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Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Infrastructure Projects, NSW

Non-residential building approvals over the last 12 months are 1.59× this council’s own three-year average. Those approvals are $170.1m.

Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional’s economy is shaped by its connection to Canberra, with employed residents concentrated in public administration and safety, construction, health care and social assistance, professional services, education and retail. The area had 67,633 residents in 2025, a 39,721-person labour force in 2026 Q1 and a 1.4% unemployment rate, alongside relatively high incomes and education levels. The current project pattern is led by education: active works include Bungendore High School at $102.5m, Googong High School at $68.3m and Jerrabomberra High School Stage 2 at $37.1m, with preschool and childcare additions as well. Transport works, the Jerrabomberra Reservoir, and a cluster of approved warehouses and mixed-use retail projects in Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Environa indicate a council balancing commuter settlement, service provision and local industrial enablement.

Named projects

47 projects.

TypeProposedActiveCompleted
School0112
Transport193
Industrial071
Retail026
Health003
Sport001
Water010

Largest stated values

Proposed

  1. Dunns Creek Road — Planning, $65m
    This project involves the construction of a new road connecting the rapidly growing NSW satellite townships of Googong and South Jerrebomberra to the ACT road network.
    Start TBA – Finish TBA

Active

  1. SINSW07108/24 New high school for Bungendore – Design Finalisation and Construction Contractor — Awarded, $102.5m
    The project involves the design finalisation and construction of a new high school for Bungendore. The contract is managed by School Infrastructure with an estimated amount.
    Published Feb 2026
  2. SINSW06868/24 - Googong High School - Main Works Design Finalisation and Construction Contractor — Awarded, $68.3m
    The project involves the main works design finalisation and construction of Googong High School. The contract is managed by School Infrastructure NSW with Hindmarsh Construction.
    Published Aug 2025
  3. SINSW07092/24 Jerrabomberra High School (Stage 2) - Design Finalisation and Construction — Awarded, $37.1m
    The project involves the design finalisation and construction of Stage 2 of Jerrabomberra High School. It is a building upgrade project managed by School Infrastructure NSW with.
    Published Aug 2025

Completed

  1. Shop top housing — Completed, $86m
    Lodged Jan 2023
  2. Office premises; Retail premises — Completed, $58.1m
    Lodged Aug 2021
  3. Shop top housing; Erection of a new structure — Completed, $57.1m
    Lodged Jan 2024
  4. Pub — Completed, $44.1m
    Signage; Food and drink premises; Restaurant or cafe; Take-away food and drink premises; Business premises; Office premises; Retail premises; Other
    Lodged Nov 2022
  5. Educational establishment — Completed, $40.2m
    Alterations and additions to commercial development; Stormwater management systems
    Lodged Sep 2023
  6. Recreation area — Completed, $31.4m
    Demolition; Signage; Advertising and signage; Erection of a new structure; Other Infrastructure
    Lodged Apr 2024

Other named projects

Read full overview

A large ACT-linked commuter and services economy with an unusually heavy current school-building program, supported by local road, water and small industrial works.

Economic base

Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional is best understood as a Canberra-linked residential and services economy with a broad local business base. In 2021, public administration and safety accounted for 26.2% of employed residents, well ahead of construction at 11.57%, health care and social assistance at 9.69%, professional services at 7.85%, education and training at 7.3% and retail at 7.05%. The council had 67,633 residents in 2025, with population growth of 1.5%, and the labour force reached 39,721 in 2026 Q1 with unemployment at 1.4%. Household income was $2,295 weekly and 28.17% of residents held a bachelor degree or higher, which is consistent with a skilled commuter catchment tied closely to government and knowledge-sector work in the ACT.

