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South East Queensland

Due to the urgency of the housing challenges in Queensland, the scope of the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan was revised to fast-track the delivery of the targeted South East Queensland Infrastructure Supplement (SEQIS) that directly supports the regional plan, ShapingSEQ 2023.

Cover of the document

SEQIS is a plan for coordinating regional infrastructure that catalyses and services the growth and housing supply of the South East Queensland (SEQ) region. It also maximises the opportunity of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Brisbane 2032) infrastructure.

The SEQ region encompasses the 12 local government areas of Brisbane, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Moreton Bay, Noosa, Redland, Scenic Rim, Somerset, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba (urban extent).

SEQIS aligns to ShapingSEQ 2023, both of which respond specifically to the 2022 Housing Summit action to ‘increase land supply and enable infrastructure growth’.

The purpose of SEQIS is to:

  • prioritise place-based infrastructure planning to support ShapingSEQ 2023
  • map the alignment of planned and committed projects to both ShapingSEQ 2023 and the SIS
  • identify longer term regional infrastructure planning needs and strategic opportunities.

Download South East Queensland Infrastructure Supplement (PDF, 200MB) , you can also download a lower resolution version of the  supplement (PDF, 10MB).

  • The development of SEQIS was undertaken in alignment with ShapingSEQ 2023 and through engagement and consultation with SEQ councils, state agencies, government owned corporations (GOCs) and statutory bodies, industry, First Nations peoples and other stakeholders.

    SEQIS was socialised across the region as part of ShapingSEQ 2023 public notification period. The feedback received has assisted the refinement of the SEQIS and informed a range of implementation actions and scope of inquiry items for the SEQ Infrastructure Plan (SEQIP) to be delivered in 2025.

    Infrastructure planning, assessment, delivery and operation is an ongoing process that responds dynamically to economic needs and statutory settings and this SEQIS represents the first steps in the regional infrastructure planning development cycle for SEQ.

    Detailed infrastructure planning responses to the growth identified by ShapingSEQ 2023, in consultation with state agencies, will be incorporated into the subsequent regional infrastructure plan development cycle, the SEQIP.

  • SEQIS identifies three key drivers of change in the region:

    1. Maximising the Brisbane 2032 opportunity
    2. Supporting a transforming economy
    3. Creating connected and accessible centres.

    SEQIS also identified three regional growth challenges:

    1. Regional pipeline capacity challenges
    2. Coordinating capital programming to support growth
    3. Servicing increasing density.

Implementation and review

SEQ is currently undergoing a once-in-a-generation transformation. This transformation is catalysed by substantial planned growth and an unprecedented level of cross-government investment in infrastructure. Strategies employed by infrastructure delivery agencies in planning, designing and delivering projects will have a profound influence on how the region responds to these challenges and seizes the opportunities presented.

That is why SEQIS identifies a range of implementation actions which directly address these challenges and capitalises on the opportunities, ensuring that the region maximises the potential of this exceptional period of growth and infrastructure investment.

These actions encompass the entire infrastructure lifecycle and represent the Queensland Government's commitment to continuous improvement in approaches to infrastructure planning and delivery. This commitment signifies a progressive shift towards place-based infrastructure planning, optimising the use of existing assets and ensuring that the forecast growth in SEQ is thoughtfully supported by infrastructure, preserving the unique characteristics and liveability of SEQ.

The implementation actions are categorised into five themes:

  1. Digital-driven infrastructure planning
  2. Infrastructure coordination to support growth
  3. Facilitate infrastructure to underpin industrial land use
  4. Improving centre accessibility
  5. Infrastructure planning and design to ensure density is done well.

ShapingSEQ 2023 establishes a new implementation assurance framework and process that includes SEQIS. The governance framework focuses on joint accountability, strategic alignment across government bodies, greater input from expert advisors, and improved transparency. It provides clarity on roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders and the process and parameters for escalation to decision makers.

SEQIS does not represent a final infrastructure plan responding to ShapingSEQ 2023. Rather it is a foundational process that will set the direction for the SEQIP scheduled for development in 2025.

Benefits

  • It is imperative to change the way authorities plan for, deliver and integrate infrastructure seamlessly with land use planning. Embracing and championing the development and implementation of digital infrastructure planning tools to support the response to the anticipated growth is a fundamental change proposed to support this action.

    Through priority actions outlined in SEQIS, future infrastructure planning will be built from a solid evidence base, be data driven to meet the growth anticipated for the region, and seamlessly integrate land use planning and infrastructure planning.

    The priority actions will improve Queensland Government infrastructure planning by facilitating an open data platform to enable better state government infrastructure agency pipeline visibility and collaboration, ensuring Queensland’s infrastructure investments are aligned with regional priorities and based on robust evidence.

