Red tape reduction project a winner

A key initiative by the Queensland Coordinator-General’s office to significantly streamline environmental impact assessments for major projects has won the Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Service Delivery for 2013.

The award is made to a project or initiative that demonstrates outstanding innovation.

The award went to the Coordinated Project Delivery (CPD) Division within the Coordinator-General’s office after it won one of the five categories at this year’s awards – Growing and Developing Queensland’s Future.

The project team in Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) responsible for the nationally-awarded residential development HillClose in Gladstone won another category – Building a Stronger Rural and Regional Queensland.

Acting Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Tim Nicholls congratulated both project teams.

“The Coordinator-General’s CPD division has been working to reduce environmental impact statement (EIS) assessment timeframes by 50 per cent,” Mr Nicholls said.

“Not only did it achieve the goal, it exceeded it and now, on average, assessment times have been reduced by 54 per cent.

“This is the kind of outcome we are striving to produce across the whole-of-government and it will position Queensland as a great place to do business.”

The guiding strategy that delivered the reduced timeframes was a 43 point fast-tracking action plan introduced by Coordinator General Barry Broe after the Newman Government came to office.

“The award is a well-deserved reward for the dedicated efforts of the CPD division which has steadfastly focussed on reducing timeframes and the regulatory burden on project proponents without compromising the environment,” Mr Broe said.

“It’s a privilege to work with them.”

The EDQ team behind HillClose won high praise for transforming surplus government land in Gladstone into a vibrant new community that will be home to 300 families.

Mr Nicholls said it had created a quality residential development, providing affordable housing in a housing-stressed community, at no cost to government.

“Not only that, the project has boosted development activity generating 150 construction industry jobs and creating training and industry placement opportunities for local students and apprentices,” he said.

“This is a great outcome – for families – for workers – for the community and for the government.”

EDQ Director – Residential Development Peter Smith congratulated the HillClose project team for taking a bold approach to address housing affordability in ways which had not been previously undertaken in regional Queensland.

[ENDS] 3 September 2013

Media Contact:  Maree Lacey – 0409 947 957