Kawana hospital to boost economy

Friday 24 September 2011

UDIA seminar reveals hospital could inject over $3 billion in business opportunities

MORE than 200 development industry identities, business leaders, council staff and elected members attended the inaugural Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Sunshine Coast branch's Sunshine Coast University Hospital business opportunities seminar last week.

The $2.5billion hospital at Lake Kawana has been identified by the UDIA as the single most important infrastructure project on the Sunshine Coast in respect of job and investment creation.

UDIA Sunshine Coast president Frazer Dean said the aim of this seminar was to increase the awareness within the community of the significant opportunities this project will bring to the region.

He said the UDIA believes this project will be the catalyst for the Sunshine Coast economy to kick-start an economic recovery.
The theme of the seminar was how to turn the $2.5billion ear-marked to develop the hospital project into $3.5billion worth of business opportunities. Queensland's Health Minister Geoff Wilson was the headline speaker and he made it clear that the State Government was committed to ensuring the hospital would be completed by 2016. Mr Wilson told the forum that when the hospital opens, it will employ 3500 people.

Mr Dean said the Sunshine Coast University Hospital Precinct headed the five key economic drivers identified by the What Works study undertaken by the University of the Sunshine Coast in collaboration with the Sunshine Coast Business Council.

The research compared five regions sharing similar characteristics with the Sunshine Coast and identified a number of strategies, innovations and initiatives that have succeeded across a number of the regions studied.

The What Works study also identified the Maroochydore Principal Activity Centre, Sunshine Coast Airport Precinct, Palmview/Sippy Downs Town Centre and Caloundra South as the other major influences on the regional economy and which will provide the future employment opportunities for the region.

For more Development pick up your copy of CBD free in Saturday's Sunshine Coast Daily