With news of the recent of lockdowns in South East Queensland some businesses may be eligible for financial support through the 2021 COVID-19 Business Support Grants. Check here for more information. 

On a brighter note I am sure everyone was just as excited as I was at the announcement of South East Queensland as the successful host of the Olympics in 2032 which could provide an extraordinary opportunity for our region. TSBE, in partnership with the Toowoomba Regional Council, will be undertaking an in-depth study into the region’s capability to host an Olympic event.  The report will take six months to finalise and will also look at all the other non-sport opportunities around the Olympics that could benefit our economy such as providing locally grown food, utilising local construction companies for infrastructure and importing and exporting through Wellcamp Airport. 

We have hosted a number of successful events over this month including CSQ’s Professional Development Day, a workshop on Water Stewardship at the Rural Centre of Excellence and the Agtech and Logistics Hub Meet Up. Attendees at the Meet Up were able to meet TSBE’s new Community Manager of the AgTech and Logistics Hub, Stephen Dummett and heard that the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) is well and truly behind innovation in Agtech. The GRDC will be mobilising a $50 million venture capital fund to support entrepreneurship in the grain sector.

We look forward to seeing you at our next Enterprise Evening on 12 August where we will be discussing opportunities for businesses to capitalise on the growing health care sector. There is a lot happening in the health infrastructure space and there is a clear long term plan for public health care in our region. Upcoming large developments will provide opportunities for the wider supply chain, as well as filtering through the economy into other sectors including construction, hospitality and retail.

If we can help link your business with an opportunity don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank you to all of our members for your ongoing support.

Ali Davenport

TSBE CEO

Construction Skills Queensland - Small Business Workshops 

Don't miss the upcoming CSQ Small Business Workshops designed to upskill small to medium construction-trade based businesses, to prepare them for upcoming projects in the region.

Workshop dates: Warwick, 11 August 2021 and Lockyer Valley, 15 September 2021

CS Energy

Congratulations to TSBE gold member, CS Energy for hitting an important milestone as their Callide Power Station's Unit C3 was brought back online. CS Energy has safely and gradually ramped up to full capacity, and expect Callide to start generating up to 1,120 megawatts of reliable energy into the National Electricity Market. The entire Callide team have displayed an unwavering focus on returning the units safely. Congratulations CS Energy for your focus on people, safety and the important role you play for energy production

Brown and Hurley

Congratulations to TSBE silver member, Brown and Hurley on 75 years in business. The B&H team have been supporting the agricultural, infrastructure and transport & logistics sectors throughout their local dealership in Toowoomba and Roma. 

Inland Rail 

The contractor and business community is eagerly awaiting the announcement of the shortlisted contractors for ARTC – Inland Rail Border to Gowrie (B2G) sections. The shortlisted contractors for the proposed three sections of the B2G sections are expected to be announced any day now. This is a significant milestone towards commencement of construction in our region and joining the 1,700km national rail infrastructure form Brisbane to Melbourne. If you want to be Inland Rail ready, complete the rail survey on the TSBE Supplier Portal here. 

Regional Food Waste Audit

The Centre for Agricultural Engineering (CAE), University of Southern Queensland (USQ), in collaboration with TSBE Food Leaders Australia (FLA)  and Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) are undertaking a research project to identify business opportunities for organics recycling in the Toowoomba region. The project is jointly funded by the Fight Food Waste CRC (FFW-CRC), TSBE and TRC.

This survey aims to gather information on the nature, quantity, existing waste management practices to understand the overall organic waste stream situation in the Toowoomba region. This information will be utilised to identify potential beneficial uses of waste and inform investment attraction activities to promote the opportunity to potential investors.

The information gathered from the survey will be used to identify key stakeholders and value chain participants that could supply feedstocks. The information will also be used to identify markets for high value products such as energy and solid/liquid biofertiliser and encourage businesses specialising in advanced agri-food waste management technologies to come to the region, thereby providing opportunities to value-add to your waste streams.

For more information on the project click here.

Singapore Airlines

In a large development for the region’s airfreight capacity, the Singapore Airlines weekly freight service will now fly directly from Singapore to Wellcamp, removing the Sydney leg from this service.  This is a great opportunity for any of our regional importers to now get product directly to Toowoomba.  Further, the ability for freight to land at Wellcamp and be road freighted into our Southern States will prove cost effective during this period.

