Last week I mentioned CLARA, the plan to build 8 new cities from the ground up between Melbourne and Sydney, all connected by high speed rail.
This ambitious $200 billion project should not be considered nation building though.
As Australia slowly transforms from a resource based economy to a knowledge based economy regional Queensland particularly may find itself missing out on the opportunities and growth that will come from this transformation.
A project as big and bold as CLARA will not just accommodate Australia’s growing population but it will attract more people to it (the south east corner of our country) and talent. Quite likely from regional areas, where people may feel opportunities are limited. That’s why it is not nation building. Queensland is the most decentralised state, thus its regions are at the greatest risk. It is therefore imperative that action is taken to minimise the negative impact that will occur.
I’m not proposing to stop projects like CLARA, far from it, Australia needs more innovative projects and can do attitude.
What we need to do though is encourage and develop more knowledge based businesses in regional Queensland to retain and attract talent.
This requires more than just the generation of ideas; it needs a strong support system, an eco-system, to help transform the idea into a business that operates within regional Queensland, creating jobs here.
Idea generation then germination, locally.
We can’t wait for the politicians to act or Adani to commence. And Central Queensland needs more than just being viewed as a potential food bowl to Asia. It needs to be an active player in a knowledge based economy.
To do this effectively we all need to be involved. After all we are all affected whether we do little or much.
A culture must be developed in Central Queensland that embraces innovation and disruption. Disruption that produces something new or something that already exists more efficiently. Destructive in how it may pull an old model apart and creative in the way it is rebuilt. The recent GovHack is an embryo of how disruption can be applied.
Developing a different culture takes time and thus the reason we can’t wait. Capital cities and other regions are pro-actively developing their start-up and innovation eco-systems. We must do and be more.
Hoping that our natural resources will pull us out of the doldrums could be our resource curse. We can’t just keep relying on our natural resources, it’s too short term thinking.
Startup Capricorn is holding their next Meetup on Tuesday August 9. To help strengthen the local start-up and innovation ecosystem they are combining with RING (Rockhampton Innovative Networking Group) for the meetup to facilitate more effective networking with the aim of achieving greater growth through collaboration.
The days of your competition being across the street are over. Regional economies like Rockhampton must foster greater collaboration amongst local businesses to survive and thrive. Plus provide a support structure that encourages more people to develop their new business ideas.
Whether by new or existing businesses, innovation and disruption are the drivers of growth in a knowledge based economy. We, all of us, must encourage and provide the framework for more innovation and disruption to successfully occur in Central Queensland, it is essential for our future.
The Startup Capricorn and RING Meetup is at 212 Quay Street, the new Council Smart Hub, this Tuesday starting 5.30pm. All welcome, including students. Visit www.facebook.com/startupcapricorn for updates.