The Palaszczuk Government will establish manufacturing hubs in Cairns, Townsville and Rockhampton as part of its $30 million election commitment to assist regional Queensland’s manufacturers to grow their businesses and increase productivity.
Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said each hub will focus on strengthening key manufacturing sectors in each region.
The Cairns hub will focus its attention on developing the marine, aviation and food manufacturing industries, whereas the hub in Townsville will concentrate its efforts on food transformation advanced manufacturing and advanced metal production manufacturing through Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things.
The third hub in Rockhampton will focus on rail manufacturing and technology, advanced technologies for metal production and food product innovation.
Minister Dick the hubs will provide ‘a central place for local manufacturing businesses to receive expert advice and support to expand’.
“Our government made a commitment to Queenslanders to establish manufacturing hubs in regional areas to drive this important sector while bolstering local economies, and we are delivering on that commitment,” he said.
“These hubs will provide a catalyst to promote and deliver world-leading technologies, processes and practices to manufacturers in these regions and attract increased private sector investment and jobs to Cairns, Townsville and Rockhampton.”
“They will also ensure the manufacturing sector in each region continues to thrive well into the future, underpinned by the skilled workforce and networks needed to strengthen and evolve to meet market and industry demands.”
Minister for Training and Skills Development Shannon Fentiman said each of the hubs will be staffed by a hub coordinator, a skills development and training officer and a project support officer, with recruitment for these positions to begin soon.
“This investment will assist local businesses to get the advice and support they need to grow and be able to employ more Queenslanders,” she continued.
“TAFE Queensland and CQU TAFE provide world-class training to ensure we will have the skilled workforce to embrace the future of manufacturing.”
Queensland’s manufacturing sector contributes $20 billion to the state economy each year and employs more than 179,000 people.
Manufacturing in Queensland is diverse, with the top five employing sub-sectors being food product manufacturing, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, fabricated metal production and furniture.
