The Queensland Premier has told councils in the state to find their own ways of funding infrastructure, encouraging them not to rely on federal or state allowance.

Speaking at a Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) conference in Cairns, Mr Newman said “many councils are saying to me we don't have the money... yet frankly, they are sitting on a gold mine.”

“Rather than borrow for that new water or sewerage treatment plant, we as a Government, are prepared to facilitate and see the private sector deliver those things - funding them, designing them, constructing them - and simply charging you a fee for service.”

It is not an uncommon task for regional Queensland councils, which are used to being ignored in favour of bigger population centres. Mr Newman says to look at his State Government as an example of how to reduce costs by getting the private sector involved.

“I'm asking you to go into your own planning departments and development assessment teams and really challenge whether they're the most receptive they could be to proposals to take your community forward... Just as we have gone in and tried to change the culture in state agencies to be one of 'can do'.”

At the same summit, Local Government Minister David Crisafulli said councils need to be aware and take advantage of the regionalisation policies of the Queensland Government, which push for 50 per cent of the state's population to reside outside the metro south-east by 2043.

“What I got out of today was that local government will be in the driver's seat,” Crisafulli said.

“What I got out of the Queensland Plan is that regional Queensland has a bright future,”

“I've been waiting all my life to hear that and interestingly, I heard during the election campaign the other mob running around saying this bloke Newman was going to be all about Brisbane - well, we saw today a guy who understands regional Queensland.”