Why Invest in Regional Queensland?
When I was growing up in Cloncurry in the 1970’s, I remember people complaining about how the kids were all leaving town to go to the cities on the coast like Cairns and Townville. But now I hear the same complaint and see that the kids are leaving the likes of Cairns and Townsville to go to Brisbane for work and lifestyle.
So why invest in the regions?
The regional areas of Queensland do have a lot to offer economically and in terms of lifestyle. Regional property prices are significantly lower and can create a more affordable lifestyle than the metro areas. Lifestyle is more relaxed and worker efficiency is much higher without hours wasted in traffic every day. With the recent changes due to Covid19 and the work from home movement, these factors are an opportunity for major employers to grasp onto.
The regions are home to most of our country’s natural resources. Ports such as Townsville and Mackay offer exceptional Port facilities to access south-east Asia.
But this all means diddly-squat if infrastructure and policy do not keep pace with changing times. The regions need reliable baseload power to enhance our mining and even manufacturing possibilities. Water security and irrigation water are critical and have the potential to open up vast areas of regional Queensland to sustainable farming practices.
Policy directions such as fly-in fly-out workers (FIFO) needs to be changed. Much FIFO now happens out of Brisbane and it should be a stronger condition of approval that workers are located where they work.
So yes, the regions are worth investing in…but do our policy makers believe the same?
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