The winner is Townsville. What has it won; the bid to become the regional Headquarters for Adani Australia.
Oophs, wasn’t Rockhampton holding out for that, what now?
We are likely to be a fly in fly out (FIFO) hub for the Carmichael mine project, along with Townsville. Charters Towers and Moranbah are mentioned as service centres. Mackay-Bowen also to benefit, jobs wise, with regard to port and rail operations. Taking bias out of it appears regional Queensland is the winner with the spread of jobs Adani is going to create.
Could our local politicians have done more to secure Rockhampton as the Adani HQ, possibly, but realistically it was always going to be a tough one to win.
What now for the Rockhampton region; focus on the strategy Council have been pushing, becoming the Australia’s first Smart Regional Centre?
Granted putting exposed steel seats in Quay Street isn’t real smart, but having a job growth vision that is not reliant on (or sidetracked by) the mining industry may prove more successful long term.
A Smart Region Centre is more than just the riverbank redevelopment and the creative use of new technology. It should involve a mindset shift of both residents and outsiders to a Rockhampton Region that is an innovative, dynamic, can do place. A place that attracts others with entrepreneurial characteristics to it and just as importantly retains our home grown talent (or at least encourages them to return).
We need to change from under selling ourselves to over selling, widely telling stories of the successful innovations and innovators that this region has fostered. And most importantly we need to want this to happen.
Not winning the Adani HQ bid may prove a blessing as quite possible the resource curse may again strike.
Quenched with the thousands of extra jobs created and number of families moving into the region had Adani chosen here, Rockhampton could easily drop the ball on its Smart Centre strategy possibly satisfied with a free Wi-Fi riverbank. And then again go into hibernate mode content with the new circulating mining money.
Innovate or perish. That is the mantra now for business and should be for local government. The consequence may not be as extreme, but a region that cannot retain its home-grown talent will wither.
History has arguably proved the correlation of relying on mineral extraction and economic growth is likely to be negative; the greater focus on extraction of abundant mineral/gas resource the lower the economic growth of the region. The paradox of plenty – the resource curse.
Today we celebrate the life of one successful Rockhampton entrepreneur, Nev Callaghan, a Unicorn one could say – a rare find (Rockhampton was certainly richer for him staying in the region), and later hear ways more local entrepreneurs (hopefully some also becoming Unicorns) can successfully launch here.
We can spend today blaming others on not getting the Adani HQ here or take steps to drive our own future. I’m pretty certain what Nev would have done.
The special Startup Capricorn meetup featuring international guest Daniel Johnsen and founder of 5 start-up’s Mark Phillips is 5.30pm today at the Workshop, 45 East Street. May the mindset momentum shift continue.