The theme for this year’s event was ‘The Power of Partnership: A Model for Government-Industry Collaboration’ with a focus on the opportunities and challenges shaping Queensland’s infrastructure, housing and transport landscape in the decade ahead.

Participants recognised that as the national focus increasingly shifts to Queensland, with a contraction in transport spending in Victoria and New South Wales, Queensland has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to set new benchmarks for public-private collaboration.

Damien Walker noted key challenges faced by the new government and spoke to the real value of taking a partnership approach with industry, especially in delivering the infrastructure program.

With this in mind, Consult Australia members shared their collective experience and expertise on how we can learn from the past to do better in Queensland and nationally. It was a lively discussion, covering productivity, capacity, collaboration, digital, pipeline and legacy.

Consult Australia members identified four critical priorities for government action:

"This was a fantastic forum that enabled rich discussion with Queensland government leaders and Consult Australia members. The government confirmed they are open to our ideas to improve procurement and delivery of projects and transform Queensland," said Tasos Katopodis, Consult Australia President.

This forum highlights how collective advocacy can drive improved industry outcomes. Forums of this kind require a commitment of collaboration between leaders. In Queensland the Department of Premier and Cabinet has driven this engagement from a government perspective and coordinated attendees. We would love to see this championing of collaboration in other jurisdictions.