Today I had the pleasure of joining Mayor Gail Sellers and Leonie Creed, the wife of former mayor the late George Creed, for the official opening of the new, modern terminal building at the City’s airport, a real and lasting legacy of the Federal Labor Government’s Economic Stimulus Plan.

In a fitting tribute to Mr Creed and the Council’s outgoing CEO Graeme Kanofski –the driving forces behind this $7 million project – the building will forever be known as The Creed-Kanofski Terminal.

All up, the Council received $5.5 million in Federal stimulus money – an investment which will make sure this vital aviation hub can continue to support the region’s rapid population growth and industrial expansion.

The multimillion dollar upgrade expanded the arrival and departure halls, provided space for additional security screening facilities and installed new facilities for passengers, part of the Council’s broader development plans for the Airport.

As well as delivering long term economic benefits to the City and the surrounding region, construction of the new terminal created about 80 local jobs at a time when the local economy was still recovering from the impact of the global recession.

Gladstone is a rapidly growing regional centre with an urgent need for better aviation infrastructure. Within just the last seven years, there’s been a doubling in the number of passengers travelling through its airport.

That growth looks certain to continue with some $65 billion worth of industrial development planned in coming years and the City’s population expected to grow by more than 80 per cent within the next two decades.