A circular economy is an economic system whereby materials and products are recirculated for as long as possible, through reuse, recycling, remanufacturing and regenerative processes.

This is in opposition to a linear economy where we make, use and send waste to landfill. A circular economy can only be successful if it is driven by the consumer’s purchasing behaviour and correct recycling practices as well as investment by the resource recovery and manufacturing sectors.

Manufacturing is the largest export industry for the Moreton Bay Region, valued at approximately $923.8 million. The region’s industrial precincts are Industry 4.0 enabled as they are either already connected to the National Broadband Network (NBN) or the rollout has substantially commenced. The region's proximity to major transport infrastructure and a skilled workforce provide the convenience of a major city without the high price tag.

Through our Economic Development Action Plan council is committed to supporting regional manufacturers to be more productive, increase their international competitiveness and access emerging growth opportunities in the Moreton Bay Region.
In the Moreton Bay Region you’ll find:
• Three major industrial hubs, including the Brendale Industrial Precinct, one of the top 10 places to work in Greater Brisbane.
• Access skilled workforce.
• Road and rail connections to the Port of Brisbane, Brisbane Domestic and International Airports, and Australia's newest international airport, the Sunshine Coast Airport.
• NBN connectivity in industrial precincts.
• Available and affordable industrial land.
• Development of Smart City infrastructure.
• $1.7 billion in local manufacturing sales.
• Raw input providers including timber plantations and saw mills, quarries and agricultural producers.
• Two large greenfield future industrial hubs on the last northern Bruce Highway interchanges.
• Innovative businesses embedded in local and global supply chains.

As community leaders, local governments have a responsibility to implement a range of initiatives to improve environmental resilience and support sustainability.

We look forward to sharing and learning from other Councils as we work together to reduce our impacts on the climate and build a better future for our children and grandchildren.

Many local governments have been acting on climate change across Australia for decades.

Our community have asked us to join the partnership and we want to involve them in this journey, use the resources provided by CPP and learn from other councils who are dealing with similar environmental issues that we all face.

By learning from others it will help us progress faster on our pathway to increasing resilience and adapting to our already changing climate.

Cultivate the Arts is a professional development program for locals in the creative sector including visual artists, crafters, musicians, theatre practitioners, dancers, arts workers and more.

The program invites local creatives to participate in a range of workshops and opportunities that support the continued growth and development of arts and culture within the Moreton Bay Region and showcase the region's talented and diverse community.

The Regional Economic Development Strategy 2020-2041 (REDS) provides the blueprint for Council, industry and the business community to collaboratively build a $40 billion economy by attracting and generating 100,000 new jobs for our region by 2041.

The REDS provides long-term economic direction for the region and drives innovation and entrepreneurship to position the Moreton Bay region as one of Australia’s top 10 regional innovation hubs by 2041.

The success of the REDS depends on collaboration and support from all stakeholders and the MBRC Economic Development team serves as the catalyst in maintaining this engagement.

Apprenticeships and traineeships are excellent examples of pathways into work that have proven to be effective. But they are specific to certain occupations.

Apprentices and trainees made up about 10 per cent of the pathways people take into the workforce. He said policymakers needed to create better vocational education and training (VET) courses to give young people stronger options outside universities and apprenticeships.

3.9 million people were enrolled in vocational education and training last year, but up to 2.4 million of those were in short courses such as first aid and construction safety.

The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) is using The Mill at Moreton Bay to expand their presence in the region. The USC satellite campus in Caboolture has several research initiatives based in the north of the region. This research includes investigations into alternative health service delivery and a significant clinical trial site providing new capacity to accelerate the research and development of the next generation of medications and medical devices.

The Moreton Bay Region is also home to Queensland’s only aquaculture research facility. The CSIRO, DAF and USC are all based at the Bribie Island Research Centre and undertaking public and private research projects in this field.

