Today I launched the Gillard Labor Government’s Our Cities, Our Future, our long-term blueprint for Australia’s major cities, including Townsville.

As part of the release, I visited the $57 million redevelopment of Flinders Street in Townsville’s city centre with Mayor Les Tyrell.

The three themes of our blueprint are about delivering more productive, sustainable and liveable cities.

The Flinders Street redevelopment is a great example of this by helping make Townsville even more productive, sustainable and liveable.

The Gillard Labor Government invested more than $16 million into this landmark project, creating jobs and modernising Townsville’s city centre.

Townsville is a major economic centre for North Queensland and gets more than a million visitors a year.

It is critical for the mining industry, it’s a manufacturing and services hub and it’s a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

Townsville deserves a modern, world-class city centre and it’s about to get one, thanks to the Gillard Labor Government’s partnership with state and local government.

I know there have been delays because of cyclones and severe weather but I am pleased to see that half of Flinders Street is already open to pedestrians and the rest will be open to cars and pedestrians over the coming weeks.

Federal funding contributed to a range of construction projects along Flinders Street.

The Flinders Street redevelopment is part of a nearly $84 million investment by the Government into Townsville community infrastructure. This includes:

• $47 million for a new Townsville Convention and Entertainment Centre;


• $10 million for the V8 Supercar precinct;


• Nearly $3.5 million for the Murray Sports Complex;


• $5 million for the Upper Ross Community Hub; and


• Over $2 million for a range of smaller-scale community projects.