A year of building business and creating jobs
Published Tuesday, 19 March, 2013 at 01:18 PM
Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Jeff Seeney
Some of the biggest projects in Queensland’s history have been approved during the Newman Government’s first year in office.
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff Seeney said restoring the role of the Coordinator-General since the government was elected in March 2012 meant billions of dollars in capital investment and thousands of jobs for Queensland.
“Getting Queensland back on track has been the focus of our government’s first year in office and we’ve spent that year creating opportunity and prosperity – building business and creating jobs,” Mr Seeney said.
“We said we’d turn the state around and that’s what we’re doing.
“The result is an unprecedented 127 statutory decisions on major projects in the Coordinator General’s first 11 months – the previous highest number of decisions in any full 12 month period under former Labor Governments was 67.
“Just one example of his work was the release of an EIS for the $6.4 billion Alpha Coal project, which could create up to 4,600 jobs during the construction and operation phases, and extraction of up to 30 million tonnes of coal a year for the world export market for 30 years.
“I am proud of the numerous achievements my Department – State Development, Infrastructure and Planning – has made towards driving Queensland’s economic growth.”
Mr Seeney said the Coordinator-General’s approval of the Great Keppel Island Resort project in Central Queensland and the Ella Bay Integrated Resort in the Far North represented a capital investment potential of $2 billion in Queensland tourism.
He said a further 32 major projects were in the pipeline and under active assessment by the Coordinator-General.
“Those projects have the potential to attract $74 billion of investment, 38,000 direct construction jobs and 25,000 operational jobs. These are new jobs in new projects, contributing billions of dollars of future development to Queensland.”
Mr Seeney said some of the Department’s major achievements this year included:
- Commencing works on the 1 William Street building in the CBD
- The recent announcement of GVK Hancock and Aurizon to work together on the massive rail and port development to support the Galilee Basin coalfields
- Kicking off Expressions of Interest for the further development of Abbot Point, with the Government currently assessing 19 submissions for future development
- Working with the Gold Coast City Council to examine the possible development of a cruise ship terminal and associated developments in the Broadwater, with the Government currently assessing a shortlist of interested corporations and their proposals
- Working with the Ports North on proposals to upgrade the Port of Cairns with an aim to open up Trinity Inlet to large cruise ships.
[ENDS] 19 March 2013
Media Contact: Kate Haddan 0418 373 516 or John Wiseman 0409 791 281