Innovatia

ment. It now has the best performing economy in Australia. And also is now the fastest-grow- ing state, population-wise. It has the largest onshore oil and gas potential in the country. Queensland has the largest fishing and sea- food processing industries in Australia too, and the largest Aboriginal population in Australia. Queensland has a number of major food man- ufacturing regions across the state. Queens- land has the largest army base in the country and is at the front line of army deployment in Australia. It has the largest number of residents outside major cities and ‘inner regional’ areas of all. Queensland is fast becoming the centre of Australian sport and major events. Queens- land has the largest area of agricultural land of any Australian state and the highest proportion of land area dedicated to agriculture. Queens- land has a varied and robust mining industry with unique areas of research. From The Sunshine State to The Smart State Queensland is advancing, rapidly. Brisbanites, have long ceased to describe their home city as a “big country town”. It has become a thriving eclectic city on the move. Having quietly won the 2032 Olympic Games, there is an energetic mood here that the city – and the state -- are catapulting themselves, quite consciously, into a more dynamic future. Queensland is now the second startup cap- ital in the nation. It is fast being recognised as Australia’s gateway for battery innovation. Queensland is fast becoming Australia’s pre- mier investment destination and a major hub for scientific research. Recently it has overtak- en Victoria in EV purchase, in spite of lesser subsidies.

Queensland leads the way in decarboniza- tion as farmers and scientists team up to tar- get net zero. Queensland is leading the nation in business innovation – especially in the areas of goods and services, operational and mana- gerial processes and marketing. Queensland leads the world in rooftop solar, as it probably

The Queensland Government’s leadership has recently announced amongst its largest ever investments into the state’s innovation future, a nearly $150 million diverse financial package backed by well-considered policy. Innovatia, a new digital journal of distinction with its established audience of at least 250,000

since 1982, an NFP since 2015. Its most recent title contained over 500 pages on the subject, by more than 100 respected leaders across the country. The company has a long history of re- porting on business, industry, finance and edu- cation in Queensland. “The Queensland Convergence”: An Innovatia Business and Innovation special report will ex- amine the present, emerging, and future poten- tial of the Queensland economy. Convergence is an appropriate word in the present context. Why? Over the past decade or more numerous Queensland financial enterprises have matured significantly, such as Suncorp, Bank of Queens- land, and Queensland Investment Corporation. A new private sector initiative seeks to establish Brisbane as a financial hub. Science leaders TRI and QIMR have blos- somed to international recognition. Three internationally recognized universities have grown apace, creating new areas of research, and new departments. An increasing number of substantial HQ op- erations have established themselves here, notably Virgin Airlines Australia, and Village Roadshow, and homegrown technology com- panies led by Technology One, and NEXTDC have grown hugely and diversified. These two IT companies are prime examples of synergis- tic agents which encourage other startups. Au- rizon, a highly profitable rail freight and techni- cal services company, now the nation’s sectoral leader describes its impressive growth as lever- aged by technology and innovation. The greater Brisbane region has equalled or outperformed Sydney and Melbourne as a startup capital, while the Gold Coast has ma- tured into a city larger than Canberra and one

should with all of that sunshine. Queensland is a top performer nationally for the percentage of businesses innovating and in new business entry rate. An emerging leader in Business, Technology and Innovation

is aimed at the forward-thinking professional, and C-level management, across industry, fi- nance, business, academia, NGOs, and the me- dia. It is scheduled for launch by multi-decade specialist publishing company One Mandate Group (IMG) in mid-2023. 1MG is the nation’s ac- knowledged leading publisher on innovation,

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| Queensland Economic and Innovation Special Report

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