The Sunshine Coast’s economy continues to evolve into a modern, ‘smart’ economy based on sound growth across numerous high valued and knowledge-based sectors including professional business services, innovative manufacturing and numerous high-tech start-ups.

The strength of the regional economy is based in its diversity and strength across a number of key sectors including healthcare, education, finance and professional business services.

The Sunshine Coast is home to industry disruptors like Youi, Huddle, Gourmet Garden, Country Chef, Ambrose Building, Auto & General, Get Wines Direct and Office HQ.
Businesses tap into an inspired workforce of more than 83,000 students across University of Sunshine Coast, two TAFE campuses and more than 150 registered training organisations

The Sunshine Coast has all of the key ingredients required to support an innovative and thriving tech industry. These include game-changing infrastructure, a supportive business and investor community, local government committed to innovation, talent and education pathways. This, coupled with the region’s enviable lifestyle, is seeing the Sunshine Coast emerge as a future tech hub and offers myriad opportunities for the tech industry as well as tech-enabled business.

The newly formed Sunshine Coast Tech Industry Alliance (SCTechIA) will focus on priorities that build industry capacity; drive local tech jobs; encourage member collaboration to compete nationally and internationally, and provide a united voice for the tech industry in the region.

Businesses tap into an inspired workforce of more than 83,000 students across University of Sunshine Coast, two TAFE campuses and more than 150 registered training organisations.

The University of the Sunshine Coast is a public university based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. After opening with 524 students in 1996 as the Sunshine Coast University College, it was later renamed the University of the Sunshine Coast in 1999.

The Sunshine Coast is home to industry disruptors like Youi, Huddle, Gourmet Garden, Country Chef, Ambrose Building, Auto & General, Get Wines Direct and Office HQ.

The Sunshine Coast University Hospital will provide leading-edge research facilities and professional services and provide an attractant for allied professional services to co-locate in the region. The facilities and services offered via SCUH and the broader Oceanside Kawana Health Precinct will enable the region to respond to both domestic and global demand for health and well-being services, particularly in the area of chronic disease prevention.

The specialist research capabilities of SCUH will further assist the region in establishing an international reputation and alliances and deliver careers and services not presently available.

The Sunshine Coast is officially the ‘Most Loved Destination in the World’ according to the Tourism Index Sentiment, with travellers from across the globe following their hearts to our slice of Queensland paradise.

Our landscape is pretty special too and is as diverse as the experiences and people who call it home. Here you can be barefoot on the beach one minute and hiking the ancient peaks of the Glass House Mountains the next, sampling farm-fresh local produce and immersing yourself in verdant rainforest along the way.

We are nestled in nature and green at heart, with a commitment to living sustainably with nature.

Clean technologies – in which the region is gaining a national reputation and which will expand in response to forecast national and global demand for technologies and solutions that avoid, reduce or remediate environmental impacts.

Council recognises climate change as a global issue and that we are in a state of climate emergency requiring urgent and sustained effort. We also recognise that responding to climate change is a shared responsibility. We need to work together to focus our efforts and change our behaviours to increase the resilience of our region.

We need to prepare for the likely impacts of a changing climate, whilst also reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Governments have an important role in showing leadership and supporting community action.

The Sunshine Coast Council’s corporate vision for a region that is healthy, smart and creative, acknowledges that creativity broadens our perspective, helps us to explore ideas to find solutions and to build resilience.

The aspirational vision defines creative regions as those regions while not exclusively driven by the arts, are those that acknowledge the arts as integral to creative achievement - alongside science, research, education, design and invention.

In fact, a vibrant and diverse arts and cultural ecology is an important contribution to the liveliness and vitality of the places we call home. Arts and culture contribute directly to the “sense of place” which attracts both residents and investors. These attributes determine the attractiveness of a city or region as a place in which to work, live, invest and raise a family.

