Launching Queensland’s Future: The Man Guiding the Million-Home Plan

“It’s a hard thing to place a rocket launchpad.” Fair to say that’s probably not something Julian Simmonds had ever contemplated until a few months ago. And fortunately for him, much of the heavy lifting in that regard was already done before his appointment in April as Economic Development Queensland’s acting chief executive officer. To that end, last week on a former cattle paddock within one of EDQ’s 38 Priority Development Areas across Queensland, the first Australian-built orbital rocket blasted off—albeit for less than one minute—on its maiden test launch. But the countdown continues for Simmonds. He has boldly gone where no former Queensland politician has gone before—into a bureaucratic agency tasked with pulling off an ambitious mission of enabling the delivery of a million new homes by 2044. That is—as he is acutely aware—in just under 19 years and counting. To cater for the Sunshine State’s forecast exponential growth, Simmonds is steering a major trajectory shift, refocusing the EDQ on the core priorities of delivering not just housing but much-needed industrial opportunities—yes, including the odd rocket launchpad—at pace and scale. “There’ll be a lot of people who’ll say, ‘Well that’s what EDQ was meant to be doing all along’ and I accept that,” Simmonds, speaking exclusively with The Urban Developer , says. “But I’ve found all the team in EDQ to be very hardworking, dedicated and they’re very keen to see outcomes … and, to be frank, I think the EDQ had been asked by the previous government to try and do everything. “That then translated into asking the industry to try and do everything. “You saw that in the development schemes. And [Brisbane’s] Woolloongabba is a classic example where the market’s got to fit everything on to a site. “They’ve got to have 20 per cent social and affordable housing. They’ve got to have privately delivered public open space. They’ve got to have significant setbacks. They’ve got to have a 6 Star, Green Star rating. “And while we would all love to do everything, and none of those goals were undesirable, you just—particularly in the current market environment—can’t achieve everything. ▲ Rendering of part of the marina within the North Harbour Priority Development Area at Moreton Bay. “You have to decide what your core priority is. And the overarching driver, undoubtedly, is the million new homes we need by 2044 and the important role EDQ has in achieving that. “But we have to be realistic about the size of that challenge,” he says. “I don’t think anybody needs too much convincing that there’s a housing crisis. And the reality is we need to turn on as much as we can everywhere … because at the moment housing everywhere is good housing.” Key to the EDQ’s strategic refocus is working more collaboratively with local government and the industry while factoring in the market realities to foster a more integrated and efficient approach to conceiving, funding and delivering projects. “We don’t own a shovel,” Simmonds says. “We’re not here to be a developer. “We’re here to partner with the industry, not compete against it. Our strength lies in bringing forward a pipeline of land that has been unlocked from a planning and infrastructure perspective. “The real measure of our success is how many shovels we can put in the ground with the help of the industry. And it’ll only be through assisting the industry that we can achieve that. “We want to be the one-stop shop. We want to be the front door for engaging with state government. That’s our value proposition. We can corral help from other government departments and stand supportively with industry, working to bring good development forward.” So far, under Simmonds’ watch, three new Priority Development Areas have been declared—at Southern Thornlands, south of Brisbane that will provide about 8000 new homes; at Mount Peter south of Cairns that will unlock 18,500 homes; and North Harbour in the City of Moreton Bay north of Brisbane where up to 3700 new homes and a 400-berth marina will be built. No doubt, in time there will be more where they came from—with the EDQ working closely with councils to ensure they are “comfortable with the result that is being created”. “I want to be clear,” Simmonds says. “Our door is always open to discussions, as is the government’s, around if a PDA framework is right to bring forward development. We’re all ears and will always consider it.” ▲ Aerial image of the Mount Peter PDA, south of Cairns, where 18,500 homes are planned. But for now, he says, the focus is on “squeezing more out of the lemon” in the existing PDAs. In particular, he cites the Ripley, Flagstone, Waraba, Woolloongabba and Northshore Hamilton PDAs The latter two—formerly designated as key 2032 Olympic precincts—are now in the sharp gaze of the EDQ. “Up until this point all the effort at Northshore Hamilton has been going into turning on the athletes village but (with its relocation to the RNA Showgrounds at Bowen Hills) it’s now a site where we could bring on land releases and accelerate the housing delivery,” Simmonds says. Likewise, the potential to unlock housing at Woolloongabba—originally slated as the main Games precinct but since usurped by Victoria Park—also beckons. “The reality is we have to accept that despite all the attractions of that location, we haven’t seen a lot of sites turned on there. And if we’re honest with ourselves … that means the development settings aren’t right. That’s an EDQ responsibility … and that’s one of our key focuses. “But I think part of the difficulty at the moment is also that everyone’s been hanging out for density opportunities, which the market just can’t deliver at the