There is one project that is almost "shovel ready" which would be a good start: Burdekin Falls Dam Stage II. Stage 1 was completed 25 years ago and has filled reliably [overfilled] every year since. Stage 2 includes raising the wall and building a hydro scheme.
Proposed Hydro
Stanwell Corporation has begun a feasibility study into a proposed 37 MW hydro power station below the Burdekin Dam wall. It is proposed it would be capable of producing 125,000 MWh annually, enough to power more than 9,500 homes each year.[5] [Wiki]
That is nearly half the capacity of the Kareeya power station which does sterling service and has done so for over 50 years. The value of such long life/low maintenance generators should not be underestimated.
Below it is many thousands of hectares of flat arable land suitable for many crops including rice. [They have been growing irrigated sugar "forever"]
Note: Burdekin Dam floods near worthless, un-timbered scrub. There would be no reasonable green objection.
