Collaborating for the Sunshine Coast
The Property Council’s third annual ‘Collaborating for the Sunshine Coast’ event brought together representatives from the three levels of government to discuss their perspectives on the region’s future.
The discussion, moderated by USC Journalism Lecturer – Jane Fynes-Clinton, brought out a wide range of subjects and drew a variety of interesting insights from the three elected representatives.
Cr Mark Jamieson, Mayor of the Sunshine Coast Council, outlined that ‘the greatest gift we can give the community is confidence’ and provided an overview of the key projects the Council is pursuing to advance this agenda. On the question of density, the Mayor acknowledged that some further investigation was needed into where higher and larger buildings would be appropriate, particularly around the growth corridor that would exist along the proposed light rail network. When quizzed on the topical issue of asset sales, Cr Jamieson identified the issue as critically important to the future capacity of the State to fund future infrastructure. Cr Jamieson said he was looking forward to see who has the courage to take the policy to the electorate at the next state election.
Fiona Simpson MP, Member for Maroochydore, touched on the importance of selecting the right projects for government investment which will enable long-term economic growth long after the initial project work is completed. The Sunshine Coast University Hospital was outlined as an exemplar project with broad economic merit. Ms Simpson expressed disappointment in the State Government’s decision to scrap the Logan Renewal Initiative, which she saw as a pilot project for similar innovative partnership models of government service delivery elsewhere in the state.
Newly elected Federal Member for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien MP, provided an overview of his approach to securing greater investment from the Federal Government for the region. The newly elected LNP representatives from the Sunshine Coast are ‘hunting as a pack’ for major commitments and providing a united front in Canberra to achieve whole-of-region outcomes. While seeking the Sunshine Coast’s fair share of funding, Mr O’Brien outlined the need to arrest the national debt as a key priority.
The Property Council thanks the three representatives, and Jane Fynes-Clinton, for their thoughtful contributions to this discussion.
The generous sponsorship of Rider Levett Bucknall enabled this event to be possible.
Images from the lunch can be found here.
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