Livingstone Shire Council The fruits of infrastructure

The story of Livingston Shire spans endless natural surroundings. The sol- nearly 140 years having been estab- id economy we speak of is driven by lished in 1879 with a population of agriculture, mining, retail and govern- 5023. Now, this population has grown ance. This economy is particularly pro- to 37,000 and continues to attract pelled tourism – no doubt a result of more and more residents and visitors the natural, cultural and entertain- with its combination of a solid eco- ment attractions it boasts. Spanning nomic growth, a laid back lifestyle and over 11,776km2, the scenic district

PB Business View Oceania - October/November 2017 AT A GLANCE WHO: Livingstone Shire Council WHAT: The Livingstone Shire Council was established after de-amalgamation on 1 January 2014 and looks after approximately 11,776 square kilometres and has a population of more than 37,000 residents. WHERE: QLD, 4703 WEBSITE: livingstone.qld.gov.au

have, and will, help the town to contin- ue to flourish. But, before we go into all of that, it’s important to put some con- text around the development work. In 2008, the merged with three of its neighbours from with- in the Capricorna region of Queens- land to form the Region. Namely, the , the Shire of Mount Morgan and the Shire of Fitzroy. In 2014, the Shire of Living- stone was de-amalgamated, a result Livingstone Shire Council of a proposal to do so in 2012, and a subsequent vote by the area’s citizens The fruits of infrastructure in the following year. “We’d lost six years through the amalgamation process,” says Ludwig sits comfortably along the subtropical “When we de-amalgated in 2014 we . were very much playing catch up on all our projects.” Despite all the starting As with everything in life, if there is to and stopping, Ludwig persisted, along be prosperity, it needs to be worked for. with the council, to create and rehabil- Accordingly so, we spoke to the Mayor itate within the Shire: of Livingstone Shire himself, Bill Lud- wig, about the projects and plans that “We were hugely impacted by Cyclone

PB Marcia as well as going through long and get things like water, sewage and periods of recovering from mining and other key infrastructure in place, what tourism downturns,” Ludwig laments. naturally follows is that private sector investment. It comes where we cre- Projects ate opportunities.” So what exactly is some of the infrastructure develop- Ludwig was first Mayor of Living- ment going on at the moment? stone from 2000 to 2008, and was voted in again in 2013 – in time for Panorama Drive the de-amalgamation – and has re- mained the governing elected leader Once the Shire had de-amalgamated, since. Fittingly, his perspective and in- and started to get the ground running sight on the district and its many pro- on its infrastructure projects, Panora- jects are thorough to say the least, and ma Drive was the first major project his approach to servicing the wants the Council went for funding for. It’s an and needs of his electors is inspiring- entirely new road link to cost an esti- ly open and forthcoming. Recalling his mated $31.5 million, and will connect time on trying to get the foreshore pro- the Shire’s northern suburbs of Yep- ject off the ground, Ludwig tell us: poon with access to nearby resources, while also relieving traffic congestion. “I told people to dream what they The drive also provides an alternative want here, and what they want from emergency access route in times of the project, and then my job would be major disaster, which following the trail to go and find the money. of destruction left by cyclone Marcia, would be hugely beneficial should dis- “It’s a great philosophy to have I aster strike again. think, to not limit people. There are things you can achieve even without a “In politics, people really focus on the lot of money. You just need thoughtful first 100 days that someone is in pow- design and to get the synergy right. I’m er. Day 99 is when we got the grant we encouraging people to strive for excel- applied for. It was a great coup for us lence.” to get a grant that size, that early in new council,” Ludwig extols. Indeed in Ludwig is a firm believer that with well April 2014 the state government com- thought out infrastructure, not only is mitted to contributing to 50% of the his council creating social amenities, projected project costs, up to $15 mil- but they are making the town more lion, through its Royalty for Regions and more attractive for people to Funding – an initiative committed to come and live there. He states “This is developing Western Australia’s region- the key to private sector investment, if al areas. you get your transport corridors right,

PB Business View Oceania - October/November 2017 PB “We’re very focused on getting our the cyclone that unfortunately delayed strategic transport corridors up and matters. running,” says Ludwig, also adding “An- other upshot of this project has been Nonetheless, once matters were that not only are we getting infrastruc- more timely and back in the council’s ture in place, but at any one time we’ve scope, much activity followed. The had up to 100 jobs going while still in multi-award winning ‘Keppel Krak- the construction phase. en’ water play area has been up and running since December 2015 when Yeppoon Foreshore and Town Stage 3 was completed, and con- Centre Revitalisation struction on stage 4 was completed soon after the council built the Yep- The planning for the Yeppoon fore- poon Town Centre Carpark as well as shore and town centre revitalisation a signalised intersection at Queen started way back in 2001. The plan and Barry Streets. was (and still is) to revitalise existing public spaces and create tourism, rec- The council is now at stage 5 of the reational and commercial land uses. plan, a stage which includes the con- The first two stages were completed in struction of a beach amphitheatre 2003 and 2006 respectively, but once stage roof, a new fourway roundabout again it was the amalgamation and and a new access road to the Anzac

