Last Friday the Property Council of Australia held its June Downtown Lunch with the New Minister for Infrastructure & Planning – Hon. Stirling Hinchliffe MP.
At full capacity, it was easy to see that industry professionals were eager to be the first to find out about Queensland’s new Sustainable Planning Act.
Minister for Infrastructure & Planning, the Hon. Stirling Hinchliffe presented on the detail of the Sustainable Planning Bill. The Minister commented that there was a great need to plan for the future as the State’s population was expected to be 8 million in 2056 - almost double our current population.
The Minister then discussed the State budget and how it will deliver infrastructure and jobs with a building program worth $18.2 billion which will support 127 000 jobs.
The building program includes;
– $315 million for the Houghton Highway Bridge duplication
– $259 million for the Gateway Bridge and motorway upgrade
– $466 million for the Northern Busway
– $730 million for the Eastern Busway
The Minister also mentioned that the new Sustainable Planning Bill 2009 tabled in Parliament on the 19th would streamline processes and reduce development assessment timeframes, allowing the focus to turn to planning and development issues instead of process, with a result of faster assessments for lower risk applications and improved dispute resolution.
In conclusion the Minister said that he believes partnering with industry is vital for Queensland’s future.
The Property Council of Australia would like thank Stockland for their support by sponsoring this event.
