QMCA today welcome the release of the Building Queensland Infrastructure Pipeline report but is concerned at the lack of future projects being submitted for BQ review, analysis and business case development by Government Agencies.
QMCA CEO, Jon Davies, praised the work of Building Queensland “Under the leadership of Damien Gould, Building Queensland is providing a vital service to Queenslanders and the infrastructure industry. As an independent Statutory Authority, they provide necessary rigour and analysis of government projects and public/private partnerships to ensure that we do not build infrastructure white elephants. However, they simply need more to work on, more business cases to develop and more projects to be able to take forward for funding consideration, particularly in a Federal Election year”
“It is fantastic to see completed business cases for Brisbane Live! and the expansion of Gold Coast Light Rail being submitted to cabinet for review. It is hoped that both recommendations will be positive as the projects have the potential to unlock significant further development and attract much need private investment into associated opportunities, for example through the redevelopment of the Boondall Entertainment Centre, or increased precinct creation linked to improved transport on the Gold Coast and their progress will be significant drivers of economic growth.”
“We would like to see Queensland Government Departments ensuring that more projects are coming into the pipeline, particularly in regional Queensland. A key priority for the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Department of Housing and Public Works and Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning must be to provide more projects to Building Queensland and to continue to work with the private sector to create profitable partnerships that enable projects to be taken from concept to reality and provide opportunities for increased private sector investment.”
“In March, QMCA, in conjunction with Infrastructure Association of Queensland, will launch our annual Major Projects Pipeline Report and early findings mirror the latest ABS statistics for engineering construction in Queensland showing a slowdown in the recent modest growth following several years of contraction. If we cannot address the shortfall in future work, we run the real risk of another industry recession in Queensland and this is a recession that industry cannot afford to have,” Mr Davies said.
