Queensland Resources Council boss packs conference centre
Posted on February 15th, 2017
It was a packed house of in excess of sixty business representatives that greeted the new Chief Executive of the Queensland Resources Council Ian Macfarlane over lunch at the Empire Apartment Hotel Conference Centre yesterday.
Hosted by Capricorn Enterprise – the first in its Business Leaders Lunch [BLL] Series for 2017 – Ian’s keynote address focused on the economic importance of the Resources Sector for not only a state perspective but the Central Queensland area, with resources being responsible for in excess of 7500 FYE, $1.1 billion in wages and $2.1 billion spent across the Fitzroy Region (2015-2016). From a community perspective the resources sector delivers better outcomes in the key areas of education, law and order, health and roads.
Resources contribute 1 in every $5 to the Qld economy, 1 in every 7 jobs across the state with in excess of 20,200 businesses benefiting – and a footprint of less than 0.1% of the state’s land mass.
Ian Macfarlane isn’t new to this region, his mother being a local teacher for some time, plus in later years he toured the region extensively as a Federal MP and Minister for in excess of eighteen years.
Ian’s keynote presentation highlighted the overall importance of resources to the state and national economies with resource contributions to Qld over the period 2009-16 being:
- Direct spend = $218 billion
- 374,300 jobs on average per year
- $476 billion of value-add across Qld.
Additionally;
- Resources outlook indicated high demand for both gas and coal (principally from Asia);
- Resources accounted for in excess of 60% of Australia’s exports in 2014;
- Coal, LNG and base metals accounted for in excess of $40 billion in exports – 2015/16;
- 221 MT of Qld coal exported in 2016.
New initiatives and strategies of the QRC going forward include local content in major projects (to benefit regional capability), the need for government(s) to reduce red-tape, more equitable energy pricing, better community understanding of resources as a global manufacturing commodity and greater understanding of resources by media.
Of particular note was the emphasis and importance that the Queensland Resources Council placed on partnerships and membership – Capricorn Enterprise being a foundation regional partner.
More detail can be secured at: https://www.qrc.org.au/
Neil Lethlean
Economic Development Manager – Capricorn Enterprise.
February 15th 2016.