moment. “And rather than waiting around for the perfect density, let’s just get the housing types that can be delivered now, built now, sold now that allow us to start tackling the housing challenge.” Last financial year, EDQ fast-tracked the approval of a record 8003 residential lots—of these, almost 3000 were greenlit in the three months from April to June this year. “I would hope that we keep up that pace,” Simmonds says. “And so another important piece of the puzzle is we’re going through a significant focus on how we reduce those timeframes for the development assessments that we undertake, so that EDQ does get back to basics in terms of having faster and more efficient planning pathways than council.” Shortly after taking on his role with the EDQ, Simmonds also amalgamated its development assessment and our infrastructure teams to ensure better co-ordination and quicker decision-making. “With our focus on that now, we can help give the industry confidence that decisions will be made, whether it's a yes or no, they'll at least be made quickly and efficiently. “We are going to be far less prescriptive. We are going to be performance based and, ultimately, we want to be a partner with industry. And if there’s a planning setting that is too onerous, we want to hear about it so that we can actually address it to get a project going and be partners in that.” So where does he see the future opportunities are for developers? “Well, what we really want from industry is for them to be proactive,” Simmonds says. “If there are sites that they think a state planning process can bring forward a result, accelerate putting shovels in the ground, that’s something we’re attracted to.” Meanwhile, EDQ plans to keep rolling out releases of development-ready land across its sites, bringing new opportunities for developers. Beyond residential development, Simmonds also sees substantial opportunities for developers in the industrial sector, particularly for innovative projects in emerging areas that have not been on their radar before, like Gympie, Ebenezer and Coolum. “There’s a massive demand for industrial land. We can't turn it on fast enough. The challenge is finding the right sites. So we're continually looking to supplement our pipeline of sites. “And whether it’s something as complicated as a rocket launchpad, a data centre or a just company with a growth requirement, we want to support the expansion of Queensland businesses…and if we don’t provide opportunities for them they’ll expand interstate and nobody wants that.” For developers, there is another emerging opportunity that Simmonds says so far has been somewhat overlooked and untapped. “The opportunity they haven’t been looking at but they could is surplus government land and how that can be activated. Because they’ve now got a partner in government that really wants to work with them to enable that.” Simmonds was named acting chief executive of the EDQ after the sudden departure of former boss Debbie McNamara. He is touted to be appointed to the position in a permanent capacity but is by no means counting his chickens before they hatch. “That’s not something for me to comment on,” he says. “Ultimately it’ll be a decision for the board but certainly what I can say is that I’m relishing the role and I’ll be here for as long as they’ll have me.” After 12 years representing the LNP—including nine years as a local councillor in Brisbane’s inner-west and one term as the federal member for Ryan—he brings with him an ability to negotiate both the political and bureaucratic sides of the public sector and, more critically, a deep understanding of planning processes. He lost Ryan to the Greens ’ Elizabeth Watson-Brown in 2022. For a couple of years before moving into the EDQ role, Simmonds worked on private developments for family-owned companies, exposing him to the prevailing delivery challenges the market is facing. ▲ Aerial view of the Northshore Hamilton Priority Development Area, previously earmarked for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics athletes village. “At its best, EDQ can bring forward housing opportunities in a way that others can’t,” he says. “But like many in the industry, I was frustrated over the last couple of years that it wasn’t living up to that potential. So I was ambitious for what it could be.” The spaceport for homegrown Gilmour Space Technologies, within the Abbot Point PDA near Bowen in north Queenand, symbolises EDQ’s potential—identifying unique sites, understanding market needs, and creating pathways for innovative projects. And rocket launchpads or not, Simmonds is strapped in and “well caffeinated” for short or long orbit ahead. Going forward the major challenge, he says, for development in Queensland will be the infrastructure “big build” needed to drive the state’s economic and urban growth. “There is just a lot of infrastructure that needs to be delivered to turn on housing, and there’s limited funding to do it,” he says. “We’re constantly looking for ways that we can bring forward infrastructure, where we can piggyback off other projects or where we can identify and take advantage of new funding opportunities to turn it on. “I’m confident that we can get our assessment timeframes faster. I’m confident that we can engage with the industry to make sure our planning settings are right. These are things well within our control. “But big infrastructure takes time and a lot of collaboration right across government, with industry, with local government, and so that’s probably the toughest piece. “I think it’s eminently achievable but it’ll just be a constant battle. It’ll be a marathon you never get to the finish line of.”

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