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The year is flying by, and it’s hard to believe that we’re now in June. It’s been another busy month with our team attending major conferences and connecting to important opportunities for members.   
Sadly, at the end of this week we say goodbye to Bruce McConnel, General Manager of Food Leaders Australia (FLA), who after nearly five years with TSBE has decided to join Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s philanthropic organisation, Minderoo Foundation. Bruce will be leading their animal welfare initiative which will focus on improving animal welfare across the protein sector in multiple countries, focusing initially on Australia, North and South America. This is an exciting opportunity for Bruce, and I know he’ll be a great asset to the Minderoo Foundation.   
   
To replace Bruce, I am pleased to announce that Justin Heaven, who has been TSBE’s Export Manager for over two years, will step into the FLA General Manager role. Justin has been very successful in his current Export Manager role, delivering both the Emerging Exporters Program, and the Southern Queensland Export Hub whilst providing exceptional service to our members. Justin has strong connections to agriculture and is well respected in the industry and we’re thrilled that will be the new FLA General Manager.
   Our Energy and Infrastructure team attended the Brisbane APPEA Conference and hosted a TSBE stand to promote our region to the energy industry. It was great to meet so many members and people from across the country and have an opportunity to advocate for the Surat Basin.    Our SQ Export Hub team hosted an Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement breakfast briefing which provided valuable hints and tips on exporting to United Kingdom. The Australia-UK FTA is about creating new export opportunities and jobs for business by eliminating tariffs on over 99% of Australian goods as well as services exported to the UK.   
The Brisbane 2032 Olympics Games Toowoomba Capability Review report was released this month. TSBE is now calling for nominations to form an Olympic Taskforce for the region to provide direction and advocacy to help maximise every opportunity for Toowoomba, including in sport and legacy infrastructure. Find out more here.   It was very exciting to see that Boeing are starting to recruit for their manufacturing facility which they will build at Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport. This is just the start of the jobs that are being created as Boeing establishes their footprint in Toowoomba.  
 Congratulations to the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) who were announced as one of Australia's Trailblazer Universities. USQ will lead the charge for space manufacturing with a new research hub of national priority.  USQ also celebrated an important milestone of 55 years as an educational institution and 30 years as a university this month.    We are looking forward to seeing you at our Enterprise Evening in Toowoomba on 9 June to hear from Freight Connect Consortium, the awarded proponent delivering the Central Civil Works Program of the Inland Rail project.   
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact TSBE if we can help link your business with an opportunity and I’d like to thank all of our members for your continued support.   Ali Davenport 
TSBE CEO | 
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The TSBE Energy & Infrastructure team were proud to represent the region with two stands at the APPEA (Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association) Conference and Exhibition in Brisbane. This national conference was a great opportunity to showcase the regions' opportunities to support and attract major energy projects as well as our regional strengths in supply chain to support the jobs and skills required to support the energy sector. This year TSBE and the Southern Queensland Hydrogen Industry Institute (SQHII) stands were busy and the buoyant market activity reflected the positivity the energy sector is feeling due to price demand. 
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 |  | | | Some takeaways from the APPEA Conference and Exhibition:  
Global and domestic energy demands are creating more need for cheap energy as we transition to new energy sources. Together with balancing increasing global demand, we need a balance of energy to supply cheap reliable energy to support all users of energy, and gas and coal will play a role in that transition as we grow our renewable base load.
Carbon Capture will play a large role in meeting opportunity to reduce and meet emissions targets for CSG and coal and heavy emitting industry. Australia and the Surat Basin do have the geographical resources to provide that opportunity.
The transition of energy on the net zero journey is creating a demand for a variety of energy such as renewables, batteries, pumped hydro, bioenergy and hydrogen. There is no other region with such a diverse mix of energy supply in Australia, and it will only grow as demand for energy increases. TSBE is proud to have a relationship with most of the projects in the region to understand their demands and to support members to connect to these opportunities.
Australia is positioned to provide clean green energy globally, and industry throughout the supply chain has more intention to meet these targets.Workforce attraction means that early education around entering the workforce will play a big role in the regional energy industry. This is not just a challenge for the energy sector, but will have direct opportunities in attracting people to this industry early.
Energy prices are up, so now is the time to drive innovation and technology in the service sector for when things swing. There is no better time to think about how your business can capture the current market trends for the long term by looking at innovation, new markets or new technology.
As we bring in new energy technology and more projects to the region, the need for better and continued stakeholder engagement to bring the community along on the journey is required. Understanding the 'S' (social) in the ESG discussion will play a large part. Our region has a history of supporting new industry, but we need to ensure we continue to create the broader trust that new industries can bring to a region.
Energy is in a very disruptive stage, but during times of disruption we have the chance to create opportunity for our region, and this is what we plan to do on our pathway to becoming the Energy Capital of Australia!
