The importance of public-private partnerships in financing infrastructure will be discussed at a public seminar in Brisbane on July 25 this year.
Chaired by Professor Ken Wiltshire from The University of Queensland's Centre for Public Administration, the seminar will include presentations from the Director-General of the Department of State DevelopmentRoss Rolfe, Commerce Queensland Chief Executive Officer Andrew Craig and Macquarie Bank's Queensland Director and Adjunct Professor with UQ's Faculty of Business, Economics and Law Mark Gray.
UQ PhD student and researcher in the University's Centre for Public Administration Kay Cohen will also speak at the seminar on the development of Queensland's public works program.
A leading researcher and writer in the areas of public administration and administrative history, Ms Cohen said Queensland was the first known western democracy to appoint a co-ordinator of general public works to generate employment in December 1939.
"The State Government had established the Bureau of Industry seven years earlier," she said. "The Story Bridge, UQ's Forgan Smith Building and the Somerset Dam were all building projects initiated by this office."
She said her presentation would focus on the fact that all the major infrastructure schemes engaged in by the State Government over the past decade were identified and planned in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.
"This shows there is a long lead-time required for major building projects of this scale so planning must be done many years before," Ms Cohen said.
Held at the Royal on the Park hotel in Brisbane city, the lunchtime forum debate will be on the topic of "Public Infrastructure and the Queensland Economy of the Future".
The seminar is a Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) initiative in conjunction with UQ's School of Management and will be held on Wednesday, July 25, 2001, from 10.15am until 2pm.
For more information on the seminar or to register, please contact Jan McMaster at CEDA (telephone 07 3844 1779, mobile 0418 731 871 or email jmamast@ozemail.com.au).
Media: Contact Kay Cohen (telephone 07 3252 3869 or mobile 0414 521 635), Professor Kenneth Wiltshire (telephone 07 3365 2733 or mobile 0418 713 593) or Shirley Glaister at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2339).
