dawson MP George Christensen welcomed the announcement, saying the move would create skilled, highly paid jobs in the Bowen and wider Whitsunday region, bringing in new families to support the local economy, including local businesses and service providers.

“This will stimulate flow-on jobs later down the track – making this a truly exciting time for north Queensland,” Mr Christensen said.

A spokesman for Mr Joyce’s office said a time frame for the move was yet to be determined but would be “worked out in due course”.

For more information on the North Queensland Water Infrastructure Authority, visit nqwia.gov.au

More information on the Australian Government’s broader water infrastructure investments through the National Water Grid, visit nationalwatergrid.gov.au

Originally published as Bowen named as new home for North Queensland Water Infrastructure Authority