ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
government planning and economic development
projects. Officers can now access real (not
modelled) data on economic activity to gain a far
more accurate picture of retail and commercial
activity within any given geography, by expenditure
category, by month and by origin of expenditure.
This thorough and objective input was used to
forecast floorspace demand for Broome while
factoring in seasonality and source (e.g. tourist or
resident). The result was a more resource-efficient
strategy development process, with the findings
and initiatives backed by levels of evidence
previously unseen in this line of work.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
INITIATIVES – OVER 15,000
RESIDENTS
WINNER
SUNSHINE COAST COUNCIL
“Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve Rainforest
Discovery Centre”
FINALIST
RDA TOWNSVILLE & NORTH WEST
QUEENSLAND
“IQ-RAP Roads to Economic Development”
The Inland Queensland Roads Action Plan (IQ-
RAP) is a major initiative to drive economic growth
and jobs in regional Queensland.
A common goal to improve regional sustainability,
productivity and safety on Queensland’s inland
road network resulted in a collaboration of 49
funding partners, including; 33 councils, (32 of
those in rural and regional Queensland),
8 Regional Roads and Transport Groups (RRTGs),
5 Regional Development Australia (RDA)
committees and the RACQ to develop a road
network plan - the IQ-RAP.
The IQ-RAP is the first of its type in Australia,
which identifies and prioritises upgrades on a rural
road network of around 16,000 kilometres over the
next 18 years. The IQ-RAP area covers 82% of
Queensland’s area and 19% of Australia.
A key objective of the plan is to establish a
methodology for prioritisation of road network
investments in western and eastern Queensland
based on: economic value, strategic intent,
safety, access and social value. The IQ-RAP has
identified over 3,000 kilometres of road and more
than 300 bridges require upgrades to meet a fit for
purpose standard at an average cost of $277m per
annum.
Since the IQ-RAP was publicly launched in
February 2016, the Working Group has presented
the plan to more than 1,000 stakeholders through
meetings and forums. More than $300 million has
been invested in the IQ-RAP network since its
launch, with many organisations advocating for
this investment.
Developed by Sunshine Coast Council, the, $4.7m
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve Rainforest
Discovery Centre at Maleny represents a new
world-class standard in design, innovation and
sustainability for public buildings.
The Centre delivers significant economic benefits
to the region as part of Queensland’s $23b Nature-
based tourism industry. The Sunshine Coast visitor
economy currently injects almost $2.81b of direct
expenditure and an estimated overall expenditure
(direct and indirect) impact of $4.6 billion,
supporting an overall 42,251 jobs.
Since opening in February 2017, the new centre
has already exceeded projected visitation by 50%
with an annual projection of some 300,000 local
and international visitors expected to visit over the
next 12 months. Event bookings and enquiries have
increased exponentially and jobs creation during
and after construction is significant.
The Centre comprises an innovative Rainforest
Education Centre featuring interactive displays,
multi-sensory experiences and exhibits; an elevated
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