Twenty people attended today’s Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce lunch event – SEQ City Deals with Matt Collins, General Manager, Queensland Treasury Smart Cities Transformation Taskforce, at Urbane Restaurant, Brisbane City.
Mr Collins is leading the State Government’s cities agenda, with a particular focus on city deals to boost prosperity, liveability and sustainability.
The deal will see the three levels of government unite to deliver a $58 billion boost to the region’s economy over the next 25 years, according to KPMG.
It includes a number of game-changing proposals to boost the SEQ’s jobs, economic growth and transport connectivity.
Among today’s special lunch guests was Regional Development Australia Sunshine Coast (RDASC) CEO Paul Fisher who is highly supportive of the SEQ City Deal, set to become the biggest City Deal in the country.
“This is an exciting blueprint to supercharge SEQ’s economy while protecting its world-class lifestyle,” Mr Fisher said.
“It includes major improvements to our public transport system which will directly benefit the Sunshine Coast.
“The deal will also protect the prosperity and liveability of the region, while boosting its transport infrastructure, digital connectivity and untapped growth and entrepreneurship.”
The event also saw Mr Collins unveil the SEQ City Deal’s “six transformational opportunities” it will bring to the region. It is expected to:
- Build on the Cross River Rail and Brisbane Metro to move SEQ towards a 45-minute region by delivering the next wave of Rail and Metro projects to connect key activity and growth centres.
- Supercharge an SEQ Trade and enterprise spine between the Toowoomba Trade Gateway and the Australia TradeCoast by connecting Inland Rail to the Port of Brisbane.
- Ignite innovation precincts to deliver more high-value, knowledge-intensive jobs through enabling-infrastructure and a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
- Establish SEQ as Australia’s leading smart digital region by leveraging the upcoming Sunshine Coast International Broadband Submarine Cable to deliver a digital trade hub and taking a region-wide approach to data and digital connectivity.
- Deliver better recreational spaces and landscapes for our growing region, including through a new tripartite Liveability Fund to co-invest in critical blue and green infrastructure.
- Deliver greater coordination and collaboration between federal, state and local governments, including a new tripartite Regional Coordination Board to support strategic governance for the region.