Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg and Toowoomba all support a significant ADF presence nearby or provide port and freight access for Defence.

The University of Southern Queensland’s (UniSQ) Institute for Advanced Engineering and Space Sciences, based in Toowoomba, provides a dedicated facility for space and defence research. UniSQ’s unique capabilities and facilities include Australia’s longest duration hypersonic wind tunnel (>200ms); the only Australian university solid propellant rocket fuel manufacturing laboratory; rocket motor and fuel tank manufacturing with Australia’s most advanced industry scale robotic composite material filament winding cell; and Australia’s only capability in airborne diagnostics for re-entry observations of Space modules. UniSQ has significant capability in ultra-high temperature ceramic matrix composites for rocket motor components.

The mining industry, (including; coal mining, oil and gas extraction, metal ore mining, non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying, and exploration and other mining services), has had a presence in Western Gas and coal-fired power stations feature prominently in the region with a total of six active thermal power stations.

Kogan Creek Power Station is one of Australia's most efficient and technically advanced coal-fired power stations. It is one of the greenest coal-fired power stations with the lowest environmental impacts of any coal-fired power station nationwide.

Dalby Bio-Refinery Ltd (DBRL) is Australia’s first grain-to-ethanol facility. The refinery converts nearly 200,000 metric tonnes of sorghum into 76 million litres of ethanol and produces 180 thousand tonne of Wet cake (WDG) or 65 thousand tonne of Dry DDG cake each year, employing approximately 50 people. 13

More recently, renewable energy farms have invested in the region with multiple solar and wind energy farms either currently under construction or approved for construction.

Toowoomba is the second largest inland Australian city. Home to a vivid music, café and restaurant scene, many of them in laneways tucked in alongside century-old landmarks, Toowoomba is loaded with theatres, galleries, great shopping and glorious parks and gardens.

Explore the First Coat art project – one of Australia’s most prominent regional arts projects. Artists from around the world have created a walkable gallery of street murals in the heart of the city.

The Darling Downs manufacturing sector is worth around $2.8b annually to the local economy with approximately 380 businesses focusing predominantly on food and metal related products. With some support, local manufacturing could increase substantially.
The Federal Government has launched the Modern Manufacturing Strategy to make Australian manufacturers more internationally competitive, help businesses scale-up and where possible adopt advanced manufacturing technologies to improve outputs. The strategy has chosen six industries based on Australia’s competitive advantage, which will become the manufacturing sector’s focus. These sectors include:
• Resources technology and critical minerals processing
• Food and beverage
• Medical products
• Recycling and clean energy
• Defence
• Space
Pixie Ice Cream have invested in packaging automation equipment from German-based company Schubert. This has significantly increased their production capacity to service the Australian and now international markets. Home Style Bake purchased machinery from Switzerland that will triple the output of their bread roll manufacturing. Wagner’s Composite Fibre Technologies recently introduced new robotic technology, enabling cross arms production to increase from 1,000 to 20,000 per month. Oakey Beef recently completed an automated cold storage facility and robotic palletising system.

Toowoomba and its surrounding regions which include the Maranoa, Western Downs, Southern Downs, Goondiwindi, Burnett and Moree regions, is a food producing powerhouse for Australia.

The food capability of these council areas is driven by the diversity of fresh and value added products grown and produced in these locations.

Key agricultural outputs for this catchment include cotton, grain, beef, pork, poultry, dairy and fruit and vegetables. Aiding the regions food capability are the regions' research facilities, including the University of Southern Queensland’s Institute for Agriculture and the Environment which focuses on developing solutions for a sustainable and profitable future for the rural sector.

The Toowoomba’s region’s economic role as a smart region, an agricultural centre, knowledge and research region and freight and logistics hub, provides enormous strengths and competitive advantages. This role will be pivotal in the region positioning itself to catch the next wave of industry, employment and investment opportunities.

Those industries with a relatively high knowledge worker content and which present opportunities for growth in the Toowoomba region, include business services such as financial and legal services, education and training, specialist health care and wellbeing, scientific and technical services to agriculture and mining, including specialist agriculture-related research and technology industries, and the creative industries, particularly creative services like architecture and design, communications and marketing and digital content.

The Toowoomba’s region’s economic role as a smart region, an agricultural centre, knowledge and research region and freight and logistics hub, provides enormous strengths and competitive advantages. This role will be pivotal in the region positioning itself to catch the next wave of industry, employment and investment opportunities.

Those industries with a relatively high knowledge worker content and which present opportunities for growth in the Toowoomba region, include business services such as financial and legal services, education and training, specialist health care and wellbeing, scientific and technical services to agriculture and mining, including specialist agriculture-related research and technology industries, and the creative industries, particularly creative services like architecture and design, communications and marketing and digital content.

The Toowoomba’s region’s economic role as a smart region, an agricultural centre, knowledge and research region and freight and logistics hub, provides enormous strengths and competitive advantages. This role will be pivotal in the region positioning itself to catch the next wave of industry, employment and investment opportunities.

