Planning outside ‘planning’: the changing role of the Queensland Co-ordinator-General

Abstract

The unique office of Co-ordinator-General of Public Works was created by the government of the State of Queensland, Australia, in 1938 in line with a contemporary trend towards the coordination principle in public administration throughout much of the western world. Its function was to coordinate the development and planning of public works across the State. Through this role, supplemented by the various changes in function which have occurred over the years, it has been a very influential agency in the planning and development of the State. However, it has never been fully connected to the standard land use planning system. The paper explores the changing roles of the agency between 1938 and 1999 and discusses the influence of a planning agency which is not part of traditional ‘planning.’