The business profile is diverse but still tilted toward construction, professional services and transport-oriented activity rather than heavy industry. As at June 2025 the council had 5,737 registered businesses and 2,340 employing businesses. Construction was the largest business segment with 1,374 registered and 703 employing businesses, followed by professional, scientific and technical services with 806 registered and 433 employing businesses. Transport, postal and warehousing had 515 registered businesses, rental, hiring and real estate had 523, and agriculture still accounted for 578 registered businesses across the rural part of the council. Non-residential building approvals totalled $170.1m in the latest 12 months to June 2026, or 1.59× the council’s own three-year average, indicating a comparatively elevated level of approved non-residential work.

Current project program

The current named project program is dominated by education and related community-service capacity. Active school projects total 11, the largest being Bungendore High School at $102.5m, Googong High School at $68.3m and Jerrabomberra High School Stage 2 at $37.1m, all under School Infrastructure NSW contracts running into 2027 or 2028. Other current education works include the Queanbeyan East Public Preschool and school upgrade, plus approved childcare projects in Queanbeyan East, Tralee, Googong and Karabar. This concentration indicates that current public investment is focused on expanding school and early-years capacity in the council’s main growth corridors rather than on a single industrial or tourism-led program.

Outside education, the active list is spread across transport, water, industrial and mixed-use urban development. Transport includes nine active projects and one proposed project, including the Monaro Palerang Roads Package, Queanbeyan Station Upgrade, the Queanbeyan Region Integrated Transport Plan, Old Cooma Road in Googong, Edwin Land Parkway in Jerrabomberra and the proposed Dunns Creek Road at $65m. Water utility works include the $14.3m Jerrabomberra Reservoir. Industrial approvals are concentrated in Environa and Jerrabomberra, with warehouse or distribution centres and industrial development approvals from about $1.8m to $4.7m. In Queanbeyan, active approvals also include several separate shop top housing and mixed-use retail projects, but these are repeated works on similar assets and their printed values should be treated individually rather than added together.

Economic connections

The strongest supported connection between the economy and the current works is service capacity for a growing commuter population. Population rose by 1,024 residents in 2025, and the council already has a comparatively large base of families and working households, reflected in an average household size of 2.6 and 42 approved centre-based childcare services with 3,250 places. New and expanded high schools in Bungendore, Googong and Jerrabomberra, together with preschool and childcare additions, align with that demographic profile by adding education capacity in the settlements where current growth-related approvals are concentrated. This does not prove future population outcomes, but it is consistent with a council responding to service demand generated by established and expanding residential areas.

A second connection is physical enablement: roads, water and urban services that support access and industrial occupancy. The Jerrabomberra Reservoir directly adds water infrastructure, which may support additional urban service capacity in that corridor. Road works under the Monaro Palerang Roads Package, local works at Old Cooma Road and Edwin Land Parkway, and the proposed Dunns Creek Road align with freight and access mechanisms for expanding residential and warehouse precincts. That matters because the council has 515 registered transport, postal and warehousing businesses, 1,374 construction businesses and a live group of warehouse and industrial approvals in Environa and Jerrabomberra.

Outlook

Near-term council conditions are likely to be shaped by delivery risk and sequencing across the school program. The three largest active education contracts extend to late 2027 or early 2028, so practical progress at Bungendore, Googong and Jerrabomberra will matter more than approval counts alone. If these works stay on schedule, they should add education capacity in the main growth areas and reinforce the current pattern of public-sector-led construction activity. Completed health and school projects, including the Braidwood Multipurpose Service, Bungendore Ambulance Station and Queanbeyan South Public Preschool, mean the baseline of local services has already improved before the next round of current works is finished.

The other issue to watch is whether enabling infrastructure keeps pace with land use intensity in Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra, Googong and Environa. Elevated non-residential approvals at $170.1m suggest a sizeable approved work schedule, but approvals are not construction or completion. Monitoring should therefore focus on movement from approval to build-out in the warehouse, childcare and mixed-use projects, along with progress on the transport investigations and the proposed Dunns Creek Road. Environmental remediation at Bungendore, Captains Flat and Lake George also remains important because contamination management can affect site readiness, access arrangements and the timing of nearby works.

Key takeaways

Sources

HtAG Projects · as at 23 September 2026