With queries and social media commentary relating to the provision of infrastructure in the Noosa Shire, basic information regarding the distribution of responsibilities for infrastructure planning and delivery among the three levels of government as provided below by the office of the Hon Steven Miles.

In summary, infrastructure planning in Queensland involves a multi-level approach, with the Federal Government focusing on national-scale projects, the State Government overseeing state-level infrastructure, and local governments addressing community-specific needs. Each level has distinct roles, revenue sources, and infrastructure responsibilities, and share a range of mechanisms to coordinate their approaches to infrastructure development.

Federal Infrastructure Planning

  • Role and Responsibility: The Federal Government in Queensland plays a key role in funding and coordinating major national infrastructure projects, including highways, airports, and defense infrastructure.
  • Revenue Sources: Federal infrastructure funding primarily comes from national taxation and borrowing.
  • Type of Infrastructure: Federal infrastructure responsibilities encompass projects with a national scope, such as inter-state highways, inland rail, international airports, and national defense facilities. It also funds national programs (such as nation-wide road accident blackspot reduction).

State Infrastructure Planning

  • Role and Responsibility: The Queensland state government is responsible for strategic statewide/regional infrastructure planning, state-level infrastructure projects, and providing funding for areas like public transport, hospitals, and state roads and railways, prisons, ambulance services.
  • Revenue Sources: State infrastructure funding is mainly derived from state taxes, revenue from state-owned assets, and federal grants.
  • Type of Infrastructure: State government focuses on critical infrastructure serving the entire state, including public transportation networks, healthcare facilities, and state roads and rail.

Local Government Infrastructure Planning

  • Role and Responsibility: Local governments in Queensland are responsible for planning and delivering infrastructure at the community level, including local roads, water supply, sewage, parks, and community facilities (e.g. libraries and community halls etc.).
  • Revenue Sources: Local governments primarily generate revenue from property rates, fees, state and federal grants and infrastructure charges levied on developers.
  • Type of Infrastructure: Local governments cater to the immediate needs of their communities, including local roads, parks, waste management, and recreational facilities. They also manage land use planning to integrate development with local infrastructure.

Many large projects provided by Noosa Council throughout the Shire have been the recipients of either State or Federal Government grants. These include bridge replacements, Beckman’s Rd/Cooroy Noosa Rd Roundabout, Noosa Parade upgrade, Cooroy Hinterland Adventure Park, the Black Mountain landslide repairs and much more. These grants are in addition to the Council’s regular revenue streams which include rates and infrastructure charges to developers.

Further Information

More information on local government infrastructure planning in Queensland is available at https://dsdmipprd.blob.core.windows.net/general/factsheet-local-infrastructure-planning.pdf, the Queensland Government’s Infrastructure Strategy is at www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/industry/infrastructure/state-infrastructure-strategy and Australian Government’s Infrastructure Investment Program can be viewed at https://investment.infrastructure.gov.au