Abbot Point Master Plan: “The Most Important We’ve Seen In The Last Ten Years”

Australia’s most northern deep-water coal export port has released its draft Master Plan and Port Overlay documents for public consultation in what is a major step for the site’s potential development.

Whitsunday Regional Councillor Mike Brunker has called the Abbot Point documents “the most important we’ve seen in the last ten years” relating to the Adani Group operated port, as well as the location's State Development Area.

The drafts set out the long-term plan for sustainable development at the site until 2050, looking “beyond the port boundary to ensure port-related development is sustainably managed” – particularly in reference to the Great Barrier Reef and the Reef 2050 Plan.

Since 2012, expansion of Abbot Point has been on the backburner, with the most recent plans those made a decade ago: a $9 billion development of the port which was scrapped by the previous Queensland Premier Campbell Newman’s government.

Now, the Abbot Point draft Master Plan and Port Overlay for the Priority Port of Abbot Point 2 is attempting to address the major environmental concerns which halted development 10 years ago.

The drafts themselves do not lay out explicit plans for the port or State Development Area. Rather, they act as outlines for future development, its impact on the reef, and how to facilitate the creation of a potential infrastructure hub through delivering major development of road networks, power, and other pivotal foundations.

Nothing is concrete save for precinct designations which the Master Plan has mapped out: Environmental land; marine infrastructure; port, industry and commercial areas; and the infrastructure and supply chain corridor – places where industry can grow, optimise, and develop.

Documents state that the Master Plan strikes a “balance between the sustainable development of the Port of Abbot Point and the long-term protection of environmental and cultural values, including the Great Barrier Reef and the Caley Valley Wetlands.”

Community consultations occurred last week, on Thursday, November 24, and Friday, November 25, at Bowen PCYC, and Whitsunday Regional Council signed their endorsement of the plans at their regular meeting on the Wednesday of that same week.

Councillor’s Michelle Wright and Michael Brunker were adamant the development needed to fulfill its potential as an industrial estate, which could be achieved by Council leaning on Queensland Government’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) in the form of an endorsement letter.

“The development and growth of the area should be facilitated to move forward at the earliest possible opportunity to support the Bowen and Whitsunday communities,” Council’s letter to TMR reads.

"Council supports the vision for Abbot Point’s continuous growth, as a key strategic coal port and leveraging benefits from the adjoining State Development Area to become a hub for import, processing, manufacturing and export activities of other industries of regional, state and national significance.”

Councillor Brunker said Abbot Point was “probably the jewel in the crown as far as port land”.

“More strategic than Townsville and I know politically, purely politics, Townsville has all the work done at their end. But this is going to be the hub in the future,” he said.

The Councillor for Division 6 was particularly incensed by what he said was lethargic expansion at the State Development Area over the past decade.

“What I want at the end of the day is [to see] where your infrastructure corridor is going, where your power is going,” he said.

“It’s only blind luck that Gilmour Space have moved over to the Quarry Site. If they were going into the Abbot Point Development Site it would be ten years before they were in there; [Gilmour Space] would be shooting rockets back from Mars before we got one up [from Abbot Point].”

Councillor Michelle Wright said “time is definitely of the essence” for endorsing the plans.

“We need to push this and get behind it and communicate with who we need to to get this through,” she said.

“It is high urgency. This will be great for the whole community – Bowen, Collinsville, and Whitsunday – so bring it on, I say.”

The Abbot Point draft Master Plan and Port Overlay are available for public comment until December 12.

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Master planning for the Port of Abbot Point has been released, and Whitsunday Regional Council hope the site and its State Development Area will soon become an infrastructure hub