PB Business View Oceania - October/November 2017 Parade (Yeppoon’s main beach). Lud- serve and honours the history of Aus- wig explains: tralia’s war heritage, and those who created it through service and sacri- “The first Christmas immediately af- fice, providing a lasting legacy. ter Cyclone Marcia, we were able to open the Kraken, which has been Ludwig explains that the project ac- great for tourism and the community. tually started out without any budget. Especially since it was only 10 months It began with a concept plan, and the after the cyclone hit. council got a design team to work with the community and local artists to help “To have that, and to have won two in the design. Funding was successful- major awards for landscaping excel- ly secured afterward: lence, to be able to then complete construction of the car park, and on “We opened this one week in advance track to be hopefully completing stage of Anzac Day. It was ready and opera- 5 soon, is a real economic uplift with tional for the community for these sig- all the jobs we’re creating, and a huge nificant 100 year celebrations,” confidence booster for the tourism in- dustry.” The Gateway

The project has cost a whopping $53 The Gateway is a property develop- million but is already proving prosper- ment initiative – and specifically a busi- ous with things like a 20% increase in ness park - to support industry and en- overnight tourism and $75 million in courage economic development. It is private sector investment attesting to is a 56 hectares, and located conven- his. iently (and strategically) on the main corridor between the Capricorn Coast Other projects and Rockhampton, giving business and industry investors access to relia- In line with Ludwig’s passionate in- ble trunk infrastructure. volvement with district growth, there are a number of other projects hap- Statue Bay pening throughout the Shire: A part of the ‘Capricorn Coast unique Emu Park Foreshore and Town Tourist drive’, Statue Bay connects Yep- Centre Revitalisation poon to Emu Park via the Scenic High- way. With the effects of Cyclone Marcia This project is something of national alongside the significant landslides and significance and includes a reflective rock falls the area faces, reconstruc- memorial boardwalk, a gateway and tion and slope stabilisation are being orientation gallery. It recounts, pre- carried out. There will also be extensive

PB civil and geotechnical engineering de- Wreck Point Lookout sign work to construct an all-important ocean protection revetment wall. With the Yeppoon Lions Club contin- uously increasing in popularity, it suc- LDCC and Community Education cessfully secured $190,000 in fund- Resilience Hub ing from the Government, with an added $100,000 from Living- Due for completion in November stone Shire Council, to construct a 2017, construction for the hub is al- new lookout shelter. Works continue ready underway, and will provide a after having begun in February 2017. community resource for advice, guid- ance, engagement and education. The Capricorn Coast Flood hub will in particular, play a crucial part Mitigation Strategy in disaster support. The structure is designed to be able to withstand nat- In March 2014, following the impact of ural disasters, and will be a part of en- a short sharp rainfall event which inop- suring a structured and coordinated portunely coincided with a Spring high response to help the community be- tide, the council sought to take action. fore, during and after any such event. This strategy is a collection of six pro-

PB Business View Oceania - October/November 2017 sporting culture throughout the area, and is creating a sport infrastructure which will include creating more facili- ties at the reserve which is located in the heart of Emu Park. A backbone for growth

“It is worth talking about that you can’t be a one trick pony when you’re in local government. If you’re going be sustainable, and withstand the shocks of economic downturns, you have to make sure you have well a diversified economy for local community.

“That’s been at the heart of every strategy we put in place.”

Ludwig is clearly well attuned to culti- vating infrastructure for the benefit of the many, and it is truly exciting to see jects proposed for the Yeppoon central the forest of growth that is happening business district, to direct stormwater from the many seeds that the council flow and reduce/remove physical barri- continues to plant. ers to help the district’s road networks cope with further such watery affairs.

Sarah’s Garden - Olive Estate

Sarah’s Garden provides an open recreation area for the community. To make it even more welcoming and ac- cessible, the council is developing the area to include shaded barbeque facili- ties and shaded playground equipment.

Hartley Street Recreation Reserve Supporting Partner JRT Group The council looks to create a strong jrtgroup.com

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PB Business View Oceania - October/November 2017