Introducing the Townsville City Deal

Hot off the heels of the Federal Government’s announcement to deliver Australia’s first City Deal in Townsville, the Property Council hosted a lunch in the capital of North Queensland to introduce the concept to the local business community.

The crowd of over 140 people heard from James Mathews, Associate Director – KPMG, as he discussed what a City Deal is, the benefits they have delivered overseas, and the aspects that need to be considered for the Townsville ‘deal’ to be a success. He noted the key considerations for Townsville at this point are identifying the challenges and determining agreed outcomes, and then structuring the scope of the deal around them both.

Following James’ presentation he was joined on stage by Craig Stack, Managing Director – Knight Frank, Townsville, and Darren Crombie, Deputy Director-General of Infrastructure, Policy & Planning – Department of Infrastructure Local Government and Planning, for a panel discussion facilitated by Jen Williams, Queensland Deputy Executive Director – Property Council of Australia.

The ensuing conversation delved into the process that all three levels of government are undertaking and the challenges they face in having the City Deal agreed by December.  The role and involvement of the private sector was a strong theme throughout the discussion, as it was acknowledged the strength of the industry will be needed to leverage the upfront government investment in catalytic infrastructure. 

The Property Council would like to thank James Mathews for his presentation, along with Craig Stack and Darren Crombie for joining the panel discussion.  Special thanks must also go to our luncheon sponsor, City of Townsville, and our post event networking sponsor, WT Partnership.

Pictures from the event can be found here.

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