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NQ Pathfinder Action Plan
The NQ Region Pathfinder Project has brought together the knowledge and experience of local leaders and stakeholders to develop a plan, which capitalises on the region’s strengths, for the North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NQ-ROC) through its Regional Economic Development Sub-committee (RED-ROC). This project is based on the partnership between The Regional Australia Institute and Queensland Government Department of State Development and Department of Education and Training, Townsville City Council, Charters Towers Regional Council, Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council, Burdekin Shire Council, Hinchinbrook Shire Council, Townsville Enterprise Ltd and Regional Development Australia Townsville and North West Queensland.
The action plan focusses economic resources on six priority areas which are:
- Tourism growth
- Asia gateway expansion
- Human resources growth
- More entrepreneurs
- Lifting workforce skills
- Value add for agriculture
The NQ Pathfinder Action Plan is designed to refresh the North Queensland Economic Development Plan 2014 – 2031 (NQ2031).
NQ2031 North Queensland Economic Development Plan 2014-2031
Adopted on 21 March 2014, NQ2031 is an initiative of the Regional Economic Development sub-committee of the North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (RED-ROC). This highlevel committee was instigated to foster a greater level of regional unity and collaboration to drive economic development in North Queensland between the City of Townsville, Charters Towers Regional Council, Burdekin Shire Council, Hinchinbrook Shire Council and Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council.
The Strategic Regional Goals guiding the implementation of the NQ2031 vision are:
- Infrastructure to drive population and economic growth
- Innovation and developing new industries
- Ensuring a strong and unified regional profile to maximise investment
- Building the capabilities of our people in terms of skills and employment
- Maintaining our great North Queensland lifestyle
MITEZ 50-Year Freight Infrastructure Plan / Final Report / May 2012
The RDA Townsville and North West Queensland Committee has been a partner with MITEZ and several other regional stakeholders, with the support of Infrastructure Australia, to develop the MITEZ 50-Year Freight Infrastructure Plan Final Report.
RDA contributed funds and was an active member of the Working Group to develop the Plan. The Plan addresses the growth forecasts of freight in the region and the challenges facing the Mount Isa to Townsville supply chain and the region it supports. The goal is to increase productivity and attract investment into infrastructure to ensure well-managed, sustainable growth can occur.
The North West Regional Plan 2010-2031
Released by former Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, Stirling Hinchliffe in Mount Isa on 10 August 2010, the plan is the Queensland Government’s long-term strategy for shaping the region over the 20-year period to 2031. The plan will help create a diverse local economy, protect the region’s lifestyle and environment, inform the delivery of educational and training opportunities and support healthy and safe communities.
The plan applies to five local government areas:
- Cloncurry Shire Council
- Flinders Shire Council
- McKinlay Shire Council
- Mount Isa City Council
- Richmond Shire Council
Townsville Futures Plan
The Townsville Futures Plan outlines a range of recommendations to determine the way forward for Townsville in a manner which will deliver significant benefits for the region into the future. Two members of the RDA Townsville and North West Queensland Committee were members of the task force responsible for preparation of the plan.
Other Publications and Reports
Queensland Regions Trading Globally 2018
Telecommunications Infrastructure Review 2012
Please click HERE for Inland Queensland Roads Action Plan (IQ-RAP) documents
Trade and Investment
Australian Government
Queensland Government
Northern Australia Development
The Prime Minister, Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development and the Minister for Trade and Investment launched the Northern Australia White Paper “Our North, Our Future: A vision for developing Northern Australia” on the 18th of June 2015.
The White Paper is a vision to unlock the potential and opportunities of the north. It focuses on building priority roads, development water resources, removing red tape, building a sustainable workforce and ensuring effective governance arrangements. The paper concerned parts of Australia north of the Tropic of Capricorn, from Western Australia, through the Northern Territory and into Queensland.
The Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator the Hon. Matt Canavan, delivered his first annual statement progress of the implementation of the White Paper on Developing Northern Australia on 11 October 2016.
The Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, the Hon. Keith Pitt MP delivered a statement to parliament, 2020 Annual Statement on Developing Northern Australia, on the 28th October 2020.
The implementation of the White Paper on Developing Northern Australia, which sets out key policies and initiatives to drive growth in the north, is coordinated by Office of Northern Australia.
The vision will be unlocked through the below areas:
The White Paper on Developing Northern Australia included $75 million over 10 years to establish a Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Developing Northern Australia. The CRC is a core element of the Australian Government’s agenda for developing the north.
The CRC will assist businesses, governments and researchers to work together to identify opportunities for business and growth in the north. The CRC will be industry led, located in the north, and have an initial focus on areas where the north has particular strengths, including agriculture, food and tropical health. It will bring together industry, research organisations, all northern jurisdictions and international partners in a collaborative industry-led R&D venture.
The Coorperative Research Centre (CRC) for Developing Northern Australia Project Funding Round supports short term industry-led research collaborations to develop important new technologies, products and services which address industry problems in northern Australia in the areas of:
- tropical health and medicine, including models of care; and
- tropical and northern agriculture including animal and plant improvement and sustainability.
The round will provide funding of up to $3 million for up to three years for the projects. The funding round will kickstart the important work of the CRC for Developing Northern Australia.
The NAIF offers up to $5 billion over five years in concessional finance to encourage and complement private sector investment in infrastructure that benefits northern Australia. This may include developments in airports, communications, energy, ports, rail and water.
