Sugar Fix

I bumped into a well known local businessman on Saturday, one who has experienced the highs, lows and in-betweens of business. I asked how business is; he said “slow” and added “I’m not sure if it will ever pick up”. Last Thursday this paper included a summary of the Capricornia Business Dashboard Report indicating some warning lights were flashing. The solution; need large infrastructure projects to commence, stimulating job creation from the millions of dollars to be spent. A sugar fix, obviously bigger than the current $296M Yeppen South crossing upgrade. Problem with a sugar fix, it’s temporary. Rockhampton Region needs more people to reside here for the long term. Major infrastructure projects will attract people looking for jobs, but we need people to stay after the sugar high. Several years ago an Accord was signed in Rockhampton committing the signee’s to striving towards ensuring Central Queensland is known and recognised as Australia’s premier “Region of Innovation”. I’m unaware of the outcomes this collective commitment has generated so far. However imagine if CQ and Rockhampton as its capital was Australia’s premier “Region of Innovation”. What a magnet that would be for attracting people. Arguably the Capricornia Business Dashboard wouldn’t have flashing red lights. Can an environment be created resulting in a region wide culture of fostering innovation and youth entrepreneurship? Why add ‘fostering youth entrepreneurship’, because this would help achieve national recognition as an innovative region quicker. If along with private sector collaboration Governments provided exclusive tax breaks and incentives for businesses established by under 30 year olds in our region that satisfied an innovation criteria CQ could become Australia’s Silicon Valley. In a Northern Australia Plan, record youth unemployment and deregulated university fee political environment, now appears an opportune time to pursue this aspiration. There are exciting endeavours on the CQ horizon, food bowl of Asia one of them. We have organisations committed to making CQ, “Australia’s Premier Region of Innovation”, if we can add CQ politicians; local, state and federal, to these signatories’ and them pro-actively push for a Youth Entrepreneurship Economic Zone in CQ then we’re one step closer to a Capricornia business dashboard indicating faster long term resident growth and stronger economic activity. Wouldn’t that be sweeter?