Regional Economic Development

Capricorn region upset by Great Keppel resort missing out on casino

NEWS this week that the Greg Norman backed Great Keppel Island revitalisation development has missed out on a casino licence is unbelievable, according to the region’s peak tourism and economic development organisation, Capricorn Enterprise.

“I am bitterly disappointed that Central Queensland and the southern Great Barrier Reef has missed out on this opportunity, particularly considering that GKI is one of the few applicants with all the necessary approvals in place for integrated resort development,” Capricorn Enterprise chief executive Mary Carroll said.

“Aquis proposal by Tony Fung at Yorkeys Knob in Cairns ($8.15 billion) and the ASF Consortium Broadwater Marine project ($7.5 billion) at the Gold Coast haven’t even got their approvals in place.

“ASF haven’t even submitted its EIS,” she said.

Ms Carroll spoke immediately after the State Government announcement with developer Tower Holdings. She said Tower was still considering this latest announcement before providing any formal comment.

“Tower Holdings is in the middle of their international investment campaign led by Greg Norman and this announcement will certainly change the goal posts in respect to investment opportunities” Ms Carroll said. 

“Tower Holdings has stated previously that the development will proceed regardless of a casino licence, but this announcement does change the sales pitch” she said.

Ms Carroll said from the perspective of the Capricorn region’s tourism development the “announcement is a great shame for our destination and Tower Holdings as a fully owned Australian company.”

Renwned Australian golfer and course developer Greg Norman is heading up an international drive for investment in the unique tourism resort development on Great Keppel Island, the southernmost point of the Great Barrier Reef near Yeppoon. 

Mr Norman launched the campaign from Brisbane in April seeking investors to build and operate the largest fully approved, multi-faceted tourism infrastructure project currently in Australia.

Mr Norman is the ambassador for the A$2 billion Tower Holdings development on the island, which includes an 18-hole championship golf course designed by him. Along with his Great White Shark Enterprises, global agents JLL have been engaged to source international investors and the prominent investment bank, Moelis & Company, has been engaged as lead financial advisor to the project.

These three groups have combined to promote investment in the project, which is the largest and possibly last of its kind on the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. Initial interest has already been fielded with a formal investment campaign started in May.

Great Keppel is one of the reef’s most accessible islands – more than twice the size of Hamilton Island and a 50 minute flight from Brisbane.

The integrated resort development has approval for 700 luxury villas, 350 luxury apartments, a five-star golf course, beachfront hotel, marina, airstrip and retail village.

Owner, Tower Holdings CEO Terry Agnew said the campaign was being launched at a time when Australia was seeking crucial investment in five-star tourism product to meet the demands and expectations from the booming Asian travel market.

Great Keppel has a casino zoning and Tower Holdings lodged a submission to the Queensland Government’s invitation for integrated resort developments seeking a casino licence. 

Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind said there had not been a development of this scale in Queensland for more than 25 years.

“New five-star tourism products and experiences will allow Queensland to tap into the enormous tourism growth potential, particularly the rising number of wealthy Asian travellers,” Mr Gschwind said.

JLL CEO Australia Stephen Conry said Great Keppel Island represented “one of those rare opportunities with an extremely well planned development, set to deliver great returns, with full government support to develop the project”.

“The realization of the potential for five star facilities on the Great Barrier Reef is unquestionable and this investment opportunity has many attractive features, not least its position in one of the world’s most pristine locations in a country that has considerable growth projections for tourism in the region,” Mr Conry said.

Tourism Australia’s general manager of destination development, Katherine Droga said Australian tourism was performing well, with a record 6.5 million international visitors in 2013 spending more than $28 billion.

“The enduring appeal of our country remains strong, but to maintain and grow demand we certainly can’t afford to sit on our laurels,” Ms Droga said.

“Investment in new tourism infrastructure has a critical part to play in Australia maintaining its global competitiveness and continuing to attract visitors who are going to stay longer, travel further and, ultimately, spend more.

“Great Keppel Island is an exciting project and represents just the kind of investment story and ‘new news’ our industry needs to keep Australia and our world class visitor experiences front of mind for both international travellers and the broader investment community,” she said.

Mr Norman was enthusiastic about the potential for investment from world leading operators. 

