20 Year Plan for South West

The Queensland Government today released its blueprint for guiding development and sustaining the communities of South West Queensland for the next 20 years.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Paul Lucas and Local Government Minister Warren Pitt said the Draft South West Regional Plan, launched in Charleville, was available for public comment.

“South West Queensland is one of the most remote areas in the State and sustaining services will be essential for region’s ongoing prosperity,” said Mr Lucas.

“Our Regional Plans for South East and Far North Queensland are designed to manage rapidly growing populations.

“The challenge here is a very different one, to manage the social and economic issues confronting a vast area with a sparse population of just over 8,000 people.

Towns in the region have been classified to help Government’s plan how and where services and infrastructure should be located.

The four classifications in the South-West Region are Major Rural Activity Centre (Charleville), District Rural Activity Centres (Quilpie, Thargomindah, Cunnamulla and Augathella), Community Activity Centres (Eulo, Wyandra, Morven, Adavale, Eromanga, Noccundra, Yowah and Hungerford) and Specialist Activity Centres (Jackson oilfields, Ballera and Tarbot).

“The plan recognises the need to maintain services for the smaller towns away from Charleville, the region’s centre,” said Mr Lucas.

“It also acknowledges gas and oil reserves are central to the long term future of towns like Ballera and Tarbot, in the far South West.”

The plan focuses on four key themes in response to challenges raised by representatives from local, state and federal governments, industry and community stakeholders:

• protecting regional landscapes and supporting natural resource production values
• enhancing the identity of regional communities
• providing infrastructure and services
• integrating land use, transport and economic activity

The South West regional planning area includes four local government areas – Bulloo, Murweh, Paroo, Quilpie shire councils – covering more than 232,500 square kilometres and extending to the South Australian and News South Wales borders.

The Draft South West Regional Plan is one of four regional plans being developed in rural Queensland as part of the state’s Blueprint for the Bush program.

“The Blueprint for the Bush is our 10-year plan designed to develop the strengths of rural and regional communities in Queensland,” Mr Pitt said.

“These regional plans complement the Blueprint because they too recognise the challenges and opportunities for outback communities that are facing declining populations and an increasingly competitive global economy.

“They are an integral part of the Queensland Government’s priority and commitment to rural and regional Queensland.”

Public consultation meetings will begin in communities in Quilpie, Charleville, Cunnamulla and Thargomindah before the end of the submission period which closes on 29 October, 2008.

For further information on dates and locations for the public consultation meetings or for copies of the draft plan, phone 1300 724 051 or visit the Department of Infrastructure and Planning website at www.dip.qld.gov.au

Media inquiries:

Deputy Premier: Robert Hoge 0419 757 868, Matt Klar 0437 435 223