The Refinery is a creative incubator designed to transform ideas into sustainable businesses. A testing ground and training platform, The Refinery connects the dots between creativity and business, with access to mentors and a network of inspiring industry leaders sharing real time knowledge.

Participants get mentoring from leading industry professionals, provide support to each other via a digital platform and gain access to online learning modules which cover the fundamentals of turning an idea into impact.

Agribusiness – focusing on niche food and beverage product and value-adding production – which has a strong foundation in the region and is a key part of the economic future of the hinterland communities. This sector will expand in response to burgeoning national and global demand a clean and safe food supply.

The Sunshine Coast encompasses beach resorts, surf spots and rural hinterland in southern Queensland, Australia. It stretches from the coastal city of Caloundra, near Brisbane, north to the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park, home to multicoloured sand dunes, mangrove forests, and shallow lakes. Upscale Noosa Heads has boutique shops, waterways, and walking trails through Noosa National Park.

The Sunshine Coast’s economy continues to evolve into a modern, ‘smart’ economy based on sound growth across numerous high valued and knowledge-based sectors including professional business services, innovative manufacturing and numerous high-tech start-ups.

The strength of the regional economy is based in its diversity and strength across a number of key sectors including healthcare, education, finance and professional business services.

The Sunshine Coast is home to industry disruptors like Youi, Huddle, Gourmet Garden, Country Chef, Ambrose Building, Auto & General, Get Wines Direct and Office HQ.

Businesses tap into an inspired workforce of more than 83,000 students across University of Sunshine Coast, two TAFE campuses and more than 150 registered training organisations.

The Sunshine Coast encompasses beach resorts, surf spots and rural hinterland in southern Queensland, Australia. It stretches from the coastal city of Caloundra, near Brisbane, north to the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park, home to multicoloured sand dunes, mangrove forests, and shallow lakes. Upscale Noosa Heads has boutique shops, waterways, and walking trails through Noosa National Park.

The Sunshine Coast’s economy continues to evolve into a modern, ‘smart’ economy based on sound growth across numerous high valued and knowledge-based sectors including professional business services, innovative manufacturing and numerous high-tech start-ups.

The strength of the regional economy is based in its diversity and strength across a number of key sectors including healthcare, education, finance and professional business services.

The Sunshine Coast is home to industry disruptors like Youi, Huddle, Gourmet Garden, Country Chef, Ambrose Building, Auto & General, Get Wines Direct and Office HQ.
Businesses tap into an inspired workforce of more than 83,000 students across University of Sunshine Coast, two TAFE campuses and more than 150 registered training organisations.

The Sunshine Coast’s economy continues to evolve into a modern, ‘smart’ economy based on sound growth across numerous high valued and knowledge-based sectors including professional business services, innovative manufacturing and numerous high-tech start-ups.

The strength of the regional economy is based in its diversity and strength across a number of key sectors including healthcare, education, finance and professional business services.

You need only venture 30 minutes from Brisbane to discover Queensland’s time-honoured heritage region, packed with surprising new adventures. It’s where historic homes meet culinary cool. Where the open road leads to beautiful countryside, dotted with unexpected delights.

Craft breweries let off steam in funky laneways near eclectic cafes where you can grab coffee and an epic brekky. Where you can float high above the rolling hills and ranges in a hot air balloon, or see sprawling parks that lead to world class hiking and mountain biking trails.

Where museums mark the time and you can see bands in heritage spaces. Art galleries invite you in, and sculptured gardens in serene spaces offer breathing room. Discover why it’s never felt so young, and why you’ll feel it too!

Investment is critical to transform the 42% or 4.23 million tonnes (2019/20) of Queensland’s waste into an innovative, efficient and sustainable circular economy. This will improve environmental outcomes, residential amenity, economic innovation and provide new employment opportunities.

