Queensland Decade of Gigaprojects a Developer’s Goldmine

It is high stakes, game-changing and Queensland is going all in. With a growing pipeline of gigaprojects, the Sunshine State is emerging as Australia’s most ambitious frontier for infrastructure and property development. And if there is anybody who knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em—so to speak—it is Gerard Coggan. Eighteen months ago, the seasoned executive—with a 25-year career spanning environmental consulting, infrastructure and strategic project management, across both the private and public sectors—took on the key role of Queensland’s co-ordinator-general and was dealt a $116.8-billion, four-year state capital program. “It’s an enormous amount of capital expenditure and that’s not including what the private sector is also spending,” Coggan says. Unlike in New South Wales and Victoria, where infrastructure spending has slowed, Queensland continues to significantly grow its pipeline—increasing its budgeted program from $107.3 billion a year earlier. But Coggan is far from fazed by the ambitious scale of the so-called “big build” that is positioning Queensland as an infrastructure powerhouse. ▲ Queensland’s co-ordinator-general Gerrard Coggan: Being an independent statutory decision-maker gives me the space to do what’s required. As co-ordinator-general he has wide-ranging powers to evaluate, plan, deliver and coordinate major projects, operating with a mandate to balance economic growth with environmental impacts and social benefits. “Being an independent statutory decision-maker really does give me the space to do what’s required,” Coggan—a civil and environmental engineer by trade—says. “I look at it from the perspective that not only is getting the work done right really important to Queensland’s future economic growth but it’s also important in terms of the protection of our environment and the places in which we live. That’s something that I take pretty seriously.” And if he plays the cards right, the biggest decade of infrastructure delivery in Queensland’s history will reshape its economic landscape and create unprecedented opportunities—not least for developers. Currently on Coggan’s desk are 22 co-ordinated projects going through environmental assessment and 14 prescribed projects “where timeliness of decision-making is really important”. Critical to the state’s infrastructure strategy is unlocking potential economic growth in regional Queensland, an agenda from which the property development sector stands to potentially benefit significantly. Coggan points to the state’s north-west, where an estimated $500-billion worth of critical minerals remains an untapped resource. ▲ The Inland Rail project is among the biggest infrastructure developments in Australia. And he cites the Queensland Resources Common User Facility (QRCUF) in Townsville—a project aimed at de-risking the processing of critical minerals and attracting significant private capital—as a catalyst for broader economic development. “Over the last 18 months I’ve been talking to a lot of mayors and CEOs at local government and all of the regional communities are undergoing significant pressure in relation to housing,” Coggan says. “So, I think as you see growth in these economies, that is going to drive further demand for housing and other services.”` The $31-billion Inland Rail project—a 1600km freight railway that will connect Melbourne and Brisbane—also exemplifies this potential, he says. The assessment phase of the section from the Queensland-New South Wales border near Goondiwindi to Gowrie, outside of Toowoomba, is slated for completion in the first quarter of 2026. “It’s a very significant project in terms of implications for the development industry in Queensland and opportunities that will arise through transport logistics that will drive development in that commercial, industrial and agriculture space in the region,” Coggan says. Renewable energy infrastructure is another key focus. Multiple hydro energy storage projects are also in various stages of development, supporting Queensland’s transition to a more sustainable energy model. These projects not only address energy needs but also create potential development opportunities around new infrastructure. Overall, for property developers, the infrastructure pipeline translates into massive potential for strategic residential and commercial developments in emerging economic corridors. But Coggan also is acutely aware the path ahead is not without challenges. ▲ The Bulli Creek solar farm: Renewable energy infrastructure is another key focus. “Clearly, the size of the pipeline in Queensland and more broadly in Australia is a significant challenge at the moment,” he candidly says. “Ensuring we have a skilled workforce to deliver these projects is going to be very important…[and] creating an environment where we are removing roadblocks so we’re able to deliver them efficiently is going to be key for Queensland’s future success. “Because the longer these projects take to deliver, the more they cost.” However, Coggan says, compared to its southern counterparts Queensland has an ace up its sleeve in driving infrastructure delivery. And that is its longstanding Office of the co-ordinator-general. Established in 1938 in the wake of the Great Depression to co-ordinate the delivery of public infrastructure and stimulate job creation, it has become a cornerstone of Queensland’s economic development—leading the way more recently for other states. “But none of them have the same breadth and depth of powers that we have in Queensland,” Coggan says. “And that’s a real competitive advantage for us, both from the effective delivery of state infrastructure projects and also the opportunity it gives us with economic development projects.” Securing economic development projects has emerged as a highly competitive space between the states these days, he says. “And they’re becoming more and more competitive even internationally. So the powers that we can bring to sort of simplify doing business in Queensland, it gives us a real competitive edge.” Meanwhile, adding another layer of complexity—as well as opportunity, of course—is the $7.1-billion venue infrastructure program for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics to be delivered in just under seven years. Again, Coggan—never one to overplay his hand—clearly has a strategy to navigate Queensland’s unprecedented infrastructure journey and facilitate significant economic transformation. And it is one that also paves the way for a potentially transformative period of growth and opportunity for the state’s property development industry. “With challenge comes opportunity,” Coggan says. “And I think we need to be open to innovation … because everybody in Queensland wants to put a good show on in 2032.”

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