THE State government’s pledge to make agriculture one of the four pillars of the economy appear to have fallen by the wayside if the Queensland Plan is anything to go by.
This morning, Premier Campbell Newman launched The Queensland Plan: Queenslanders’ 30-year vision at the Local Government Association of Queensland Regional and Economic Conference in Hervey Bay.
Mr Newman described the document as an “aspirational document” and the “people’s plan” with 80,000 Queenslanders contributing to its formation.
"People from every corner of the state contributed ideas to The Queensland Plan with a common vision to grow our regional economies, foster innovation, strengthen our education sector and encourage community connections," Mr Newman said.
"This was a massive and exemplary exercise in listening and consulting which involved various discussion forums from summits and community think tanks to boardroom workshops and robust family debates."
The document identifies nine foundations areas - education, community, regions, economy, health and wellbeing, environment, people, infrastructure, and governance.
A search of the 103 page document revealed the word “agriculture” appeared nine times, two of which were as references in the end notes. The word “mining” appeared seven times.
By 2040-41 it is estimated that agriculture’s share of gross state product will be 3.1 per cent. Public services will be 18.5pc while mining is expected to be 11.3pc.
Under the “economy” section the document read: “Our proximity to the emerging Asian middle class, coupled with our reputation for clean, green agriculture and being Australia’s premier environment-based tourist destination, provides significant opportunities for future growth in trade. “Queensland’s overseas exports of goods and services increased by 32.3pc in real terms over the decade to 2012–131, while Asia’s share of our merchandise exports increased from 62.7 per cent to 75.9 per cent in nominal terms2.”
Mr Newman said the community’s vision would be driven by The Queensland Plan Ambassadors Council, which would be chaired by Public Service Commission chief executive Andrew Chesterman and included people such as Professor Ian Frazer, tourism chief Daniel Gschwind and former Labor Minister and Mt Isa Mayor Tony McGrady.
The government will respond to The Queensland Plan later in the year.
Melody Labinsky
Journalist for Queensland Country Life at Toowoomba.
Journalist for Queensland Country Life at Toowoomba.
