Diversify agriculture, mining and tourism to remain globally competitive, evolving in response to market and technological drivers

Regional focus areas: Agriculture, Mining and Resources, Tourism

Regional infrastructure priorities:

• Continued investment in the region’s transport network to support industry supply chains, drive-in drive-out workforce, and tourism to enable end-to-end connectivity between key nodes and modes of the freight network, with particular focus on east-west connectivity including:
  • investigating options to improve road and rail freight efficiency and rail freight access to and from the Port of Gladstone
  • continuing to invest in the National Land Transport Network
  • continuing to invest in sealing and upgrading outback roads, which supports tourism and local economies and key roads for the transport of cattle
  • investigating the viability of extending Inland Rail to the Port of Gladstone.
• Telecommunication infrastructure that enables access digital services such as health, education, and e-commerce, support growth and adoption of new technology in industry, and improve tourist and resident safety when travelling and working in remote areas.
• Tourism infrastructure which recognises and celebrates the region’s historic past and matches modern aspirations and capability. This includes safe transport access and signage, ecotourism experiences and event facilities; and high-quality accommodation, modern public amenities and reliable Wi-Fi to enhance visitor experiences.
• Increased support for local governments’ delivery and maintenance of sustainable infrastructure that supports the tourism industry.
• Integrated arts and culture into assets such as public buildings and infrastructure.
• Improved marine infrastructure, and public transport infrastructure and services in line with industry needs and broader population growth.
• Strategic investment in water infrastructure to create new growth opportunities in key economic sectors and increase security of access to water across the region, including:
  • bulk water storage and water supply schemes that provide opportunities for market driven change to higher value crops and sectors
  • water supply to industry enablers to support value adding, processing and improved access to higher value markets and supply chains.
• Development of common-user port infrastructure that supports multiple customers to facilitate industry demand such as Port of Gladstone container handling facilities and other commodity specific infrastructure
• Development and maintenance of shipping navigation channels consistent with relevant state and federal approvals to facilitate the future growth of the Port of Gladstone.
• Maintenance of shipping navigation channels consistent with relevant state and federal approvals to facilitate the future growth of the Port of Rockhampton.