The Queensland government has announced an overhaul to its road investment program that will see it “restore respect” for taxpayer money and clean up the transport project process.
The overhaul to the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP) comes after an independent review that determined that there was a need to return to a competitive tender process for major transport projects.
The annual QTRIP update included these changes followed the independent review conducted by infrastructure expert Rodd Staples and initiated by the former Labor state government.
The state government says it will implement the recommended reforms, including stronger reporting discipline to reduce the risk of unrealistic expectations and poor project planning.
The review also recommends that the new QTRIP ensures that industry and funding partners, alongside the wider community, receive insight into the program and can distinguish between projects in development and delivery to prevent premature costings.
Within QTRIP, more project planning will be undertaken upfront, with projects to be tendered following more detailed planning and project costs to be disclosed after contracted, as well as upon final completion.
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Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg says the new QTRIP framework would bring genuine industry engagement and competition, driving down project costs and delivering better value for Queenslanders.
“With the additional demands of 2032, Queensland’s infrastructure task is bigger than ever and we must manage the pipeline of projects to prevent cost overruns seen under Labor,” he says.
“This is about ending the waste and restoring fiscal discipline to make every dollar stretch further for Queenslanders.
“Labor routinely announced project cost allocations before the market had a chance to competitively tender – locking in big prices and locking out better value.
“Each taxpayer dollar that goes towards addressing a cost pressure left behind by Labor is a dollar which can’t be put towards new road and transport projects.
“We are restoring respect for Queenslanders’ money, returning competitive tension to the process, to deliver sharper bids, better contract performance, and more projects delivered on time and on budget.”
Independent reviewer Rodd Staples says the review is critical to improving outcomes across Queensland’s transport and roads portfolio.
“This review examined how the Department of Transport and Main Roads manages its infrastructure pipeline and how the Queensland government can better manage costs and risks across project lifecycles,” he says.
“It found there are opportunities to enhance how QTRIP is structured, introducing consistency in contract packaging and commercial models, and better risk management frameworks to help ensure a more robust and cost-effective delivery in the future.”
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