Social, community and development
The Borumba Pumped Hydro Project is anticipated to deliver social value for stakeholder groups including Traditional Owners and other Indigenous peoples, local and regional communities, and local businesses and commerce groups.
Social and economic benefits from the exploratory works for the Project may include:
- improvements to road access
- patronage of local businesses
- provision of environmental data that may not otherwise be collected to regulatory agencies
- opportunities for Indigenous and/or local businesses and other groups to provide land management services associated with the delivery of biodiversity offsets
- assisting in determining the viability of the Main Works, and thus the potential benefits associated with the Borumba Project
Some of the social and economic impacts and benefits associated with the exploratory works and associated mitigation measures are discussed below.
Social Assessment Management Plan
A Social Assessment and Management Plan (SAMP) is currently being finalised for the exploratory works. The SAMP will:
- identify and assess the social impacts which may occur in local and regional communities during exploratory works
- detail the social impact mitigation and benefit enhancement measures (collectively referred to as “management measures”) required to manage significant potential social impacts identified
- provide a framework for Queensland Hydro and its stakeholders to mitigate, monitor, and assess the effectiveness of measures into the future.
The SAMP is part of the Queensland Government’s requirements under the Borumba Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Project Exploratory Works – Geotechnical and Investigations Works Project Report for the Works Regulation established under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 and is subject to approval by the Queensland Office of the Coordinator-General. The SAMP addresses key matters within the Coordinator-General’s Social Impact Assessment Guideline (DSDILGP, 2018) and will be published on the Queensland Hydro website.
The SAMP has been developed in consultation with stakeholders.
The development of the SAMP has occurred in tandem to the development of the draft Preliminary Documentation, as part of the Commonwealth regulatory approval process for the exploratory works Project and in some instances will contain more up to date information on potential social impacts, which coincides with the development of detailed management plans.
The SAMP is currently in the final stages of development and approval and has recently completed whole-of-Queensland government review. Queensland Hydro is currently making minor enhancements to the SAMP in response to government feedback from the review period prior to the document going through formal government approvals and being published on the Queensland Hydro website.
In accordance with the SIA Guideline, a significance-based approach was adopted for the SAMP. This process involved:
- identification and description of potential positive and negative social impacts associated with exploratory works activities
- an assessment of the likelihood, and magnitude of each identified impacts, in line with criteria outlined by the social impact significance matrix
- the assessment of the likelihood, and magnitude of each identified impact, prior to management measures being applied, followed by a significance assessment after these measures are applied.
The management and mitigation measures outlined in the SAMP summary may undergo modification as part of the finalisation of the SAMP during the formal government approvals process.
Key social matters
The SAMP is structured according to the key matters within the Queensland Government’s SIA Guideline, including:
- community and stakeholder engagement
- workforce development and management
- housing and accommodation
- business and industry
- health and community wellbeing.
This section provides a summary of the commitments in the draft proposed SAMP against each of these matters.
Queensland Hydro has developed a Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan (CSEP) for the exploratory works phase. This plan supports Queensland Hydro’s impact management measures and adopts principles that ensure project information is accessible through different methods and formats, and that engagement activities are tailored to reach diverse audiences including vulnerable groups.
The CSEP will be published on the Queensland Hydro’s website following State Government acceptance of the plan. Engagement plans reflect internationally recognised standards, such as consultation and engagement planned and delivered taking into consider the IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum.
Examples of engagement and communication methods for exploratory works includes:
- Stakeholder Reference Group, focus groups and Environment Working Group
- Timely provision of project information in accessible formats, with clear timeframes
- Community Connect information sessions
- Advance notification of exploratory works activities
- Engagement activities to engage with vulnerable or hard to reach communities
- Engage with local government, state agencies, government departments and emergency services and health, education and training providers regarding impacts, management measures and mitigations
- Work with accommodation suppliers and business groups in the project area and surrounding communities to development management and mitigation measures to minimise the impact on the community and tourism industry
- Maintain relationships with local businesses and suppliers
- Maintain ongoing engagement with the Kabi Kabi peoples and Butchulla peoples
- Develop relationship management plans where required for specific stakeholders
- Develop, where required, property specific management plans
- Ensure stakeholder enquiries and complaints are addressed promptly and resolved appropriately
- Quarterly engagement with stakeholders to monitor SAMP implementation and effectiveness
For the exploratory works, the Project workforce is likely to be sourced locally and be drive-in drive-out from the region, where possible.
Queensland Hydro evaluates each procurement package using a range of standardised criteria that includes a focus on the contracted workforce’s capabilities, composition, local content, and diversity.
Examples of workforce management and mitigation measures include:
- Local advertising of employment opportunities
- Delivery of the Jobs, Skills and Industry participation framework and reporting
- Manage workforce health and safety by developing Health and Safety Contractor Specification for Contractors.
- Provide advance notice to emergency and health service providers in the Project Area on exploratory works staging/timeframes
- Ongoing participation in the local disaster management groups in the Project Area
- Provision of onsite medical and paramedic services and a site emergency response team
- Workforce Code of Conduct, promoting local values and social cohesion
Townships adjacent to the Project, including Imbil, Kandanga, Brooloo, Amamoor and Dagun, fall within the 4570 postcode (Gympie and surrounds), which is used to identify housing statistics (SQM, 2024).
Key themes from stakeholder engagement for the SAMP, together with results of Queensland Hydro’s engagement for the exploratory works and main works, note concern regarding increased pressure on low-income households, essential workers and other workforce sectors, rental capacity and affordability, and short-term accommodation options.
