Business
31 July, 2024
North West councils keen for CopperString legacy projects
Flinders Shire is leading the way to create an overall community benefit from the $5 billion project.
Mayor Kate Peddle says the CopperString project will provide a generational opportunity to deliver much-needed infrastructure upgrades that will improve long-term liveability across the North West, including Flinders Shire.
With Hughenden serving as the launching point for the construction phase of the $5 billion transmission line project, negotiations between Flinders Shire Council and Powerlink have become somewhat of a litmus test for North West councils.
Flinders Shire currently has an interim access agreement in place with Powerlink for the construction of a worker accommodation camp on council-owned land, as negotiations continue over what new or upgraded infrastructure Powerlink is willing to fund as part of the CopperString project’s legacy.
A final lease agreement is expected by the end of the year.
Negotiations received a boost recently when the Coordinator General’s office formally recognised Powerlink’s need to commit to leaving an infrastructure legacy that benefits the Hughenden community.
In the report, the Coordinator General encouraged the two parties to work together.
“Determining what these benefits are requires collaboration between Powerlink, local governments and affected stakeholders which Powerlink has recognised in their new commitment on legacy,” the report states.
While the Coordinator General’s statements were written specifically about Flinders Shire, the official recognition of the need to negotiate over legacy infrastructure has been viewed as an encouraging sign for other North West councils as they continue their own discussions with Powerlink regarding similar projects.
Flinders Shire Council has held several meetings with Powerlink following both the release of the Coordinator General’s report, as well as the signing of the interim access agreement, to discuss a range of infrastructure projects, including additional housing, upgrades to the Hughenden pool, telecommunications and improvements to the airport.
Cr Peddle said Powerlink had been negotiating in good faith and she remained hopeful a mutually beneficial outcome would be reached.
“The more of a relationship we develop with Powerlink the more I am confident they are genuine in their willingness to discuss these legacy items,” she told North West Weekly.
“We have a general idea of what we want to achieve – but to get the meat on the bones on these proposals, it will require us to continue to sit down and discuss these items with Powerlink.
“So far everything we have raised either has a follow up meeting or an action plan moving discussions forward – so I can’t fault Powerlink. The (interim agreement) has allowed us to spend these next few months before the final agreement is signed to make sure the legacy items are suitable for what we all need.
“There may be some knowledge gaps because obviously Powerlink and the Coordinator General’s office don’t live in our community and they don’t fully understand the challenges we have – but, really, is that such a bad thing?
“We are the ones who are sitting here so it is our job to make the representations to fill in those knowledge gaps.”
A spokesperson for Powerlink said the company recognised the importance of creating lasting legacies for the North West through the delivery of CopperString.
“Discussions continue with Flinders Shire Council around a number of initiatives,” the spokesperson said.
“This includes opportunities to contribute to council’s master plan, enhance community amenity, support population growth and retention, increasing the capabilities of local businesses and other infrastructure initiatives.
“QCN – a subsidiary of Powerlink and Energy Queensland – will also be commencing work shortly to increase internet speeds for communities along the CopperString corridor, further breaking the digital divide between metropolitan and regional communities.
“Powerlink is committed to leaving lasting legacies for communities while delivering this nation-building project.”