The event brought together around 30 local business, union, community group and government representatives, as well as experts, to discuss shared economic challenges and opportunities in Ipswich, the Somerset Region and surrounds.
Federal Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Dr Daniel Mulino, was unable to attend in person, but delivered a video message to participants, setting out the Albanese Government’s broader growth and productivity agenda.
Presentations from RACQ and Suncorp raised the importance of transport connectivity, well-functioning insurance markets, and disaster resilience to the economic sustainability of the Ipswich and Somerset regions.
In addition, Professor Glen Coleman from the University of Southern Queensland, and renowned author and philanthropist Everald Compton OAM spoke about workforce challenges and intergenerational partnerships, and the need to provide pathways from study to employment to encourage people to stay in the region.
Adjunct Professor Rees Banks from RDA Ipswich & West Moreton rounded out the forum with some useful facts and figures on employment in Blair, and emphasised the productivity benefits of people living close to where they work.
Mr Neumann said the forum canvassed a wide range of issues – from the need to fast-track more housing and road infrastructure, the value of volunteering and cutting red tape for local charities, to cracking down on sham contracting.
“Locally, we’ve seen strong economic and jobs growth in recent years, but we’ve got growing pains, and need to be investing in more housing, infrastructure, services and skills to support our high population growth,” Mr Neumann said.
“Ultimately, we want the local economy to deliver for people so they can have access to affordable housing, health and education services, be able to raise a family, and enjoy a good quality of life – we want more locals to live, work and play here in Blair.
“And we want to keep securing good, well-paid jobs for locals, now and into the future, and that means backing local industries, attracting new investment, and equipping people with the skills they need to succeed.
“It was great to hear from a range of voices on how to tackle our local economic development challenges. A key takeaway is we need to think differently, engage differently and do things differently in future if we’re going to shift the dial.
“In terms of next steps, I will be writing to Treasurer Jim Chalmers so our ideas from the Blair reform roundtable can feed into the Government’s national Economic Reform Roundtable, which will be held in Canberra on 19-21 August.”
If local residents and stakeholder have economic reform proposals they wish to submit to the Government, they can send these to Mr Neumann at [email protected]
For more information on the national Economic Reform Roundtable, visit https://treasury.gov.au/review/economic-reform-roundtable
