Tuesday 25 August, 2020
The LNP’s New Bradfield Scheme will supercharge the North Queensland economy and create a decade of secure jobs for the region, LNP Leader Deb Frecklington said today.
Ms Frecklington said construction of the vast dam and hydro-electric project west of Townsville would be a game-changer for the region’s battered economy – which lost 500 jobs in July.
The LNP today released engineering drawings of the proposed dam, which would be the largest ever built in Australia.
“The New Bradfield Scheme will stimulate the whole Queensland economy, but the biggest benefit will be felt in Townsville,” Ms Frecklington said.
“The New Bradfield Scheme will hold more water than 28 Sydney Harbours and its construction will be the biggest job-creation project North Queensland has ever seen.
“This is a nation-building infrastructure project that will secure Townsville’s economic future for generations to come.
“The New Bradfield Scheme is at the heart of the LNP’s plan to stimulate the economy, create jobs and drag Queensland out of recession.
“The LNP are doing the work from opposition to fast-track this project so that if we are elected, we can start delivering.
“The LNP is serious about building this project which is why we are already working with the engineers about how it can be built.
“The contrast with the do-nothing Palaszczuk Labor Government couldn’t be greater.
“Labor has no Budget and no plan for Queensland’s economic recovery.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk is flying blind through our worst economic crisis in 90 years.”
LNP Candidate for Thuringowa Natalie Marr said the New Bradfield Scheme would benefit workers and businesses across the electorate.
“The New Bradfield Scheme will stimulate every part of our local economy,” Ms Marr said.
“There will be more work for construction and engineering firms, more jobs for tradies and more money pumped into our local shops and small businesses.”
LNP Candidate for Townsville John Hathaway said Labor had no plan for North Queensland.
“This election is about who has a plan to drag our economy out of recession – and Labor don’t,” Mr Hathaway said.
“Labor don’t even have a Budget. Only an LNP Government will get North Queensland working again.”
LNP Candidate for Mundingburra Glenn Doyle said Labor’s anti-dams agenda was holding back North Queensland.
“Labor haven’t built a dam in regional Queensland for 15 years,” Mr Doyle said.
“The Palaszczuk Labor Government is anti-dams, anti-regions and anti-jobs.”
The New Bradfield Scheme is only one part of the LNP’s plan to create jobs in North Queensland. An LNP Government will also:
- Establish an Economic Recovery Agency led by an additional Coordinator-General to kickstart major job-creation projects, like the New Bradfield Scheme.
- Unlock $50bn of resource projects and 15,000 jobs in the Galilee Basin by freezing royalty rates for a decade and fixing Labor’s biased approvals process – giving the resources industry the certainty and confidence to invest in Queensland again.
- Progress the raising of the Burdekin Falls Dam and creating a new Queensland Dam Agency, based in Townsville, to drive new dam projects.
- Cut the average Townsville electricity bill by $300 by allowing more electricity retailers to compete in regional areas – just as they do in South-East Queensland.
- Introduce a no-new-tax guarantee.
- Back small businessesby cutting red-tape by 20% and ensuring faster payments to Queensland businesses by the State Government.
- Deliver a Budget within the first 100 days of forming government to implement our plan to get Queensland working again.
“North Queensland’s economic potential has been wasted by the Palaszczuk Labor Government,” Ms Frecklington said.
“Only an LNP Government will get North Queensland working again.”
The New Bradfield Scheme
The New Bradfield Scheme was devised by Sir Frank Moore, the father of Queensland tourism, and Sir Leo Hielscher, a former Under-Treasurer and Queensland Treasury Corporation chairman.
The project will involve construction of Queensland’s largest dam, with water drawn from four North Queensland rivers.
The New Bradfield hydro-electric plant will provide enough power for 800,000 homes.
Water will be piped to the state’s west by gravity-fed tunnels through the Great Dividing Range.
The water will be used to irrigate a new agricultural foodbowl that will be larger than Tasmania.
The New Bradfield Scheme will hold the equivalent volume of water as 28 Sydney Harbours.
The project will create tens of thousands of jobs in construction, industry, agriculture and the wider economy of regional Queensland.