“I have not seen a project like this anywhere in the world,” he said. “I have travelled to great islands all over the world and there is nothing like this place and nothing like the Great Barrier Reef.

“The magnitude and beauty of Great Keppel Island makes it a magnificent site, and as a Queenslander I am very honoured to be involved with bringing this vision to reality.

“Australia has lost a little of its panache in our international tourism market and this project is important for Australia – for our locals and for attracting luxury visitors back to Australia,” Mr Norman said.

www.shark.com

ends

POSTED MAY 27, 2014

Greg Norman drives global investor campaign for Great Keppel Island

 

RENOWNED Australian golfer and course developer Greg Norman is heading up an international drive for investment in a unique tourism resort development on Great Keppel Island, the southernmost point of the Great Barrier Reef near Yeppoon. 

Mr Norman launched the campaign from Brisbane this week (April 1) seeking investors to build and operate the largest fully approved, multi-faceted tourism infrastructure project currently in Australia.

Mr Norman is the ambassador for the A$2 billion Tower Holdings development on the island, which includes an 18-hole championship golf course designed by him. Along with his Great White Shark Enterprises, global agents JLL have been engaged to source international investors and the prominent investment bank, Moelis & Company, has been engaged as lead financial advisor to the project.

These three groups have combined to promote investment in the project,  which is the largest and possibly last of its kind on the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. Initial interest has already been fielded with a formal investment campaign expected to start in May.

Great Keppel is one of the reef’s most accessible islands – more than twice the size of Hamilton Island and a 50 minute flight from Brisbane.

The integrated resort development has approval for 700 luxury villas, 350 luxury apartments, a five-star golf course, beachfront hotel, marina, airstrip and retail village.

Owner, Tower Holdings CEO Terry Agnew said the campaign was being launched at a time when Australia was seeking crucial investment in five-star tourism product to meet the demands and expectations from the booming Asian travel market.

Great Keppel has a casino zoning and Tower Holdings has lodged a submission to the Queensland Government’s current expressions of interest (EOI) invitation for integrated resort developments seeking a casino licence. 

Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Daniel Gschwind said there had not been a development of this scale in Queensland for more than 25 years.

“New five-star tourism products and experiences will allow Queensland to tap into the enormous tourism growth potential, particularly the rising number of wealthy Asian travellers,” Mr Gschwind said.

JLL CEO Australia Stephen Conry said Great Keppel Island represented “one of those rare opportunities with an extremely well planned development, set to deliver great returns, with full government support to develop the project”.

“The realization of the potential for five star facilities on the Great Barrier Reef is unquestionable and this investment opportunity has many attractive features, not least its position in one of the world’s most pristine locations in a country that has considerable growth projections for tourism in the region,” Mr Conry said.

Tourism Australia’s general manager of destination development, Katherine Droga said Australian tourism was performing well, with a record 6.5 million international visitors in 2013 spending more than $28 billion.

“The enduring appeal of our country remains strong, but to maintain and grow demand we certainly can’t afford to sit on our laurels,” Ms Droga said.

“Investment in new tourism infrastructure has a critical part to play in Australia maintaining its global competitiveness and continuing to attract visitors who are going to stay longer, travel further and, ultimately, spend more.

“Great Keppel Island is an exciting project and represents just the kind of investment story and ‘new news’ our industry needs to keep Australia and our world class visitor experiences front of mind for both international travellers and the broader investment community,” she said.

Mr Norman was enthusiastic about the potential for investment from world leading operators. 

“I have not seen a project like this anywhere in the world,” he said. “I have travelled to great islands all over the world and there is nothing like this place and nothing like the Great Barrier Reef.

“The magnitude and beauty of Great Keppel Island makes it a magnificent site, and as a Queenslander I am very honoured to be involved with bringing this vision to reality.

“Australia has lost a little of its panache in our international tourism market and this project is important for Australia – for our locals and for attracting luxury visitors back to Australia,” Mr Norman said.

www.shark.com

ends

Poor investment in infrastructure holding Australia back

AUSTRALIA’s economic growth is being held back because of major underinvestment in infrastructure, according to research by think-tank the ADC Forum. 