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 | | | June Enterprise Evening - 9 June   
Our next Enterprise Evening will be held in Toowoomba on 9 June and will focus on Inland Rail with the keynote presentation from the awarded proponent delivering the Central Civil Works Program of the Inland Rail project – Freight Connect Consortium.   
TSBE will also release the Toowoomba Development Status Report and on the night we will hear from key political leaders on the areas of focus now the Federal Election over. This event is the perfect platform to build your business pipeline prior to the end of the financial year. More information or register here. | 
 | | Surat Basin Energy Summit - 16 August   TSBE will be hosting the first Surat Basin Energy Summit on 16 August.    
Based in Dalby, the summit will bring industry leaders together to explore how the region’s energy sector can continue to deliver energy production and local economic growth now and in the future.    
We’ll be discussing the ever-changing energy landscape, which has a dual focus of providing reliable, low-cost energy domestically and globally whilst transitioning to meet sustainability targets. More information will be available later this month. | 
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 | |  | | Carbon Capture    
TSBE have commenced some early understanding of the role that Carbon Capture will play in meeting net zero targets. It was featured and discussed heavily at the APPEA conference.   
It was a pleasure to hear about the proposed Carbon Transport and Storage Company (CTSCo) project. This will be the first Carbon Capture project for our region and will add to the already growing diversity of energy production, storage and solutions to meet reduction targets. Thank you for the update and opportunity to hear more on CTSCo while they consult on the draft terms of reference for the application and approvals process. | 
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 | | | Glencore’s wholly-owned CTSCo project aims to demonstrate Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) on an industrial scale and is focused on: capturing CO2 from a coal-fired power station in Queensland for a period of three years
permanently storing the CO2 deep underground
 The CTSCo Project has the potential to: store significant volumes of CO2 to reduce existing and future sources of industrial emissionsimprove energy security for the National Electricity Marketmaintain and grow jobs in regional Queenslandenable future industries including hydrogen production
contribute to Federal and Queensland Government climate and emission reduction goals
 Visit the CTSCo Project website to learn more. | 
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 | | | 400M Agrifood Innovation Forum - 13 July   
The 400M Agrifood Innovation Forum is a showcase of solutions that use innovative technology to resolve industry challenges right along the supply chain. There is 400 Million hectares of arable land in Australia that needs to play its role in efficiently feeding the rapidly growing global population – this is a challenge, but also a great opportunity for the producers. 
  The 400M Agrifood Innovation Forum drives the adoption of AgTech and delegates will hear from global leaders in innovation, and network with industry professionals to find opportunities to grow their agrifood business into the future.\   
Check out the amazing line-up of speakers in our program here.   
Primary producers and students are able to register at a discounted rate, so if you are a primary producer or student, please call the TSBE office on 4639 4600 to access the discount code.   
More information on the conference, or register here. | 
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Meetups   
The next meetup is going to be in the virtual space on 21 June, and we are launching the next AgTech and Logistics Hub Open Innovation Challenge which is going to be focused upon Waste in Primary Production. If you would like to discuss a sponsorship/hosting opportunity for a future Meetup please reach out to Stephen@TSBE.com.au   Innovation Visits   
Last month, our AgTech and Innovation Manager, Stephen Dummett, visited the Western Downs where he was able to uncover a few opportunities for improvement within some of the businesses that he was welcomed into. These visits are informal and involve a brief introduction to the business and the challenges that they are facing. Labour is the greatest challenge and as such the conversation moves to potential solutions which can include robotics, automation and autonomy (a feature panel of 400M), or sensors (remote monitoring) and artificial intelligence. We also look at the human aspects as well, which can include recruitment alternatives and retention strategies. Contact stephen@tsbe.com.au to learn more.
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 | | | Southern and Darling Downs Regional Water Assessment (SDD RWA) Project:   
TSBE continues to advocate strongly for our members through the SDD RWA project for all water options in our region to be considered under this framework. This includes looking at new infrastructure, and ways in which water east of the Great Dividing Range can be brought into the Murray Darling Basin. This project, run by the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and including stakeholders from all industries, State and Local Government and community groups will be the first review of all previously considered water options for our region. If you wish to have an understanding of the project, please contact TSBE.
   Agri Tourism Opportunities   
Food Leaders Australia (FLA) General Manager, Bruce McConnel, spoke this month at the DAF run Agri Tourism Day.  Bruce shared examples of corporate tourism opportunities in the region, such as opportunities to run site tours for conferences, and host travelling delegations, and what businesses need to do to make these opportunities commercially viable. With the significant increase in events and conferences within our region, this is a growing area of opportunity. Congratulations to DAF on running a great event.