  • Infrastructure delivery holds a pivotal role in ensuring the projected growth for the region can be achieved, enabling greater diversity and densification of housing and economic growth. To ensure success, it is crucial to optimise government investments in infrastructure assets and improve planning and delivery through better coordination between agencies.

    Through priority actions outlined in SEQIS, coordinating capital planning processes and funding for growth areas throughout the region will unlock the full potential of these investments. This begins with increased transparency and accountability throughout the infrastructure planning process to ensure infrastructure can be planned for and provided where it is needed the most. This not only signifies the Queensland Government’s commitment to innovation and collaboration, but also to further improving the future of infrastructure planning in the region.

    The priority actions will improve Queensland Government infrastructure planning by facilitating improved infrastructure pipeline sequencing and timing, ensuring Queensland’s infrastructure investments are aligned across agencies, infrastructure providers and local councils to jointly deliver infrastructure when needed to support sustainable growth.

  • Infrastructure has a pivotal role in facilitating the economic transformation of the region away from emissions-intensive industries, maximising the local benefits from clean energy. It is crucial that the region’s existing and potential industrial areas flourish and adapt into innovative ‘clean and green’ economic anchors. These industrial developments need to coexist with the growing residential areas, emphasising the need for robust planning and strategic investment and alignment with existing policies.

    Through priority actions outlined in SEQIS, a proactive and coordinated approach to both industrial land use planning and infrastructure planning holds the key to energy transformation and the reuse and reprocessing of materials used throughout Queensland’s energy transformation journey. This approach ensures that prospective industrial areas are equipped with the necessary infrastructure to meet the evolving demands of a transitioning economy.

    The priority actions will coordinate the infrastructure needed to support and catalyse growth in industrial areas, ensuring Queensland’s infrastructure investments are aligned across government and industry to harness the opportunities of a transforming economy.

  • Brisbane 2032 offers an unparalleled opportunity to leverage legacy outcomes for the region. It presents a chance to represent South East Queensland not only as a world-class destination, but also as a connected, inclusive and sustainable region. In making it easier to move around, individuals can embrace the region’s enviable lifestyle through active movement and social interaction. Connecting key precincts and major economic, lifestyle, and destination areas in the SEQ region is critical to enable the region to compete globally.

    Through priority actions outlined in SEQIS, connecting centres and precincts with high-frequency public transport and active transport infrastructure to better enable walking, cycling and other modes of personal mobility will ensure that the centres’ employment and recreation are easy and convenient to access. This will ensure a Brisbane 2032 legacy through infrastructure planning to deliver both social and economic outcomes of healthier, accessible, well-connected places that support the growing population.

    The priority actions will improve Queensland Government infrastructure planning by providing prioritisation guidance to leverage planned major capital investments, ensuring Queensland’s infrastructure investments are prioritised to best support the needs of the region.

  • Planning for infrastructure in areas of increasing density will require a strategic and forward-thinking approach. As the region shifts away from growth in expansion areas and towards growth in consolidation areas, so too will infrastructure planning and design require a shift in approaches to service increasing densities in South East Queensland, particularly in high amenity areas.

    Through priority actions outlined in SEQIS, infrastructure agencies will revisit traditional infrastructure designs, assumptions for service planning and approaches for infrastructure planning to support well-designed, healthy and sustainable communities.

    The priority actions will improve Queensland Government infrastructure planning by encouraging best practices for infrastructure planning, design and delivery that supports regional density, ensuring Queensland’s infrastructure investments are integrated with regional land use planning priorities.

Questions and answers

  • ShapingSEQ 2023 is the regional plan for the South East Queensland region and it identifies the Queensland Government’s long-term vision for the region.

    SEQIS supports ShapingSEQ 2023 by representing an initial Queensland Government infrastructure planning response to the growth needs and land-use amendments of ShapingSEQ 2023.

    ShapingSEQ 2023 provides infrastructure delivery agencies with a wide range of new data and assumptions that impact both their service delivery, and future demand and infrastructure planning activities. State government agencies, SEQ councils and industry will need time to adequately assess and plan the infrastructure response to the impacts on demand for their services resulting from the population growth identified in ShapingSEQ 2023.

    Delivery of SEQIS is the first step in reintegrating regional infrastructure planning with statutory land use planning. Regional authorities, agencies and infrastructure providers have called for greater involvement in regional infrastructure planning as it relates to statutory regional planning in line with this improved governance framework. SEQIS is a commitment to a regional engagement approach for developing the SEQIP in 2025.

  • Maximising the Brisbane 2032 opportunity is a key driver of change identified in SEQIS. The infrastructure investment program is being delivered to ensure it catalyses long-term, sustainable growth for Queensland cities and regions by bringing forward infrastructure and urban development plans.

    New and upgraded venue projects have been pre-planned and brought forward to be built in time for the Games with enhanced transport connectivity.

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Last updated: 21 Dec 2023