In Australia, the developer behind the plan to build a $1.5 billion integrated casino resort in south-eastern Queensland has reportedly declared that the project would create more than 13,000 permanent and temporary jobs and help other area industries to thrive.

According to a report from The Daily Telegraph newspaper, ASF Consortium wants to build its Gold Coast Integrated Resort Development on a twelve-acre parcel of land on The Spit peninsula between Sea World Gold Coast and the site of the Gold Coast Fishermen’s Co-Operative in partnership with Chinese state-owned CCCC Guangzhou Dredging Company Limited and China State Construction Engineering Company Limited.

Unveiled by Sydney-listed ASF Consortium in mid-December some 18 months after it failed to secure approval for a proposed $5.3 billion scheme on nearby Wave Break Island, the plan for the Gold Coast Integrated Resort Development reportedly calls for the construction of five hotel towers along with a 77,500 sq ft public piazza complete with restaurants and conference facilities with views of the coastal city of Gold Coast. The proposition would moreover offer a 1,200-seat amphitheater complete with a canopy, two public beaches and a large-scale waterfall alongside a casino that Crown Resorts Limited is said to be interested in operating.

Brian Haratsis, Chairman for local development consultant MacroPlan Dimasi, told The Daily Telegraph that the Gold Coast scheme has the potential to deliver “widespread economic benefits” and would create more than 4,100 construction jobs as well as a further 9,100 direct and indirect positions.

“The Gold Coast Integrated Resort Development represents a substantial and long-term employment hub for the Gold Coast and southeast Queensland,” Haratsis told the newspaper. “Based on our jobs analysis for the latest concept plan, the project has the potential to keep skilled workers in the region and provide thousands of world-class opportunities for the local workforce. It will also stimulate training, education and upskilling opportunities across the state, creating new careers for existing and future generations.”

The Daily Telegraph reported that the Gold Coast Integrated Resort Development would take approximately five years to build with Haratsis declaring that the scheme’s jobs would have a flow-on effect for other industries.

“The substantial workforce will create a new increase in demand for accommodation, retail facilities, commercial offices, local services and more, [which means] a significant and sustainable boost for local business across the Gold Coast,” Haratsis told the newspaper.

The Gold Coast Integrated Resort Development is now reportedly set to be the subject of a community consultation, which could begin as early as next month, before a detailed submission is sent to the state government later in the year while ASF Consortium intends to initiate its own concurrent public comment period.

“We are committed to maximizing local participation, starting with local supplier briefing sessions to ensure Gold Coast businesses are given every opportunity to prepare, respond and get involved at the earliest stages of the project,” Louis Chien, a director for ASF Consortium, told The Daily Telegraph.