Those industries with a relatively high knowledge worker content and which present opportunities for growth in the Toowoomba region, include business services such as financial and legal services, education and training, specialist health care and wellbeing, scientific and technical services to agriculture and mining, including specialist agriculture-related research and technology industries, and the creative industries, particularly creative services like architecture and design, communications and marketing and digital content.

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.

Logan City Council commissioned research to identify the health and medical development and investment opportunities in the Logan Local Government Area. Based on evidence driven data, the research completed provides an understanding of the current and future health demand to identify gaps (existing and future) and explores main investment drivers.
Key localities for investment in health care services, including a private hospital or day hospital, include –
• Meadowbrook – Logan’s health, knowledge and wellbeing precinct, centred on the Logan Hospital, Griffith University Logan campus and TAFE Queensland Loganlea campus, with multiple sites identified for hospital and health care services.
• Opportunities are developing in key growth areas, including Yarrabilba and Flagstone.

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.

The largest industries in Logan in terms of contribution to Gross Regional Product (value added) are health care and social assistance, construction, manufacturing, retail trade, education and training, and wholesale trade. Some of these, particularly health and retail trade, are strongly linked to the growth and profile of the region's population. Construction is related to population growth, but Logan’s construction firms also service the wider region.

Manufacturing is the traditional strength of the city. Emerging industries in Logan include the care economy, advanced manufacturing, the circular and low-carbon economy, tourism, and creative and entertainment industries. Logan has emerging expertise in circular economy and low-carbon thinking.

The largest industries in Logan in terms of contribution to Gross Regional Product (value added) are health care and social assistance, construction, manufacturing, retail trade, education and training, and wholesale trade. Some of these, particularly health and retail trade, are strongly linked to the growth and profile of the region's population. Construction is related to population growth, but Logan’s construction firms also service the wider region.

Manufacturing is the traditional strength of the city. Emerging industries in Logan include the care economy, advanced manufacturing, the circular and low-carbon economy, tourism, and creative and entertainment industries. Logan has emerging expertise in circular economy and low-carbon thinking.

The largest industries in Logan in terms of contribution to Gross Regional Product (value added) are health care and social assistance, construction, manufacturing, retail trade, education and training, and wholesale trade. Some of these, particularly health and retail trade, are strongly linked to the growth and profile of the region's population. Construction is related to population growth, but Logan’s construction firms also service the wider region.

Manufacturing is the traditional strength of the city. Emerging industries in Logan include the care economy, advanced manufacturing, the circular and low-carbon economy, tourism, and creative and entertainment industries. Logan has emerging expertise in circular economy and low-carbon thinking.

The largest industries in Logan in terms of contribution to Gross Regional Product (value added) are health care and social assistance, construction, manufacturing, retail trade, education and training, and wholesale trade. Some of these, particularly health and retail trade, are strongly linked to the growth and profile of the region's population. Construction is related to population growth, but Logan’s construction firms also service the wider region. Manufacturing is the traditional strength of the city.

Morton Bay Region has the ingredients for economic growth in land, infrastructure, people and a strategic location. It is a function of leveraging these advantages and creating opportunities for the future. Through a strong economic development program, the region can continue to grow, maintain and increase its vibrancy and support an ever growing, attractive lifestyle.

Morton Bay Region has the ingredients for economic growth in land, infrastructure, people and a strategic location. It is a function of leveraging these advantages and creating opportunities for the future. Through a strong economic development program, the region can continue to grow, maintain and increase its vibrancy and support an ever growing, attractive lifestyle.

Morton Bay Region has the ingredients for economic growth in land, infrastructure, people and a strategic location. It is a function of leveraging these advantages and creating opportunities for the future. Through a strong economic development program, the region can continue to grow, maintain and increase its vibrancy and support an ever growing, attractive lifestyle.

The largest industries in Logan in terms of contribution to Gross Regional Product (value added) are health care and social assistance, construction, manufacturing, retail trade, education and training, and wholesale trade. Some of these, particularly health and retail trade, are strongly linked to the growth and profile of the region's population. Construction is related to population growth, but Logan’s construction firms also service the wider region.

Manufacturing is the traditional strength of the city. Emerging industries in Logan include the care economy, advanced manufacturing, the circular and low-carbon economy, tourism, and creative and entertainment industries. Logan has emerging expertise in circular economy and low-carbon thinking.

Queensland’s defence industries employ more than 6500 people, generated an estimated $6.3 billion in revenue in 2015-16 and secured $4.3 billion in Australian defence contract payments in 2016-17.1

The state is underpinned by a strong defence industrial base and world- class capabilities in a range of areas including aerospace support, ship repair and overhaul, heavy vehicle support and upgrades, command and control systems, reconnaissance and surveillance systems, unmanned vehicles, and cyber security. This positions Queensland at the front line of the defence industry in Australia and an innovative science and technology hub.