We can't wait campaign - White paper 3

The emergence of the Western Corridor Two decades ago, South-East Queensland (SEQ) had a problem and Ipswich had a solution. At the time the State’s population was rising by 1,000 people a week and there were serious concerns about where to house everyone. When the State Government released its 2005–2026 master plan for SEQ, the great hope was an area that became known as the ‘Western Corridor’. This was essentially the emerging areas of Ipswich and parts of Beaudesert, and particularly the ambitious, but already established, Springfield satellite ‘city’ and the sprawling fields of Ripley. The plan was to encourage people away from the over-burdened coastal areas towards this new western frontier of opportunity. The then Premier Peter Beattie said the SEQ Regional Plan was designed to keep Queensland’s way of life ‘off the endangered list.’ 1 It came with a promise to provide the necessary infrastructure to make this happen. ‘Future growth in this corridor provides the opportunity to achieve a good relationship between employment, transport infrastructure and population growth,’ the plan said. ‘By identifying areas for future urban development and giving priority to infrastructure and services, increased economic and population growth can be attracted to the Western Corridor.’ 2 That was then. Fast forward to 2024 and our lifestyle is back on the endangered list. The expected expansion of the Ipswich mega-growth zones is happening, but infrastructure is not keeping up. Residents of areas like Ripley and Redbank Plains are highly car dependent. These major areas of growth need far more investment in public transport, including a commitment to a mass transit solution between Ipswich and Springfield, and a comprehensive bus service. This is the second in a series of discussion papers outlining the case for a better infrastructure funding deal for Ipswich as part of the We Can’t Wait campaign. The papers tell a compelling story of a city ready to show what it can do.

We can’t wait to tell this story.

What is the ‘We Can’t Wait’ campaign? ‘We Can’t Wait’ is an Ipswich City Council initiative that aims to amplify the voices of Ipswich residents. It was created because, as a city, we can’t just let unsupported growth play out, with potential negative consequences for our people and the broader region. Rapid growth, supported by proactive investment in the right infrastructure at the right time, can create enormous opportunities for all. Growth that runs too far ahead of investment leads to growing pains, undercooked services and transportation bottlenecks that constrain family life and cost businesses dearly.

Ipswich has never asked for special treatment. Everything we ask for is backed by evidence. All we need is fairer funding and investment to support the city we aspire to become.

1 Australian Financial Review, May 5, 2005 2 South-East Queensland Regional Plan, 2005