State Government Budget Submission 2020
State Government Budget Submission 2020 TOWNSVILLE CHARTERS TOWERS HINCHINBROOK PALM ISLAND BURDEKIN 1 Foreword As the largest city and region in Northern Australia, Projects like the $293M North Queensland Stadium Townsville North Queensland encompasses five the Port and Channel pipeline are now becoming major regional centres: Townsville, Charters Towers, reality, the Port of Townsville’s $1.6B expansion project Burdekin, Palm Island and Hinchinbrook. The region has been approved, the resources sector is ramping contributes over $16.6B annually to the Queensland up, the private sector is investing again and we have economy and is home to nearly 240,000 people. Government policy agreements like the landmark Townsville City Deal and the Australia and Singapore Over the past eight years, the people of the Townsville Comprehensive Strategic Partnership providing North Queensland region have experienced some momentum and funding for future developments. of the toughest economic conditions in its 153-year Whilst the region has been on the move again, history. The downturn in commodities, the drought unemployment is still sitting uncomfortably at 7.9% and dramatic changes in the makeup of the economy and approximately 11,000 people still out of work. We saw unemployment in 2012 at an unprecedented need to work harder to ensure long term job creation 14%, with youth unemployment over 20%. A looming now and into the future. water security issue and skyrocketing energy prices threatened the closure of our remaining Projects earmarked for North Queensland and manufacturing and production industries and business declared as ‘Coordinated Projects’ by Queensland’s confidence hit historic lows. Coordinator-General, the CopperString 2.0 Project and the North Queensland Country Club and Equestrian Adding to this, in February 2019 the region Centre (Toolakea) are a part of a pipeline of future experienced one of the worst natural disasters investment the region will look to pursue over the in North Queensland’s recent memory.
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