Enormous economic opportunities highlighted for Darling Downs region
The region’s success stories were showcased to more than 250 business leaders at Parliament House in Brisbane last week.
Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE) hosted the February Enterprise Evening on Thursday night, which focused on the diverse economic opportunities across the Downs.
The keynote update was provided by Hon Di Farmer MP, Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development.
During her speech Minister Farmer commented on the large amount of opportunities in the Darling Downs and mentioned that she is constantly hearing announcements that will bring jobs to our region.
Minister Farmer acknowledged that the Darling Downs region is in a period of enormous growth and it is important to ensure there are skilled and unskilled workforce to meet those opportunities.
Trevor Watts, Member for Toowoomba North highlighted some exciting local projects including the Wellcamp Aerospace and Defence Precinct, Space Engineering at USQ and Inland Rail.
Mr Watts commented that it is important that other State Members see what our region has to offer which is a lot as it’s a vibrant region.
Paul Martyn, Director-General, Department of Energy and Public Works, spoke about energy and the importance of the industry to the economy.
He made mention of the size of the opportunities for the region with regards to hydrogen but also many other energy projects.
Ali Davenport, CEO of TSBE said the Enterprise Evening event was a fantastic way to link business with opportunities.
“It’s great to see our business community coming together to strengthen the region as a whole while creating sustainable growth.”
“We know how diverse and resilient Toowoomba is, so having a platform to share these success stories at Parliament House was incredible,” said Ms Davenport.
Attendees also heard from Peter Lock, CEO of Heritage who were the sponsors of the evening and are a major employer in the region who are proud to be part of Toowoomba’s story.