This service is committed in a trial period until mid-August. If you would like to avail of this service or know more about it, please reach out directly to Wellcamp Airport or the TSBE Team. 

Growing the Agriculture Workforce: Regional industry consultations

Agribusinesses are invited to participate in six regional consultations across Queensland where QFF will be asking farmers and agribusinesses about industry workforce issues.

The consultations will inform the Queensland Agriculture Industry Workforce Plan, which will chart a five-year response to the challenges raised by the industry. The Plan will drive action for building the capability of agriculture businesses and their workforce for a contemporary, competitive and adaptable industry. It will strategically respond to the issues that the agriculture industry has reported including attraction, retention, skilling and business capability.

Consultations will be held from August to November in Nambour, Emerald, Dalby, Tablelands, Ayr and another location to be confirmed. The consultation program for the Queensland Agriculture Industry Workforce Plan also includes online consultations, focus groups and an online survey.

To register for the regional consultations and/or register for a Jobs Queensland Workforce Connect workshop, please visit QFF’s events webpage.

Shell's QGC Emerging Exporters Program

Our FLA team in collaboration with Shell's QGC have delivered the first of three Emerging Exporter Workshops, in Dalby on July 27. The workshop provided participants with a global overview of exports, market opportunities and challenges, along with what’s required to be successful long term in developing new overseas markets. The workshop also allowed each business to focus on reviewing their capability and capacity to supply along with refining their product offering to align with potential export markets.

Attendees also heard from experienced exporters and the participants were fortunate to be joined by Troy Law, Simplicity Australia; Tim Burgess, Bow Creek Food & Agribusiness; and Clinton McGrath, QLD Department of Agriculture, providing many years of hands-on experience for the group around the challenges, opportunities and what’s required to be successful. Our next workshop will be delivered in Dalby on 10 August, 2021. We look forward supporting our 2021 cohort on their exporting journey. 

The Emerging Exporters program, supported by Shell’s joint venture partners Tokyo Gas and CNOOC, contributes to a strong and diverse economy within the Western Downs. If you’d like to learn more about the Emerging Exporters Program contact Justin Heaven.

Congratulations to Southern Cross Care

Illoura Village Chinchilla received approved funding of $14M through the Federal Aged Care Approval Rounds (ACAR). This will the 35million dollar project proceed and see an increased in aged care beds from 66 to 81 in the Illoura Village site.

Business Navigator Western Downs is a business growth and innovation advisory service for start ups and small businesses with growth potential, supported by Shell’s QGC business.

• Western Downs Regional Council are hosting a series of information sessions for the community to hear about the type of work they have coming up. The Procurement Roadshow will be held from August 10-12 in Miles, Chinchilla, Tara, and Dalby. Register here.
• Congratulations to Wagner Corporation who officially opened the $18m Regional Trade Distribution Centre at Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport this week. Read more here.
• Clifford Gouldson Lawyers is pleased to invite the Darling Downs business community to attend their annual advisor day on 19 August. This event provides a unique opportunity for professionals such as accountants, financial advisors, insurance advisors and bank managers to participate in a local workshop that will cover a range of legal topics. It will contribute to your professional development and build relationships with other local professional advisors. Read more here.

• Southern Cross Austereo has launched LiSTNR – a curated and personalised, free app offering radio, podcasts, music, and news, creating a new audio destination for all Australians.

  LiSTNR features all of SCA’s existing digital content plus a huge range of new and compelling premium content, all located in one free and easy to use app. Read more here.

• Well done to Fiona Holmstrom from STEM Punks for receiving the 2021 Queensland Women in STEM Prize. This prize recognises women who are making a difference to the world, in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) fields.
• Well done to Specialised Property Consulting who have been named at one of the top 15 consulting firms to watch in 2021 by The Australian Business Journal. Read about it here.

• Making the lives of feedlot operators easier - Say no to mountains of paperwork and yes to saving time and money with the AXIchain mNVD. Each movement will cost you just 50c - plus, they don't expire, can be used across any species and even work when you're offline! More information here.

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