Australia TradeCoast is an economic development area of Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

, the state capital of Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

The concept of branding and promoting the empty space around Brisbane's port and airport, following many years of Government reports and soul-searching on what might be done with the "Brisbane Gateway Ports Area", was first proposed to then Queensland Premier Peter Beattie

Peter Beattie

Peter Douglas Beattie , Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half years...

 by a 3PR

3PR

3PR was a Norwich based public relations consultancy which was founded in 1987 by Peter Phillips and closed in 1998. He went on to invent Australia TradeCoast in co-operation with Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, and cross swords with Kevin Rudd, now Australia's Prime Minister, over proposed...

 marketing consultant who had developed Amsterdam Airport Area for Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.

Beattie took up the idea with enthusiasm and so a partnership was formed between the Queensland Government

Government of Queensland

The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then...

, Brisbane City Council, Brisbane Airport

Brisbane Airport

Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area...

 and the Port of Brisbane

Port of Brisbane

Port of Brisbane is the shipping port of Brisbane, on the east coast of Australia. It is located in the lower reaches of the Brisbane River on reclaimed land that was once called Fisherman Islands at the mouth of the river. It currently is the third busiest port in Australia and the nation's...

to drive the project forward. The brand and organisational details were announced at a press conference at Brisbane Airport in May 1999.

Once defined, Australia TradeCoast covered over 80 km² (31 sq mi) of prime industrial land. It is now home to over 7,000 businesses, saw more than 100 new industrial developments in the last five years, and $1 billion in infrastructure development in the same period. Major infrastructure projects delivered as part of Australia TradeCoast alone (excluding those at the port and airport) exceed $350 million.

Development is expected to expand after the future dredging of 40 Nm ³ or 1.1% of the total sand resources of the approximately 3,770 Nm ³ deposited in the bay. The sand will be used as landfill for the planned parallel runway and Brisbane Airport and the extension of facilities at the Port of Brisbane.

According to Peter Beattie in June 2006, Queensland's overseas goods exports have increased by more than 40% over the previous year.

In early 2007, a Strategic Infrastructure Plan was produced which outlined the major infrastructure projects until 2026. Some projects noted include the Gateway Upgrade Project (second gateway bridge), expansion of the Port of Brisbane facility and the new parallel runway. Many road, transport, energy and development projects are also noted