A $53 million South East Queensland City funding project is set to boost Redland City’s tourism and liveability.
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said more than $53.68 million of funding will kick start liveability and tourism projects across Redland Coast, plus the region will have access to more than $400 million in funding pools through the SEQ City Deal announced on Monday 21 March 2022.
City Deals are an approach to bring together the three levels of government, the community and the private sector.
This partnership focuses on aligning planning, investment and governance to accelerate growth and job creation, stimulate urban renewal and drive economic reforms to secure the future prosperity and liveability of the region.
“The SEQ City Deal initial investment includes $41 million towards a new ferry terminal upgrade at Dunwich, which will create a first class arrival point at one of Australia’s most beautiful natural assets – Minjerribah – boosting tourism and supporting our local businesses,” Cr Williams said.
“Enhancing our region’s liveability is also a Deal priority with a $12.68 million investment for community infrastructure that could include recreation projects for local families and sporting facilities that will help provide our region’s youngest residents a running start to 2032.”
Mayor Williams said the region would also benefit from more than $400 million in funding aimed at creating new jobs, supporting emerging industries, enhancing local environment and boosting innovation and connectivity across the South East.
“We know growth is a huge issue and the Deal will invest $5 million to jointly identify the infrastructure needed for our residents to travel around the city faster and safer,” Cr Williams said.
“This regional infrastructure planning will allow us to prioritise important transport projects like the Eastern Busway and Cleveland rail duplication, which are critical to the future of our city.
“While I would have liked to see these projects included in this foundation deal, I believe they must be included in future iterations of the deal and will be working to ensure they are.
“The City Deal also includes more than $105 million to improve the region’s waste infrastructure, building on the Council of Mayors (SEQ) Waste Management Plan and furthering the south-east’s transformation towards a cleaner, more sustainable region.
“Our local rivers, waterways and bay will also receive a needed boost with an additional $40 million over the next 5 years towards delivering priority, on-ground works to improve their overall health and resilience through the Council of Mayors (SEQ) Resilient Rivers Initiative.”
Council of Mayors (SEQ) Chair and Lord Mayor of Brisbane Adrian Schrinner said the deal is a critical step towards ensuring the south-east corner can cater for a booming population and is ready when the world’s biggest sporting event arrives in just over a decades’ time.
“This deal demonstrates what great things can be achieved when all levels of government work together,” Cr Schrinner said.
“There might not have been a time in our region’s history when such co-operation has been so critically important.
“SEQ is experiencing significant population growth as more and more Australians discover our unmatched lifestyle and want to call our region home.
“We’re also a decade away from the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games which presents a unique chance to showcase our region to the world while establishing a legacy that can continue to deliver for the generations to come.
“This City Deal puts us on a path to manage population growth, deliver the best-ever Games and, importantly, improve the lives of all of our residents through ongoing co-operation.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with industry and the other levels of government to empower the SEQ City Deal to deliver the needs of our rapidly growing region.”
