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Revitalising 'birthplace of Brisbane' part of casino development: Deputy Premier

The 1825 "birthplace of Brisbane" will be a formal part of the multi-billion dollar integrated resort complex to be built in Brisbane's CBD.

On Wednesday morning, Queensland Deputy premier Jeff Seeney announced the four firms short-listed to submit more detailed designs for a mega resort and entertainment complex - including a Brisbane's second casino - between George and William streets near Queensland University of Technology.

"We want this to be some thing that encapsulates the Brisbane lifestyle, but also provides a destination for people who will visit our city for decades to come," Mr Seeney said.

The short-listed firms are James Packer's Crown Resorts Limited, Echo Entertainment which now runs the Treasury Casino, and international firms Far Eastern Consortium and Greenland Investment.

The Far Eastern Consortium runs the $3.3 billion Trump Place in New York, while Greenland Investment is a Chinese government-owned company that specialises in urban development programs including a large project in Sydney.

Mr Seeney said he understood "all of Brisbane" wanted to see the early concepts.

But he said the four firms were understandably very competitive.

"You would understand that those proponents are keeping those particular details - that will constitute the 'wow factor' - pretty close to their chests," Mr Seeney said.

Mr Seeney said the winning tender would be chosen by late 2014 or early 2015, ensuring a big news story in the run-up to the 2015 state election.

Mr Seeney said protecting and enhancing the heritage buildings in Brisbane's William Street and Queens Wharf Road - where European Brisbane began - had to be part of the successful bidder's plans.

In May 1825, Lieutenant Henry Miller, servicemen and convicts from Redcliffe built a wharf on the northside of the Brisbane River where the Riverside Expressway is today.

That wharf, on Queens Wharf Road, is where the colonial age of Brisbane began.

"One of the mandatory requirements is not just to preserve those heritage buildings, but to re-enliven them, to ensure that they are part of the use of the site," Mr Seeney said.

"We want to give them back the life and vitality that they once had.

"And we are working very hard with the people who are involved with those heritage buildings to make sure that happens."

The need to recognise Queens Wharf Road and the old Immigration Building and the Commissariat Store building in the concept was raised by Fairfax Media in 2013 in a string of reports.

Mr Seeney said the government was confident the development could compete with developments in Sydney and Melbourne.

"I think it will be the most exciting development to have happened in Brisbane since South Bank was developed following Expo '88," he said.

Probity checks

Mr Seeney said he was not on the assessment panel that selected the successful tender.

"There is a very strict probity exercise, built around this whole process," he said.

"And the assessment is done by people who are public servants, part of the government.

"It is not done by politicians, by me or my colleagues."

He said all companies would have to comply with probity checks to stay in the tender race.

"There will be no secrets by the end of that process,'' he said.

Impact on BaT Tunnel under George Steet

He said the successful company would not be asked to help finance the Queensland Government's BaT Tunnel (Bus and Train project) to run underneath the project site.

Mr Seeney said while initially the government had considered linking the two projects financially, it had changed its mind.

"The BaT Tunnel proposes a station here at 63 George Street, so there will be an issue about the linkage or the interaction," he said.

"But the two projects themselves are now no longer linked."

Not a stand -alone casino: Seeney

And Mr Seeney said the Queensland Government was not offering gaming licences to build a stand-alone casino development between George and William streets.

"The licences are all about complementing integrated resort developments," he said.

"They are not - and I repeat they are not - stand alone casinos of the like that you are familiar with.

"They are part of a significantly-large resort development that is a destination attraction in their own right and can be competitive in the international tourism market."

Who are the four proponents

Crown Resorts Ltd

An integrated resort and casino operators with international joint-ventures and associated gaming and hospitality interests.

Extensive domestic experience developing, owning and operating integrated resort development (IRD) casinos including:

- $3.7 billion Crown Melbourne, Southbank urban redevelopment
- $850 million Crown Perth refurbishment
- $2 billion (planned) Crown Sydney.

Echo Entertainment Group Ltd

An integrated resort and casino operator with substantial presence in domestic market.

Australian casinos include:
- $870 million Star Sydney upgrade (2008-2012)
- Brisbane's Treasury Casino and Hotel Brisbane
- Jupiters Casinos and Hotels in Townsville and the Gold Coast (planned $345 million refurbishment).

Far East Consortium/ Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Ltd

International hospitality and mixed-use property developer/operator with some domestic development experience in Melbourne and Perth.

Notable large scale developments include:
- $3.3 billion Trump Place, New York City
- $1.2 billion Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
- $1.2 billion 250 Spencer St, Melbourne integrated residential, retail, hotel and public realm development.

Greenland Investment Pty Ltd

Fortune 500 Chinese state-owned international large scale mixed-use property developer.

Notable projects include:
- 400ha Greenland Nanchang activity centre urban redevelopment
- AUD$1B 82ha Zhengzhou Greenland Central Plaza activity centre and transport hub
- $680 million Greenland Centre Sydney residential tower.