Boasting an established clean and green agribusiness industry, the Moreton Bay Region provides farmers, exporters, processors, retailers, and chefs the ideal destination to succeed in this vibrant and growing industry.
The Moreton Bay Region’s access to major transport and infrastructure, combined with rich soils and a sub-tropical climate has contributed to the region’s thriving $846 million agricultural industry, with agricultural exports valued at around $420 million.
In the Moreton Bay Region you’ll find:
• The largest strawberry producing area in Australia.
• A $110 million berry fruits industry.
• One third of Australia's strawberries by weight.
• Over one quarter of Australia's pineapple crop.
• Queensland's only aquaculture research facility supporting CSIRO, DAF and University of the Sunshine Coast research projects.
• A sustainable future through the Wamuran Irrigation Scheme.
• Emerging agriculture trends like finger lime producers.
• Enabled agri-tech through the high-speed National Broadband Network.
• Production of more than 1,074 tonnes of macadamia nuts per year.
• Production of more than 441 tonnes of avocados per year.

The Mill at Moreton Bay Priority Development Area significantly contributes to the council’s vision for the region—to facilitate and support managed population and economic growth, jobs creation, and community healthcare and wellbeing.

Millovate invites property developers, operators and funds to invest in healthcare, wellbeing and related services being planned and delivered within a future Integrated Health Village at The Mill at Moreton Bay.

City of Moreton Bay with Moreton Bay Region Industry & Tourism (MBRIT) have partnered to provide specialist innovation and growth services to foster the region's entrepreneurial spirit, under the revised Innovate Moreton Bay program.

Supporting the region’s start-ups, scale-ups and providing access to resources will enable locals, including our youth, to prosper and build the capability to compete successfully in global markets.

The Moreton Bay Region is known for its amazing natural attractions and experiences such as parks, waterways, wildlife centres, lookouts, beaches, museums and festivals, let us help plan your visit and make the most of our beautiful region. Here are some tips on the best spots to park, who to speak with, location of toilets, seating, pathways, and sensory considerations.

Council is committed to implementing a WRRP that analyses current waste management performance and sets measurable targets for waste reduction and recycling. With assistance of the National Packaging Covenant and Product Stewardship Forums, Council will continue to educate and actively encourage all residents and businesses to reduce waste generation and participate in the various resource recovery services available.

Our climate is changing primarily because increasing amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are trapping heat, warming the air and oceans.

Around 80% of the region’s population of 236,000 live in Townsville, the largest city in northern Australia. The Port of Townsville services the region’s mining industry and fishing fleets. Charters Towers is the main regional centre.

On the coast, extreme inundation and erosion events could become more frequent, resulting in high clean-up and asset maintenance costs.

Flooding, due to more intense extreme storms, could affect water, sewerage, storm water, transport and communications infrastructure. Flash flooding and wind damage will exacerbate these impacts closer to the coast. The cost of insurance may increase as a result. Inland, the impact of hotter days and extreme heat events will also affect infrastructure.

Townsville possesses a significant creative industry sector and is regarded as the cultural hub of North Queensland.

The region has a growing cultural identity, embracing arts, crafts, design, fashion, music, performing arts and the multi-cultural identity of Townsville.

The key components of Townsville’s creative industries are:
• Townsville Civic Theatre – Offering performances in dance, music, opera, comedy and drama from local, featuring Australian and international artists
• Perc Tucker Regional Galley – Townsville’s premier regional art gallery
• Riverway Arts Centre – Townsville’s newest function centre entwining arts, leisure and the natural environment
• The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre – Providing key insight into traditional and contemporary life and culture.

Townsville’s has a number of creative art schools and production companies, including:
• James Cook University – School of Creative Arts
• Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts
• Townsville Academy of Performing Arts
• Townsville Music and Performing Arts Space
• La Luna Youth Arts.

Townsville is the largest centre in the Northern Region, whilst Mount Isa is the largest centre in the North West Region. Mining and agricultural sectors employ 5.1% and 4.1% of the workforce respectively and are the largest export sectors.

Health care and social assistance, pubic administration and safety, and retail trade are the three largest sectors by employment.

North Queensland has long been a base for various major industries, including mineral processing, sugar mills, beef processing and concrete batching plants.
Industries considered for the region include sea, air, rail and road-dependent industrial uses such as manufacturing (chemicals and metals production), minerals processing, food processing, intermodal freight and logistics and bulk storage.

