Major Projects Office & Construction Industry Support

With the Budget release on Tuesday 14 June, came initiatives to enhance the construction industry in Queensland, with $4.2 million to be allocated to the Building Revival Initiatives which includes the establishment of a Major Project Office, the Queensland Building Boost Grant and a reform of Local Government Development Application Process.

Of the $4.2 million allocated in Tuesday’s Budget, $1.8 has been designated to the establishment of a Major Projects Office (MPO) in the Department of Local Government and Planning.

The MPO will work with stakeholders to guide economically significant projects that fall outside the province of the Coordinator-General or the Urban Land Development Authority through the planning process. Any project declared as ‘significant’ will be given a case manager to liaise with council and state approval agencies.

A major initiative of the 2011-2012 Budget was the announcement of the Queensland Building Boost Grant. Buyers of new homes or units will be eligible for a $10,000 grant for properties valued up to $600,000, contracted between August 1, 2011 and January 31, 2012. This grant is set to cost the government $140 million.

The $10,000 Queensland Building Boost Grant is available to any person or corporation buying or building a new house or unit to live in, or to rent out for investment purposes.

To make up for the budget outlays, the Government will scrap stamp duty concessions for people buying their principal place of residence. The concessions have been worth up to $7,175 and will save the Government $161 million in 2011-12.

$2 million of the Building Revival Initiatives will go towards a proposal by the Council of Mayors (SEQ) and Local Government Association of Queensland to extend the Target 5 Days Project into a Development Assessment Process Reform Program that will aim to:

This reform will improve the ability to deliver affordable and diverse housing by further reducing holding costs and assessment timeframes.

For further information, please contact your Hawker Britton consultant.