Economic and community development can only occur if communities are built on sustainable foundations. Central to this is enabling infrastructure supporting not only economic activity but also providing lifestyle and livability choices to attract and retaining workers and their families.

Too often economic growth is seen through the lens of totemic large scale projects "transforming" regions and their communities. The move to net-zero and renewable energy projects, whilst bringing both economic and environmental benefits, can come at a price to existing industries and overwhelm nearby communities. To get the balance right and ensure a long term legacy is achieved from new energy and resource sector developments, enabling infrastructure planning is essential and must occur in parallel with project planning, assessment and approval.

To ensure this happens in North West Queensland, one of State's Renewable Energy Zones, the North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils, representing the 11 councils of the region, has developed the North West Queensland Enabling Infrastructure Masterplan. The plan has identified the infrastructure needs of individual communities as well as regionally to support the emerging industries but also the existing agricultural and tourism sectors.

The Masterplan addresses the broad sweep of infrastructure needs which have been identified as the basics of road, rail, sea and air ports, water and sewerage, digital connective and housing. as well as lifestyle, livability. and community infrastructure. The plan provides the basis for evidenced and place based advocacy to governments to support program and policy development and inform priority infrastructure investment decisions.

This approach, if replicated across north Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia, would provide a mosaic of regional plans from which a consolidated Infrastructure Masterplan for Northern Australia could be developed. This approach can form the basis on which to build the Enabling Infrastructure Foundations for the North.