MONEY from the state government’s proposed asset leasing must be reinvested into the resource-rich North West.
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That was the message from North West mayors and the region’s leaders at the recent Mount Isa to Townsville Economic Development Zone meeting at Richmond.
MITEZ members agreed on a number of projects that could be considered from the possible lease of assets, such as the Port of Townsville and the Mount Isa to Townsville rail line, to generate new sources of wealth.
Richmond Mayor John Wharton said the key for new projects in the region was capturing and storing water, whether it be for new mines, industries such as a meat works or for irrigated agriculture.
“It’s vital that we establish some good water storages in the mid-west to get an irrigation precinct up and running, and receiving a decent contribution from any lease or sale of assets would be the catalyst to enable the mid-west to proceed,” Cr Wharton said.
“It fits within the pillars of both the state and Commonwealth’s economic direction to increase agricultural production and in developing the North.”
Access to energy, water and transport must also be addressed for exploration discoveries to become mines, MITEZ chairman David Glasson said.
He said the need for increased water storage had become an important issue as the North West suffered through the drought.
“Once you have a reliable water supply assured, you can then focus on transport, energy, labour and start building the next generation of mines that will produce additional wealth,” he said.
MITEZ members added key transport infrastructure to the project priority list, including the sealing of the remaining sections on the Hann Highway, contribution to a multimodal, multiusers rail loadout facility near Cloncurry and more capital works spending on the Flinders Highway.
McKinlay Mayor Belinda Murphy said their council had decided not to submit their own shire projects but instead support the ones on the priority list as they were the most important for the region.
She said Julia Creek relied on Cloncurry and Mount Isa for a number of services and it was important those centres had a strong future.
MITEZ is working closely with the sub-committees responsible for implementing the North West Regional Plan and in coming weeks will provide more information about the MITEZ priority projects to be considered by Queensland Treasury.