The region is home to key defence bases including Lavarack Barracks (one of Australia’s largest), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Townsville (co-located with Townsville Airport) and the Ross Island Barracks. The Port of Townsville also supports naval operations for both Australia and foreign vessels.

Townsville is the base for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef studies, TropWATER, CSIRO and ReefHQ aquarium.

The North Queensland region spans from Ingham in the North to the Whitsundays in the south, and as far west as Mount Isa. It incorporates the regional centres of Townsville, Mackay, the shire of Burdekin, as well as smaller rural towns including Charters Towers, Bowen, and Normanton.

A full range of study areas are offered in North Queensland including automotive, beauty and hairdressing, building and construction, business, child care, community services, electrotechnology and utilities, engineering, general education and training, horticulture, hospitality and cookery, information technology, nursing and health, tourism, resources and infrastructure, and visual arts.

James Cook University offers a number of avenues for engagement between business and industry. Whether you need research capacity or professional development opportunities, or want to host an intern, JCU can assist.

Agricultural land in Townsville North Queensland occupies 85% of the region. Sugarcane is the region’s major agricultural commodity, producing $479 million of gross value followed by beef cattle ($295 million). Other significant regional agricultural commodities include various horticulture including melons, sweet corn, beans, mangoes, and capsicum.

North Queensland’s agricultural sector (including key sub-sectors of broad-acre, livestock, horticulture and aquaculture) represents significant growth opportunities for the region.
strong reputation for quality and safety of the region’s produce is driving demand from high growth international markets including China, the Middle East, South Asia and ASEAN.

Established in 2019, Smart Precinct NQ is a not-for-profit organisation that provides a springboard for collaboration, learning and growth through a range of start-up accelerators and incubator programs, business growth advisory services, investment support and events.

We bring together a range of stakeholders to provide a positive impact to North Queensland Founders, Entrepreneurs, Investors, Industry and the wider Business Community.

North Queensland is absolutely central to the industry’s future, because of the wealth of critical minerals in the North-West Minerals Province, including copper, vanadium and cobalt that are essential for advanced and renewable technologies

North Queensland will be home to a whole new industry, mining, processing and manufacturing vanadium initially, and other critical minerals in the future.

The opportunities in North Queensland include mining and processing the minerals for vanadium, zinc bromine and iron flow batteries, cobalt and nickel used in lithium-ion batteries, high-purity alumina for LEDs, batteries and semiconductors, rare earth elements used in electronics and silicon for solar panels and semiconductors.

An Australian-first critical minerals demonstration facility which will be expanded to include more than just vanadium will be built in Townsville to unlock Queensland’s next mining and manufacturing boom.

Townsville North Queensland, is one of Australia’s prime strategic Defence regions. It has significant Australian Defence Force representation, an extensive industry network, and an established ready workforce with a demonstrated capacity for growth and innovation.

There are significant opportunities for industry to partner with JCU and co-located research institutions including the CSIRO and Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) to lead innovative research programs in fields of tropical health, human performance, marine science and biosecurity.

The Townsville Manufacturing Hub, located on the TAFE Queensland campus, provides a place for local manufacturing businesses to receive support to transition to advanced manufacturing through world-leading technologies. With a focus on
advanced manufacturing (primarily metal production), the hub will boost regional innovation, manufacturing productivity, and upskill the regional workforce.

By 2030, Townsville North Queensland will be a preferred location for allied forces training, an Army home base of choice and the Australian Defence Force Forward Mounting Base.

The location offers significant development opportunities. These are:
• Defence Simulation Training
• Integrated Soldier Systems Centre of Excellence
• Defence Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)
• Maritime Replenishment and Logistics
• Joint Amphibious Force Capability
• Aviation Super Base for Army

Townsville is a coastal city in north Queensland, Australia. The Strand esplanade, with its pier and water park, is popular. The Reef HQ Aquarium has marine life and coral from the Great Barrier Reef, plus a sea turtle hospital. Southeast of the city, the Billabong Sanctuary wildlife park is home to koalas, wombats and crocodiles. Offshore, Magnetic Island has coral reefs and a national park full of wildlife.