ADC Forum chair, John Stanley, said the group’s research revealed that since the mid-1980s Australian investment in essential transport infrastructure had fallen behind by more than $250 billion.

Professor Stanley said the failure to make this investment had cost Australia dearly, reducing the national productivity growth rate by between 0.2 and 0.5 percent a year, as estimated by the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR).   

It is a theme that has been picked up on by the Federal Government, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott committing to a concentration upon new infrastructure development and insisting his term will become known as ‘the infrastructure government’.

Prof. Stanley said the impacts of inadequate infrastructure investment can be seen in congested public transport services and roads, lagged provision of social infrastructure and services in fast growing outer suburbs, housing supply problems linked to poor accessibility and deteriorating roads in regional and rural areas.

“This is not a blame game,” Prof. Stanley said. “As a nation we have failed in the area of infrastructure over many years. It is important for us to come together to tackle the issue and recapture our lost potential.”

ADC Forum is holding a National Infrastructure and Cities Summit in Sydney on March 13-14. Prof. Stanley said it was designed to bring together key stakeholders to find innovative solutions to the problem of under-investment in infrastructure.

He said the Summit was about finding innovative solutions, building on work which has already been done and examining key issues.

“If infrastructure spending is to be lifted, what should be our top priorities? How should they be determined? Are we getting maximum value from our existing infrastructure base and, if not, what do we need to do to improve performance?” Prof. Stanley asked.

“Our current approach to infrastructure prioritisation in Australia is heavily weighted towards a small number of major projects, particularly big transport projects.

“Is this going to deliver better productivity and liveability outcomes than spreading our focus more widely, across cities and regions and different sectors? Integrated planning of our land use, transport and other infrastructure, with disciplined application of cost benefit analysis, is fundamental to answering these questions.

“Reforming the way we charge for road use is a central part of the solution in the transport sector.”

The Summit will bring together Australian experts, decision makers and leading international experts, including Prof. Robert Cervero from University of California, Berkeley, a world leader in the area of integrated land use and transport planning.

Prof. Khoo Teng Chye, executive director of the Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development of Singapore, will also be speaking about how Singapore has dramatically improved its water self-sufficiency.

Federal Ministers and Shadow Ministers will also participate in the Summit.

Eight expert working groups have been preparing for the Summit over several months and Prof. Stanley is confident the event will contribute practical solutions.

“If we are not to slip further behind as a nation, we need fresh and innovative approaches, particularly in the way in which infrastructure is funded,” he said.

“We expect significant game-changing ideas to be presented and the Summit will be a major national forum for essential debate and testing new ideas.”

Prof. Stanley said the ADC Forum was a wholly Australian, non-political, not-for-profit leadership organisation which brings together leaders from business, government, the public sector, academia and the broader community to improve their understanding of key issues affecting Australia.

http://www.adcforum.org/

 

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Mining can help agriculture: QRC wants Qld regional planning 'positive' re-focus

THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has called on the Queensland Government to adjust its regional planning approach to consider how mining can positively assist agriculture. QRC is producing case studies on how this is already occurring, with coal seam gas miners providing recycled water for irrigation in parts of Queensland.

Image
Parts of the Darling Downs are benefitting from infrastructure, such as irrigation water, provided through the development of the coal seam gas industry. Image: Towoomba Regional Council.

 

A QRC submission has urged a Parliamentary Committee to recommend to the State Government that it refocus its Regional Interests Planning Bill on delivering growth for both agriculture and resources. 

Appearing before the committee this week, QRC industry policy director Andrew Barger said the proposed Bill appeared to focus on the cost to agriculture of resource developments and not on potential benefits. 

“How much more cotton could a region grow with a more reliable water supply?” Mr Barger said. “Resource projects have historically paid to build infrastructure like dams and water pipelines, with obvious spin-off benefits for agriculture.

“A perennial bugbear for agriculture is access to markets. Farmers long for better roads, rail links and connections to ports and airports. These are examples of investments made by resources projects that benefit a region’s economy.”

Image
Andrew Barger

 

Mr Barger said QRC public opinion research showed consistently that Queenslanders expected agriculture and resources to co-exist as the primary drivers of regional economic activity.

