“Fostering regional development through targeted research”

1. “Fostering regional development through targeted research” Andrew McEwen Manager Economic Development City of Thuringowa

2. Getting priority & action • Luck or a random event? (Marginal electorate) • Rational choice? (Rational planning) • Messy! (incremental planning or crisis)

3. Sustainable development features • Partnership and collaborative culture • Genuine stewardship leadership • Engaged community 1% directly • Futures orientation • Shared Vision & regional plan • Strategic approach • Industry network clusters • Learning region • Enterprise culture • Cultural milieu

4. Challenges facing NQ • 10% growth • Major infrastructure issues (energy, transport etc) • Object of planning rather than a subject of planning • Lack of co-ordination and integration • Ad hoc election cycle driving funding • Lack of engagement in planning processes • Lack of future orientated planning • No genuinely shared vision for the future • Skills shortage and housing affordability • Focus on current opportunities rather than emerging challenges and opportunities.

5. Rational comprehensive planning Social action:- direct action politics Social planning Community organising Research, development and diffusion Faith and optimism Not preferred option Winners & losers Indirect tends to deal with consequences Longer term partnership Requires shared agenda Less threatening, based on evidence & can change assumptions Strategic Choice:-gaining attention and achieving priority

6. Research and development • Gain attention • Identify costs and benefits • Focus the agenda • Provide alternative policy options • Shapes the strategic conversation • Innovation and diffusion cycle • Shifts the context • Tipping point • Emergent strategy

7. Influencing the strategic conversation • Policy and strategy changes are an emergent phenomena • Draws from the strategic conversation of influential people (tipping point) • Influencing the “Influential people” • NQ Economic Development Conference • Platform for launching research & the strategic conversation • Open planning to engage and to identify challenges and issues

8. SEQ Footprint from 1981 to 2026Wayne Delafroce QUT

9. SEQ and Regionalisation • SEQ to grow by 1000 people per week • An additional 1.3m people by 2026 • This growth is both an enormous opportunity an challenge • Population growth has underpinned economic growth QLD • Over centralisation of this growth could put this at risk

10. Regional centres can cater for some of this growth • 2005 SEQ plan required $66B for 1.3m people in SEQ • SEQ already faces infrastructure shortfalls in power, water & transport • Regional centres such as NQ are already growing rapidly • Regional Queensland has the ability to cater for some of this growth • There is an opportunity for state government to compliment growth in SEQ with a balanced investment in 21st century regionalisation

11. Attraction of Queensland People come for a mixture of reasons • Destination awareness • Lifestyle and quality of life • Employment opportunities • Sea change • Competitive housing prices • Most decentralised state

12. Disappearing attraction of SEQ AEC study we commissioned & are releasing says continued growth of SEQ will lead to: • Increased traffic congestion • Reduced air quality • Loss of environmental corridors & green space • Escalating costs of housing • Chronic water shortage • Higher infrastructure costs of SEQ vs. Regions

13. The risks of the centralised approach Emerging diseconomies of scale in SEQ could lead to either: A decrease in population growth to the state Or An unplanned shift of these people to regional Qld.

14. So what is the problem? AEC study shows that continued growth to SEQ is less than optimal: • Higher residential development costs and density • Road congestion & increased travelling distances • Access & availability of adequate water supply • Cost of infrastructure development • Housing access and affordability • Loss of open space and environmental quality • Generally loss of quality of life that attracts people

15. So what can we do? AEC Study found that a properly thought out regionalisation strategy in areas like Townsville- Thuringowa would: • Be $10,900 cheaper per person for infrastructure • Provide savings of $2.4b for the state government • Add over $3B to regional economies • Save $9B in private construction costs • Reduce the loss of quality of life in SEQ • Maintain attractiveness of Qld with more affordable housing than SEQ

16. Effective regional planning • Currently there is a glad bag of programs run by different departments • The success of SEQ Plan should be a pointer for all regions • It is a comprehensive regional plan with legislative underpinning & one co-ordination body • There are clear performance measures for the office of urban management

17. Genuinely leading smart regions • Opportunity to develop overacting plans through upgraded lending smart regions program • A strategic development framework for infrastructure and growth • Provide legislative underpinnings and one co-ordination body to oversee implementation • Development of a co-ordinated strategy to attract industry investment and people • Maintaining unbalanced growth in SEQ will have negative impacts on SEQ and the entire state

18. Prima facie case has been established • Need to shift to a co-ordinated and balanced approach to regionalisation • Such regionalisation will be cheaper for state and reduce pressures on quality of life in SEQ. • It is a complex and difficult task but not impossible • We can achieve greater return to regions and the whose state. • Infrastructure savings will be realised over time • Opportunities for balanced development of SEQ and our regions

19. Smart regions • Agreed regional plans and priorities for regional development • Upfront infrastructure plans like SEQ to attract people • Industry incentives investments based on agreed regional competitive advantages

20. A WIN WIN FOR SEQ AND THE REGIONS • The proposal to transfer a percentage of growth from SEQ to the regions offers a win win for all Queenslanders. • The program to attract people and industry to regions would be cost neutral with infrastructure savings financing any costs involved • Less pressure on SEQ will reduce pressure on the very lifestyle that people find attractive in SEQ. • We wish to enter into a constructive dialogue with the Qld government to maintain the balance in development of SEQ and the regions, which has provide the foundation for sustained growth for all Queenslanders

21. Current Outcomes • Research and paper presented to 2006 NQ EDC • Media coverage and interest from ‘pollies’ • Presented to Community Cabinet • Has been recognised as a real option • Is currently being assessed

22. Next steps:- continuation of the strategy • October 2007 NQ Economic Development Conference • Theme of “building prosperous partnerships” • Objective of getting commitment to region development and an infrastructure plan • Community organisation • Partnership development strategy and continued research development and diffusion strategy

23. New research project Gaining attention and getting attraction • Climate change: water energy and the new dynamics of competition • 330 industry sector analysis • Water, energy, wages, land, skills, GH gases, • Comparative assessment of the new competitive advantage of NQ vs. other states and regions • Identify industry and companies to target to shift • Model impact to different strategies • Focus political attention “Giving them a why”

24. Problems & Needs Strategic Intervention R&D & Diffusion Set Context Influence Conversation Tipping Point Set Agenda New Policy

25. Problems & Needs Strategic Intervention Research & Development Set Context Community Development Partnership Alliances Innovation & Diffusion Influence Conversation Tipping Point Set Agenda New Policy

26. Summary / Questions