Examples of workforce management and mitigation measures include:
- Progressive development of an Integrated Housing Strategy
- Dedicated onsite workforce accommodation solutions (rapid deployment accommodation units, Temporary Workforce Accommodation Camps, additional accommodation capacity solutions) to mitigate visible influx of workers in community
- Monitor local accommodation needs of long-term workers, together with monitoring with local social services and accommodation providers during exploratory and construction (Quarterly SAMP Reports)
Queensland Hydro is committed to ‘buy local’ to provide local businesses with access to global supply chains via contractors, the government market and to stimulate regional economies.
Queensland Hydro is finalising a suite of management measures under its proposed Jobs, Skills and Industry Participation Framework, including:
- Queensland Hydro Jobs, Skills and Industry Participation Strategy
- Borumba PHES Industry Participation Action Plan
- Borumba PHES Australian Industry Participation (AIP) Plan
- Borumba PHES Workforce Management Action Plan
- Borumba PHES First Nations Participation Action Plan
- Local Content Policy (Industry and Workforce)
- First Nations Participation Policy
- Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
Where work packages are procured during the exploratory works, contracted partners will be contractually required to provide periodic reports that demonstrate performance against a range of workforce, procurement and local content composition measures.
Queensland Hydro has recently engaged a supplier to develop, host and manage a tailored, online Jobs and Skills Talent Community for the Project. The Talent Community will:
- showcase Queensland Hydro, the Project, and Project delivery partners (the employers)
- facilitate the creation of delivery-specific labour ‘talent pools’ by attracting and enabling skilled and unskilled workers to register interest for upcoming opportunities
- provide data analytics enabling Queensland Hydro and Project delivery partners to implement targeted engagement and workforce development programs, and
- be a tool to prepare the local workforce for upcoming employment and training and development opportunities.
The platform is scheduled to ‘go live’ in Q2 2025.
Lake Borumba’s primary function is providing water resources to the Mary Valley agricultural area. However, the lake is also used for tourism and recreational purposes, including fishing and boating, powered water sports (water skiing, jet skiing and tubing), non-powered water sports (rowing, canoeing, kayaking), dirt biking, horse riding, birdwatching, picnicking, sightseeing, and camping.
Based on results from a community survey, the most popular activity to Lake Borumba visitors is camping, followed by fishing, boating, and picnicking/sightseeing.
The exploratory works are not expected to restrict public access to the lake, the lake day use area, boat ramp parking and general parking. However, some public amenity impacts may result, specifically noise impacts, from the geotechnical program proposed downstream of the dam.
Many of the exploratory works activities will occur within Queensland Hydro landholdings where there is currently no public access or existing recreational activities. Similarly, where the works occurs within the Conondale Resources Reserve there are no public facilities, such as hiking trails.
Management and mitigation measures to support tourism and recreational use include:
- Tourism industry development is a key consideration of the Regional Development Plan
- Factor peak tourist/visitor periods into construction scheduling (where possible) and monitor tourism business impacts with key stakeholders
The exploratory works will generate both positive and negative impacts relating to health and community wellbeing. Works are anticipated to result in some pronounced traffic and amenity impacts during peak works periods while positive effects on health and wellbeing are expected to be generated through increased community benefits and investment opportunities.
Queensland Hydro will develop a Regional Development Plan that will outline our commitment and approach to ensuring Project requirements are met in a manner that ensures:
- improved liveability;
- economic and industry development;
- a positive project legacy; and
- alignment with community priorities.
Regional Development supports the delivery of the Project in a manner that explicitly prioritises sustainable development outcomes with the Regional Development Plan articulating outcomes in the five identified areas of:
- Impacted Community Infrastructure;
- Housing and Accommodation;
- Enabling Infrastructure;
- Indigenous Opportunities; and
- Economic Development.
Health and community wellbeing management and mitigation measures for Exploratory Works include:
- Traffic Impact Assessment
- Road Use Management Plan, including workforce commute considerations
- Contractor Traffic Management Plans
- Driver Education Campaign
- Construction Environmental Management Plan and supporting environmental management plans.
- Community wellbeing and cohesion program
- Promotion of community complaints, enquiries and feedback policy
- Community Benefits Fund incorporating grants, sponsorships, partnerships and community development
- Regional Development Plan
Monitoring and reporting
Implementation and monitoring of the SAMP will involve a range of key stakeholders. Regular feedback will be sought on key matters identified in the SAMP.
A report will be prepared by Queensland Hydro, based on the monitoring framework and shared in correspondence to the Office of the Coordinator-General on a quarterly basis with a report publicly available.
Frequently asked questions
The development of the SAMP has occurred in tandem to the development of the draft preliminary documentation for the Borumba Pumped Hydro Project exploratory works, and in some instances will contain more up to date information on potential social impacts, which coincides with the development of detailed management plans.
The SAMP has been developed in consultation with stakeholders including Queensland Hydro’s Stakeholder Reference Group, local accommodation providers, Queensland Government Office of the Coordinator-General and the Department of Housing and Public Works.
The SAMP is currently in the final stages of development and approval, and has recently completed whole-of-Queensland government review. Queensland Hydro is currently making minor enhancements to the SAMP in response to government feedback from the review period prior to the document going through formal government approvals and being published on the Queensland Hydro website.
The SAMP will:
- identify and assess the social impacts which may occur in local and regional communities during exploratory works
- detail the social impact mitigation and benefit enhancement measures (collectively referred to as “management measures”) required to manage significant potential social impacts identified
- provide a framework for Queensland Hydro and its stakeholders to mitigate, monitor, and assess the effectiveness of measures into the future
The SAMP is structured according to the key matters within the Queensland Government’s SIA Guideline, including:
- community and stakeholder engagement
- workforce development and management
- housing and accommodation
- business and industry
- health and community wellbeing
Refer to the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) Guideline – March 2018 for more information on the components of a SAMP.