The Ipswich Art Gallery is one of the most visited regional art galleries in Australia, with more than 80,000 visitors a year. The Gallery is a visual arts and social history museum presenting a dynamic program of exhibitions and heritage displays with complementary workshops, performances and an extensive program for children and families. It is the first Gallery in Australia to have a permanent space dedicated and curated solely for children.

Located in a heritage listed building, it includes the magnificent proscenium arch, scissor beam roof and arched windows making the building itself an attraction, a true example of architectural heritage within Ipswich Central.

Ipswich has a long and proud manufacturing history. Today, it has a thriving modern manufacturing industry that provides a significant contribution to the Queensland economy.
Manufacturing alone generated more than half (51%) of the total exports, $3.6 billion, an increase of more than 2,400 full time jobs from 2019/20. This global reach is a recognised strength for the region.

Historically, Ipswich has been famously known as a rail manufacturer. Today however, it is a world-class aerospace and defence centre with a booming food manufacturing hub. Collectively, manufacturing added $1.6 billion in value, an increase of over 14% since the previous year (2019/20).

As the largest industry across the manufacturing sector, food product manufacturing accounts for $2.1 billion in exports, $612 million value added to the economy and 6% of full time jobs. Ipswich is home to JBS Australia's Northern Division headquarters, alongside JBS Australia's Dinmore processing facility, the largest beef processing plant in the southern hemisphere. Its connectivity to major highways and rail ensures access to an extensive network of quality cattle.

Ipswich has established itself as a major production and distribution centre to both national and international food markets. Significant industry opportunities continue to emerge in the region including food packaging and new agritourism developments.

The University of Southern Queensland is where students, researchers, community, and partners access excellence. By offering a mix of open and flexible programs in business, education, law, arts, health, engineering, surveying, agriculture, and sciences (including paramedicine and aviation), the University of Southern Queensland meets the educational needs of students, industries, and the Ipswich community.

Matthew a first-year aviation student at University of Southern Queensland and second-year student Cassie both chose to pursue a career as a pilot. Cassie and Matthew are both pursuing a Bachelor of Aviation (Flight Operations), one of two undergraduate aviation bachelor degrees available at University of Southern Queensland.
University of Southern Queensland aviation program director Dr. Tarryn Kille said the suite of qualifications at the university were designed to capture strong employability and industry-informed skill requirements of future aviation professionals.

As the largest industry across the manufacturing sector, food product manufacturing accounts for $2.1 billion in exports, $612 million value added to the economy and 6% of full time jobs.

Ipswich is home to JBS Australia's Northern Division headquarters, alongside JBS Australia's Dinmore processing facility, the largest beef processing plant in the southern hemisphere. Its connectivity to major highways and rail ensures access to an extensive network of quality cattle.

Ipswich is home to RAAF Base Amberley, Australia’s largest air force base and is one of the largest employers with approximately 5,000 employees. It is the second largest export industry with a total $1.4 billion, almost one fifth (19.7%) of all exports, this compared with 5.8% across Queensland. Defence has played a pivotal role to the industry and its supply chain with 14% of value added and an increase of $313 million over five years.

TAE Aerospace, a wholly owned Australian company has eleven sites globally with a new Turbine Engine Maintenance Facility. This provides a valuable resource for identifying opportunities and upskilling businesses to meet the expectations of the defence supply chain.

MILVEHCOE is world class $170 million advanced military vehicle manufacturing facility in Australia, an asset of national significance. Rheinmetall Defence Australia is an entity and trusted partner to the Australian Defence Force. It continues to deliver on the $5.2 billion LAND 400 Phase 2 Project, creating jobs both through its facilities and through the local supply chain. Together, they play an important role in boosting Australian’s national defence capability.

Greater Springfield’s Defence Industry Technology and Research Precinct will focus on high technology defence support industries, garnering national and international attention. The Centre and Precinct is a collaboration with industry, academia and government to enhance Australia’s defence industry capabilities. It is a place where Defence support industry players to collaborate, to create the next wave of innovative technologies.