“Our research also shows that despite understandable public support for farmers, it is conceded that agriculture alone is not sufficient to drive regional growth,” Mr Barger said.

"In other words, regional communities see co-existence as an important force for balancing the activity cycles that affect both industries. 

“Queensland’s statutory regional plans could deliver on this promise, by refocusing on how to deliver growth in both agriculture and resources.”

http://www.qrc.org.au/

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Sunshine Coast develops healthy jobs creation leadership

QUEENSLAND’s Sunshine Coast is now a jobs destination as well as a tourism destination, such is the transformation in the regional economy over the past few years.

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Sunshine Coast Public University Hospital will become the hub in an integrated network of accessible healthcare for the region by 2016. Image: Lend Lease.

 

Last year the Sunshine Coast created 20 percent of all new jobs in Queensland – and it makes up just seven percent of the state’s population.

Of the 54,000 jobs created across the state, about 10,000 were created on the Sunshine Coast, according to property researcher Michael Matusik.

Mr Matusik said the employment growth actually came largely through construction and health/medical related areas, with a lesser impact from the retail and tourism sectors.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said growth in the professional services, education and aged care sectors was also evident.

“A number of new aged care facilities have recently opened, while the new Stellar Group headquarters in Maroochydore employed nearly 300 professional positions alone,” Cr Jamieson said.

“Given the Sunshine Coast makes up approximately seven percent of the state’s population, it is a fantastic result that we are creating 20 percent of the state’s jobs growth.

“In the Economic Development Strategy (EDS) we aim to create 100,000 jobs here on the coast in the next 20 years – and this shows we are well on the way.”

The Mayor said while much of the new employment was coming from one of the region’s more traditional sectors of construction, much of the activity was at the Sunshine Coast Public University Hospital site, which will be the future hub for a vibrant health and medical sector as spelled out in the EDS.

“Council has also contributed operational funding to the Workshop, an employment and skilling centre at the new hospital created in partnership with Lend Lease and the Federal Government, given the site will employ around 2500 workers during its construction phase alone,” Cr Jamieson said.

“As time goes on, that sector will be joined by growing sectors in aviation, education, the knowledge industry, agri-business, tourism and major events, and the clean technology industry.

“We are seeing good early results from a new wave of confidence, which in time will stimulate other investment growth – which means more jobs for people in this region and greater community prosperity.”

Council figures also show construction approvals and associated building values increased by 52 percent and 60 percent respectively throughout 2013, a further indication the region is heading in the right direction.

The figures show new building values were estimated at $177 million in the January-March 2013 quarter, increasing to more than $283 million by the October-December 2013 quarter – and these figures do not include the Sunshine Coast University Hospital project.

The number of construction approvals increased from 1035 to 1575 over the same period.

Cr Jamieson said these latest figures came on the back of Master Builders’ statistics which showed the Sunshine Coast November 2013 housing approvals grew 150 percent year-on-year, the highest in the state.

“You only have to look around and see things are starting to move and while it is still early days, we are on the right track,” Cr Jamieson said.

“Council is committed to encouraging new business, providing jobs for our residents and maintaining the great lifestyle we all love and enjoy.

“Our aim is to be the most sustainable region in Australia and we can combine growth with a sustainable economy, environment and community.”

Late last year the Queensland Government also passed back control and responsibility for Sunshine Coast Airport and its surrounding development to the council.

http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/

http://matusikmissive.com.au/2014/01/15/outlook-sunshine-coast/


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The Queensland Plan summit attracts more than 800 business, community and government leaders

ONE of the most innovative pieces of public consultation in Australia is moving to the next stage today and tomorrow (October 9 and 10) with the gathering of more than 800 business, community and government leaders in Brisbane.

Image
More than 800 business, community and government leaders gather at BCEC to work out The Queensland Plan.

It is the second major public gathering to ferment what the State Government is calling The Queensland Plan, which aims to foster a genuine public-led direction for Queensland over the next 30 years. The previous gathering was in Mackay in May which fostered the questions that were to be asked as a basis for the plan.

These questions were answered by more than 78,000 people and organisations and form a unique database of public priorities and intellect that is unlikely to be ignored by future Queensland state and local governments.

