Article: Bligh Government to announce incentives to lure people away ...

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From the Courier Mail click here!

Bligh Government to announce incentives to lure people away from southeast Queensland

Bligh Government to announce incentives to lure people away from southeast Queensland

    * From: The Courier-Mail
    * May 26, 2010 11:00PM

THE Bligh Government is set to announce a range of payments and other incentives to encourage people to settle outside Queensland's crowded southeast corner.

A new "regionalisation" strategy, set to be announced by Premier Anna Bligh next week, will try to lure new residents to towns such as Bundaberg, as well as better manage planning in high-growth cities such as Mackay and Gladstone.

It could be backed by government moves to transfer large departments to regional centres, a proposal heavily backed by local councils.

One incentive set to be detailed in the June 8 State Budget is a $3000 boost to the First Home Owner Grant for those who choose to buy outside southeast Queensland.

The payments will form the second tranche of Ms Bligh's growth management reforms following her announcement that three new satellite cities capable of housing 250,000 people would be fast-tracked for development in the southeast.


    * Population pressure: Brisbane loved to death - Bligh
    * Population growth: Bligh's radical supercities plan
    * Growth woes: Bligh's plan for population
    * Crowded southeast: Go bush for cheaper rates
    * Bligh bonus: Go bush and get $3000


Treasurer Andrew Fraser said yesterday the Government would soon roll out more proposals to tackle growth.

Mr Fraser said the new cities and higher-density living were "part of the solution".

But encouraging people to live in the regions was also a key part of the Government's growth strategy.

"I think we need to do that as well, and that is clearly part of what the Government's policy proposals are about and you will see all that in due course," Mr Fraser said.

But he said the Government would opt for a balanced approach rather than punitive tactics.

"We are not about to set up Checkpoint Charlie at the Tweed River and we are not about to put a Noosa line in place," Mr Fraser said.

"People want to live in the southeast corner and we have to cater for them in a sustainable way."

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said while density targets for Brisbane were still "very demanding", the three new cities might take pressure off other areas.

"This will take the pressure off some local government areas where communities are saying that they don't want the new dwellings," he said.

"So for example on the Sunshine Coast, there has been quite a reaction against the growth and I think by going into the area particularly between Beaudesert and the southern outskirts of Brisbane, that's a compromise solution."

Logan Mayor Cr Pam Parker did not rule out taking more of the growth load.

"I believe if we meet our current targets we'll be happy but we have the capacity (to take more)," Cr Parker said.

"Only 18 per cent of our area is urbanised. Taking another 200,000 will take us up to 30 per cent."

Queensland Conservation Council executive director Toby Hutcheon said the Government was "out of touch" over the issue and a new approach favouring population stabilisation would be economically beneficial.

"At the Growth Summit, the general view was quite clear – participants were very concerned about the threats to liveability and environment from population growth."

Ms Bligh said yesterday councils would be able to negotiate targets for their areas.

"We will be giving every single council in SEQ an opportunity to consider their current dwelling target and to come back to the State Government and either confirm that target or propose a decrease or an increase," she said.

"Where we have councils that are seeking to accelerate growth, we need to be understanding that and managing that and working with them to deliver," she said.

"Similarly, where we have some councils who believe in their particular circumstances they want to go a little slower, then we need to take that into account as well."

Ms Bligh has previously warned southeast Queensland councils wanting to limit population growth that funding for new infrastructure investment would not be forthcoming.

Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek said the ideas for new cities had been raised before.

Craig Johnstone and Ursula Heger

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From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Mayors demand regional rethink

Mayors demand regional rethink
TONY MOORE
May 28, 2010 - 7:56AM

A $4000 boost to the first home owners grant won't be available to those in rural areas within 90 minutes of Brisbane.

The mayors of three semi-rural councils within 90 minutes of Brisbane have sought immediate talks with the Premier after they were yesterday excluded from a new regional first home owners scheme.

Anna Bligh announced a $4000 boost to the existing $7000 grant for regional first home buyers if they built new homes, which would come into effect from July 1.

Local government leaders from Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley and Somerset last night said they should also have access to the initiative.

The grant excludes the council areas of Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, Redlands, Logan, Ipswich and Moreton Bay.

It also excludes Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Somerset councils, home to Gatton, Boonah and Fernvale.

The mayors of those three councils told brisbanetimes.com.au they could accommodate more people and had strong job growth prospects, arguably a bigger carrot than the $4000 grant.

Boonah-based Scenic Rim mayor John Brent said he was "very, very disappointed" at the decision, given the state government had given special status to a large, privately-owned "inland port" at Bromelton which could create 5500 jobs in the region.

"It is on the interstate rail line and the feds have recently upgraded the rail line from Bromelton to the port with dual-gauge rail, that has already been done," Cr Brent said.

"So I am somewhat at a loss to comprehend the Premier's decision not to include the Scenic Rim.

"We will be strongly advocating, not only for ourselves in Scenic Rim, but the communities for Somerset and Lockyer Valley, who I am sure will be perturbed by this decision."

Cr Brent said he expected the first tenants to be at Bromelton in two years.

In September 2007, Ms Bligh and her deputy Paul Lucas told reporters the project would attract thousands of jobs and "hundreds of millions of dollars of investment".

"One potential investor believes one 700 hectare site could be worth $780 million, deliver 5500 direct jobs, with as many as 12,000 additional flow-on jobs to the region," Ms Bligh said at the time.

Lockyer Valley mayor Steve Jones said he was bitterly disappointed his region was excluded.

"The western part of our shire, the Withcott area is just below the Toowoomba Range," Cr Jones said.

"Now it is likely that the people moving to that area, will now move up the range to Toowoomba instead of relocating from Brisbane to Withcott, where they can be really handy, extra people for the schools and for the facilities," he said.

"They are going to go up the range because it is going to be worth $4000 more to simply go up the hill."

Somerset council mayor Graham Lehmann also said he wanted to speak with Ms Bligh to persuade her to have a regional rethink.

"I think we have areas of development and areas of urban footprint that people can live in," Cr Lehmann said.

"And it will take pressure off the centre of Brisbane as well."

A spokesman for the premier said the three councils were included in the South-East Queensland Regional Plan.

He said the regional incentive plan was always designed to draw people "outside" south-east Queensland.

Scenic Rim and Lockyer Valley councils both have about 35,000 people, while Somerset has about 19,000.

Ms Bligh yesterday announced a new Queensland infrastructure plan, designed to link population and economic growth.