Driving regional sustainability outcomes through road investment

Abstract

Regional leaders across Queensland have joined forces to fund and drive a major economic development initiative called the Inland Queensland Roads Action Plan (IQ-RAP) which focusses on creating a stronger, safer, more productive and more resilient road network to support all industries, communities and tourists.

The goal to improve economic outcomes in regional Queensland brought together a strategic alliance of 49 funding partners, including 33 local governments, eight Regional Roads and Transport Groups RRTGs), five Regional Development Australia (RDA) committees and RACQ to develop a road network plan – the IQ-RAP. The plan represents a key milestone in forming a shared vision for the inland Queensland road network – defined as west of the Bruce Highway and outside SEQ.

The IQ-RAP vision is to increase the quality and accessibility of the road network contributing to Australia’s productivity, quality of life, safety and equity. A safe, productive, resilient, well connected road network is vital to our rural industries and jobs, including mining, agriculture, logistics, tourism and our rural communities. Hence the IQ-RAP is much more than being just about roads, but more importantly about the economic and social benefits it can catalyse.

The plan is the first of its type in Australia, which identifies and prioritises upgrades on such a large network of around 16,000 kilometres. The IQ-RAP covers 82% of Queensland’s area and 19% of Australia. Following a gap analysis on current and required standards, a Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) aided in prioritising multiple investment options based on a consistent range of criteria across the entire network. The MCA rated links into three categories: MCA rating 1 – highest priority for delivery in 0-5 years, MCA rating 2 – priority for delivery in 6-10 years, MCA rating 3 – priority for delivery in 11-15 years.

The delivery of each road project will require planning, design, construction, suppliers of goods and services and on-going maintenance which will provide short and long term jobs across Queensland. A longer term road investment program will provide more certainty for local governments and businesses to attract and retain critical skill sets in regional Queensland.

The IQ-RAP Working Group has had strong engagement with Parliamentarians and departmental executives in the Australian and Queensland Governments as well as peak industry groups with Queensland and national interests. The IQ-RAP supports Australian and Queensland objectives to improve road safety, increase productivity, create jobs, contribute to creating economic growth, enhance delivery of the Northern Australia agenda and increase export competiveness.

The IQ-RAP project commenced in 2013; the IQ-RAP was launched in February 2016. The project has had several wins to date – but it is a marathon, not a sprint to achieve all objectives.

The IQ-RAP is an excellent example of regional leadership and collaboration to drive economic growth and jobs for this generation and generations to come through strategic planning and investment in infrastructure.