Out of the research, five key themes have emerged clearly and these will form the basis for discussions at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre today and tomorrow.

Creating a stronger sense of community cohesion and strengthening Queensland’s economy are the top two priorities across Queensland according to the analysis of contributions that have informed the development of The Queensland Plan.

Queensland people also prioritised community health and well-being, balancing the economy with the environment and strengthening Queensland's regions as the top focus areas into the future. 

State Minister responsible for The Queensland Plan, Andrew Powell said a detailed report summarising the contributions was now available.

“Since May, more than 78,000 Queenslanders added their voice, either through an individual response on the website, or through participation in a group activity that informed a submission,” Mr Powell said.

“This is an overwhelming and unprecedented response, particularly as it was voluntary to take part.

“With over 83,000 unique web visits, over 200 local community events across Queensland, a dedicated schools engagement program, and a good following on social media, this was a comprehensive grassroots engagement program.

“One of the world’s leading engagement experts, Steven Ames, agrees. He’s been very vocal about the exceptional number of responses.”

An estimated 800 people at the summit aim to fuse together the diverse opinions of the community.

“A broad cross section of Queenslanders will work together to build consensus, consider how we achieve balance and then work together to deliver real and tangible outcomes that will help shape The Queensland Plan,” Mr Powell said.

“Those not attending the summit can still watch history unfold as The Queensland Plan takes shape.

“You can watch summit sessions live, submit comments and be part of the online conversation, or visit the website throughout the day to catch-up on previous sessions.”

The Queensland Plan will be delivered by the end of the year and is likely to form the cornerstone of policy for the current Campbell Newman-led LNP State Government and others of all political persuasions for the next 30 years.

Visit www.queenslandplan.qld.gov.au/journey/brisbane-summit/index.html for more information about the Brisbane Summit.

The statewide report, executive summary and regional reports are available at www.qld.gov.au/queenslandplan

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Rejuvenate Gold Coast beaches ‘immediately' urges chamber

THE GOLD COAST Central Chamber of Commerce is calling on the Gold Coast City Council to immediately recover sand to its storm-decimated beaches, to save the tourism industry and the city's economy.

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Getting the gold back into the Gold Coast requires golden sands, says chamber. Image: Tourism Queensland.

 

President of the GC Central Chamber of Commerce Inc, Jason Deacon said Gold Coast business was of the opinion that the decision by the Gold Coast City Council to not repair coastline erosion before April "is a huge mistake for tourism and the broader economy".

Mr Deacon said if the beaches were not repaired at the earliest opportunity, the Gold Coast risked losing large numbers of bookings for the vital tourism season of Easter.

In a communication to members and associates of the chamber, he said, "Council has outlined plans to dredge 60,000 cubic metres of sand from the Broadwater to be used to repair the erosion, however, this is not expected to happen until mid-April.

"Leaving the beaches for more than another month has the potential to cause both short and long term damage to the city's reputation. We need to face up to reality: for many people, our beaches are a central draw card.

"While I am absolutely behind our collective push to diversify our image, I do believe we need to remember that our beaches are an incredible asset that draw a great deal of attention to the city.

"The likelihood is that we will lose bookings for Easter if the beaches remain virtually unusable, and for those that do come, the experience may be enough for them to not want to come again or to tell others not to bother visiting.

"We also have a huge market for day-trippers who come here to specifically to swim and surf, and then will grab lunch, go shopping, or enjoy one of the many entertainment venues here.

"If we experience a drop in both of these kinds of visitors, I'll be very concerned for the city's economy."

Mr Deacon said there was a wider worry that the Gold Coast was projecting an image of not being concerned about the quality of its shoreline.

"We might do some seriously lasting damage to our brand," he said.

According to the GC Central Chamber of Commerce, tourism is worth about $4.5 billion of the Gold Coast's annual gross regional product of $19.6 billion.

"I am not just saying this to support operators in the area of tourism - I am saying this to support all Gold Coast businesses," Mr Deacon said.

"The flow-on effects of reduced income from tourism would be felt across the city in all industry sectors.

"Given that many businesses here are doing it tough as it is, I seriously hope the council reconsiders their decision to wait such a length of time before acting on this major issue."

http://www.goldcoastcentralchamber.com.au/

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