1 William Street to house Queensland public service from 2016

State Government Ministers and other public servants will be headquartered at 1 William Street in Brisbane’s CBD from 2016, Treasurer Curtis Pitt announced today.

Mr Pitt said the government took the decision to move into the LNP-commissioned office tower following an exhaustive examination of all other possible options.

“We have thoroughly investigated all alternative options for public service accommodation in the CBD,” he said. “This included investigating whether or not to move Ministers into 1 William Street.

“But the fact is that the former Government contracted us to move into the building from 2016, and we have an obligation not to make a bad decision worse.

“Another consideration was the Queen’s Wharf integrated resort development, whose construction will require the demolition of the current Executive Building.

“Moving into 1 William Street is the best option for Queensland taxpayers, because the alternatives to moving in would have been even more costly.”

Mr Pitt said the previous LNP government’s plans for 1 William Street had not been commercially viable.

“This building was given the go-ahead when we had the highest vacancy rate in the Brisbane CBD in recent memory,” he said.

“Campbell Newman was seeking rent of around $650 per square metre and the current market rate is currently in the $500 per square metre range.

“Queenslanders would have needed to cover the rent to the tune of $200 million over the next 15 years under the LNP’s plan.

“Subsiding the private sector at the current market rate would have meant providing subsidies to the tune of up to $42 million over this period.

“That’s unacceptable and we won’t be subjecting taxpayers to these ongoing costs.”

Mr Pitt said Queensland Labor had already scaled back the lavish office fit-outs the LNP planned for 1 William Street, saving Queensland taxpayers $1 million-plus.

“We’ve scrapped the LNP’s extravagant fit-out plans which were all about pandering to Campbell Newman and Tim Nicholls’ egomania,” he said.

“This has been a terrible deal for Queenslanders and it will continue to be a terrible deal for Queenslanders unless we can be smart about how we occupy the building."

Media contact: Martin Philip 0427 919 548