   TAFE Queensland Partnership delivers for members   
Through our partnership with TAFE Queensland, during the first quarter of 2022, we sought feedback from our members on what areas of skilling are currently missing for them and their workforce. Through this work, TAFE QLD and TSBE advocated strongly for funding support to deliver a First Level Management short course. We are proud to say we are now running a pilot with 12 of our members across the agricultural supply chain which will provide the basic skill sets required for someone promoted into their first management role, fully funded by the Queensland government. We look forward to sharing the success of this once completed.  
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 | | | Rural Agricultural Development (RDA) Grant Scheme – Sheep and Goat    
The Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority have released the RAD Grant Scheme for development of the sheep and goat industry. The priority areas of round one include supporting economic development in relevant rural areas, strengthening primary production involving sheep and goats, and supporting growth within Queensland’s sheep and goat meat supply, processing and value chains.
   
Under this scheme, businesses can apply for grants of up to $200,000 as a co-contribution to be matched by applicants. Expressions of Interest are now open and close on 1 July. For further details on eligibility and associated grant activities, please contact Justin Heaven at justin@tsbe.com.au.     2022 TCI Oceania Conference     
The Southern Queensland Export Hub (SQ Export Hub) recently participated in the 2022 TCI Oceania Conference in Cairns with cluster and hub manager gathering from around Australia. TCI Oceania is one of three formal regional chapters of the TCI Network, the leading global network of people working in clusters and innovation ecosystems around the world.    The conference provided the opportunity for likeminded organisations to gather and discuss how to leverage the power of collaboration, the benefit of creating economies of scale across common areas of need and discuss the current challenges in creating sustainable clusters.   
 Speakers at the conference shared knowledge on how to build cluster capability for scale and competitiveness, while reinforcing the importance of creating a sense of community within organisations to achieve success. Key themes of the conference included the impacts and effects of emerging clusters, clustering for scalable impact, the role of Government and sharing knowledge for successful clusters.  | 
 | | SQ Export Hub    
On 25 May in Toowoomba, the SQ Export Hub hosted 60 delegates at an Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (A-UK FTA) Breakfast Briefing sponsored by Bollore Logistics.     
Sharing their knowledge at the breakfast briefing was Australia’s Chief Negotiator Elisabeth Bowes, Joanne Freeman who is the Consul General for Queensland & Northern Territory and Director of Trade Australia & New Zealand, and Austrade’s Director - Investment, Agribusiness & Food Centre of Excellence Cheryl Stanilewicz.    
The A-UK FTA marks a once in a generational deal for Australia and is an incredibly significant moment in the nation’s relationship with the UK, eliminating tariffs on over 99 per cent of Australian goods exported to the UK and providing commercially significant benefit for around $9.2 billion worth of annual trade into the UK. The agreement provides tariff elimination across most fruits and vegetables, immediate access to duty free quotes for grain, beef and sheep meat, while tech innovators and entrepreneurs will see an increase in opportunities across digital trade with free flow of data. 
   
Key takeaways from the briefing highlighted that exporters need to be clear in their motivation, carry out market research to understand if they are competing on price or quality, and although Australia's 'clean green' image has served us well and remains important, it is no longer the number one selling point. The session also encouraged exporters to develop strong business relationships, with the aim to build their brand, while considering a focus on health and sustainability, the key to market success. 
   If you missed out on this breakfast but are eager to learn about the new market opportunities from this FTA, please contact Molly Wagner molly@tsbe.com.au.  | 
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 | | | Shell's QGC Emerging Exporters Program 2022    
We are pleased to announce the 2022 cohort of Shell’s QGC Emerging Exporters Program. The eight successful businesses include Ag Knowledge Australia, Bunya Range Lamb, Quality Pasture Fed Beef, Grove Shorthorns, Laffy Family Farms, Smarter Nutrition, Top Country and Rosevale Cattle Company.    
The program is now in its fifth year and has continued to build on the success of the past four years to assist food and ag businesses across the Western Downs who are interested in exporting their products and expanding the domestic market footprint. There is growing demand for our trusted, clean and green products across a range of global markets and the diverse mix of participants in this year’s Shell QGC Emerging Exporters Program offers an exciting opportunity to make inroads into these new markets. 
   With the support of Shell's QGC, we look forward to working with the participants through targeted workshops and one-on-one support that will give each business the tools and key export learnings to become competent, sustainable exporters who can manage risk and make informed decisions before embarking on their export journey.     The Emerging Exporters Program is supported by Shell’s QGC business and delivered by Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise. The social investment program, supported by Shell’s joint venture partners Tokyo Gas and CNOOC, contributes to a strong and diverse economy within the Western Downs.  | 
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| |  | | Aspire2Health    
Health is the largest employer in our region, and like every industry they are facing challenges with filling vital roles. Aspire2Health is a collaboration between numerous health stakeholders with the aim to highlight the career opportunities in health to our high school students. This is a long term workforce strategy that will see more of our regional and rural students working in rural and regional Australia. The Toowoomba workshop was held over the 17 & 18 May with 65 students. There are other workshops around the region including Chinchilla, Dalby and Roma - find out more here.
