• The Courier-Mail partners with The Star, Transurban, Brisbane Airport Corporation, Brisbane City Council, SMEC, SEQ Council of Mayors, Sky News and Seven News Brisbane
• New exclusive research revealed from leading demographer Bernard Salt on SEQ
• Future SEQ event in Brisbane on October 23 expected to attract top business executives, politicians and VIPs
• The campaign launches with an eight-page wrap of The Courier-Mail
A city almost twice the size of Brisbane will be added to southeast Queensland’s population over the next quarter of a century, according to new findings released today in The Courier-Mail.
The Future SEQ special series, launched today in The Courier–Mail, will examine the threats ahead, explore options for solutions, and reveal innovative and achievable ideas for transforming the vital region which includes Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, Logan, Moreton, Redland, Ipswich, Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley.
This is the fourth part of the successful GoQld! campaign by the masthead, which aims to discuss issues affecting the state and encouraging solutions to ensure the future prosperity of Queenslanders.
There has been progress with $10 billion in projects in Brisbane alone during the series, including Brisbane Live, Cross River Rail, Brisbane Metro and the Waterfront Precinct in the CBD.
The Courier-Mail editor Sam Weir said SEQ, as one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, had incredible opportunities moving forward over the next quarter of a century.
“But this population surge also brings significant challenges in transport and other physical and social infrastructure to maintain our productivity and liveability,” he said.
“Our future as a place people will want to call home and work from depends on planning decisions made today to get it right for tomorrow.
“The region’s roads, trains and buses will reach breaking point over the next two decades unless we find and fund solutions now.”
New exclusive research from leading demographer Bernard Salt shows an extra two million people will live in Queensland by 2043, growing the population from 3.5 million to 5.5 million.
“The southeast Queensland of 2043 will be the same size as Sydney or Melbourne is today,” Salt said.
“It is quickly emerging as Australia’s third global force and, as such, it will offer all the urban amenity and quality you would expect from an urban conurbation of that scale.”
Salt will also deliver his vision for the future of southeast Queensland at a special lunch event in Brisbane on October 23. Tickets are available at couriermail.com.au/tickets.
More than 500 people are expected to attend, including Infrastructure Australia chairman Julieanne Alroe, The Star Entertainment Group managing director and chief executive Matt Bekier, Transurban Group chief executive Scott Charlton, Brisbane Airport Corporation chief executive Gert-Jan de Graaff and SEQ Council of Mayor chief executive Scott Smith.
The Future SEQ campaign will run in The Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail in print and digital, with Sky News broadcasting the October 23 event. The campaigns runs until October 24.
The campaign will be launched with an eight-page wrap of The Courier-Mail, continuing daily with coverage in news as well as opinion and business across seven days. It also is supported by a dedicated digital site, which also showcases exclusive images of a future Brisbane provided by campaign partners.
The marketing campaign is run by the News Corp Queensland team, utilising house space for campaign and event ads. The digital promotion campaign is run collaboratively by editorial and marketing utilising masthead platforms using imagery sourced from campaign partners.
Partners for the campaign include The Star, Transurban, Brisbane Airport Corporation, Brisbane City Council, SMEC, SEQ Council of Mayors, Sky News and Seven News Brisbane.
Professional services firm PwC has provided exclusive insight and analysis with city-shaping specialists Urbis to bring the visions to life in striking images.