Generating opportunities out of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan will be on the agenda in Chinchilla tomorrow, as members gather for a fourth and final Darling Downs South West Regional Community Forum for 2022.
The latest Darling Downs South West Regional Community Forum will include presentations on the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, business diversification and resilience, and the Chinchilla Community Centre’s involvement in the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.
Forum members will also visit local tourist attraction, Charley’s Creek, Queensland’s first carbon neutral brewery to learn about product diversification and upskilling local workers.
Assistant Minister for Hydrogen Development and the 50% Renewable Energy Target by 2030 Lance McCallum will attend tomorrow’s Forum in Chinchilla.
Member for Ipswich Jennifer Howard and Member for Ipswich West Jim Madden will co-chair the forum.
Mr McCallum said the forum would continue the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to engaging with the state’s regional communities as part of the ongoing delivery of the $62 billion Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.
“About 95 per cent of this investment will support regional Queensland communities like Chinchilla with good local jobs through clean, cheap, renewable energy for our homes, businesses and industry,” Mr McCallum said.
“Importantly, we’re also keeping our energy assets in public hands, and that’s already allowed us to support household budgets with $575 in power bill rebates since 2015.
“We’re delivering for Queenslanders now and into the future. It’s all about good jobs and better services and protecting and enhancing our great Queensland lifestyle.”
Ms Howard said forum members had demonstrated a willingness to work with government, to identify local issues and further diversify the region’s economy.
“Throughout the year, forum members have supported a greater awareness in the region of the Queensland Government’s approach to managing cross border issues,” Ms Howard said.
“They’ve also shown an understanding of technological advancements and plans for improving digital connectivity and adoption in the south west.
“This is particularly exciting as we diversify the region’s economy and embrace Queensland’s renewable energy future.”
Mr Madden said the Darling Downs South West would benefit from the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, with high quality wind and solar resources across the region.
“A renewable revolution is already underway across our region – with nearly 2.2 gigawatts of committed renewable energy projects in the pipeline, worth more than $3.8 billion in investment,” Mr Madden said.
“We also have a number of tertiary providers equipped to upskill locals, to fill the more than 2,000 jobs these projects are estimated to create.
“The Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan will target a further 11 gigawatts of renewable in the Southern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone (QREZ), which will deliver major economic benefits for the region.”
The Darling Downs South West Regional Community Forum is one of seven to be held in regional centres across Queensland tomorrow, with other Forums set for Western Queensland, Far North Queensland, Central Queensland, North-North West Queensland, Wide Bay Burnett Fraser Coast and the Mackay Isaac Whitsunday region.
The Regional Community Forums are part of the Queensland Government’s Advancing Queensland’s Regions strategy, supported by the Office for Rural and Regional Queensland.