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 |  | | | Drones in Health   
Well done to Darling Down Health for their leadership and vision around this project. Innovative thinking in the health industry will help to drive both economic growth and positive patient outcomes. TSBE Health attended a drone demonstration in Goondiwindi on 5 May, and we are looking forward to working with all stakeholders in establishing a pilot program for health in the region.     
Optometrist Networking event   TSBE Health together with Heron Eyecare hosted an Optometrist networking event on 1 June. Twenty five optometrists in the region came together to learn and network.    
Connecting Schools to Industry   
The 12,000 students across the Toowoomba region undertaking secondary schooling present a real future skills solution for businesses struggling to attract workers to relocate into the region. TSBE Education is working with industry members to create closer and more effective relationships with member schools to assist delivery of post-school outcomes that deliver benefits for students as well as local businesses – all of which support economic growth. 
  Study Toowoomba   
Study Toowoomba participated in the Study in Australia Virtual Education Fair that saw hundreds of prospective international students (and their parents) from Japan, Korea, Mongolia and Hong Kong learn about the outstanding opportunities that Toowoomba offers to international school, VET and higher education students. At last count international education contributed $80 million to the Toowoomba economy and supported 508 full time equivalent jobs. With international borders reopened and appetite returning for global education, Study Toowoomba and its partners are poised to grow the number of international students choosing Toowoomba for their studies.
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 | | | 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. | 
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 | | | New business owner, Elisha Ham of Dalby, loves that when it comes to earrings most women are shopping for themselves.
 Elisha recently purchased Entire Me, an online earring business offering affordable and on-trend pieces.
   
Working with Ailsa Cass, the Business Navigator Marketing Advisor, Elisha is learning all the necessary skills to operate an eCommerce business and developing the online marketing strategy for her earrings brand. Check out Entire Me's collections on their website: www.entireme.com.au To join our eCommerce peer group please email ailsa@navigatorwesterndowns.com.au
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Tourism business owners from Western Downs gathered in Miles on 26 May for a marketing workshop followed by networking at the Windsor Hotel in Miles delivered by Southern Queensland Country Tourism (SQCT).   
Business Navigator Lead Coach, Paulene Rorich accompanied business owners who together discussed strategies to better maximise their online presence and connect with customers over social media. Tourism vendors also met the SQCT board and staff and heard about the future plans for tourism in the Western Downs. Business Navigator supports a number of tourism business across the region through individual business coaching and via networking meet-ups.   To join our Tourism Peer Group please email paulene@navigatorwesterndowns.com.au | 
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Congratulations to Frontier Voice & Data!   
Frontier Voice & Data Toowoomba are a locally owned company specialising in business telecommunications. They provide powerful solutions from a range of innovative vendors and are Australia’s leading network provider - Telstra, in simple terms you can understand.
 Technology is constantly evolving and Frontier make it simple and cost effective to manage critical business services such as Business Phone Systems, Mobile Phones and Tablets, Cloud Services, Managed Networks, Video Conferencing, Fleet Tracking solutions, Dash Cameras and much more.
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Congratulations to Renee Wilson from Customs Brokers for receiving the QLD Regional Award for recognition of her commitment to IFCBAA for my many years of service through the committees and various advocacy roles.
NAB Regional & Agribusiness Horizons Webinar - join NAB on 2 June as they launch the inaugural Regional & Agribusiness Horizons Report, focused on this year’s theme, ‘Land of Opportunity’. More information or register here.
Clifford Gouldson Lawyers are hosting a number of events: 
Toowoomba - Workplace Workshop to discuss recent developments in workplace law on Friday 3 June. More information or register here.
Sunshine Coast - Workplace Workshop to discuss recent developments in workplace law on Wednesday 8 June. More information or register here.
Save the date for the third advisor day event for Darling Downs Business Advisors. Tickets are available soon. More information here.
Darling Dingoes Chari-Tee Golf Day - on Friday 24 June. More information here.
Exclusive invitation to sponsor the Sunrise Way FKG Group Art show - on Friday 24 June. More information on sponsorship here. View the event details here.
Join the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation for an evening with NRL superstar Greg Inglis at Dalby Events Centre and help raise funds for regional mental health services, on Saturday 18 June. More information or register here.
The Rural Fire Service QLD is putting together a list of contractors between Toowoomba & Charleville that might be interested in assisting their local areas during fire seasons. Contact Phillip Young for more information. 
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 | | | Contact Us  P: (07) 4639 4600
 F: (07) 4639 3416
 E: info@tsbe.com.au
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| Postal PO Box 658
 Toowoomba, QLD
 4350 | 
 | | TSBE  ABN:  85155004523
 ACN: 155 004 523 | 
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