Read Full Submission

The Club’s Head of Public Policy Dr Michael Kane said plans for housing and transport must be intrinsically linked to better planning, funding and delivery of transport infrastructure to effectively solve SEQ’s housing crisis and population challenge.

“We must put the pedal to the metal on road, public and active transport planning if we are to preserve SEQ’s famous lifestyle, strengthen our economy and keep our communities safe,” Dr Kane said.

“In its current form, the draft ShapingSEQ 2023 Update has all the right policy statements but has major gaps in transport infrastructure planning and how it will be delivered to manage the region’s expected population growth.

“Having access to a safe, stable, and affordable home is a fundamental right, but to increase housing supply we must also have infrastructure to move residents around safely and efficiently.

“We can’t afford to increase density in existing areas or approve housing developments in greenfield sites without adequate public, active and road transport infrastructure.”

Dr Kane said SEQ is at a crossroads, with an expected population growth of more than 2.2 million people in the next 23 years.

“We believe this is a critical time in the region’s history as we prepare to take the world stage in 2032 and house six million people in the next two decades. If we don’t manage increased growth and density, we will end up like Los Angeles with congestion everywhere.

“If we have any hope of being successful, while preserving our famous lifestyle, we must make transport a top priority in the regional plan and ensure strong connectivity between housing, jobs, education and recreation for everyone who calls SEQ home.”

RACQ’s submission made 22 recommendations including extending the Brisbane Metro network, introducing a Metro Glider service, removing level crossings, identifying under-utilised areas for growth and creating action plans for individual projects to keep them on track.

The Club also outlined the need to re-think where to build and how to build in the face of extreme weather risk and climate change projections.

“Governments must use planning powers to limit new developments in areas highly prone to flooding, bushfire and costal hazards. Climate change risk assessments should be mandatory to identify these vulnerable areas.,” he said.