North Queensland Becomes Newest Innovative Region

Media Release.

North Queensland will be the next region to benefit from the Labor Government's Innovative Regions initiative with local businesses now having access to free and individually tailored expert advice to help them grow and modernise their operations. Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr announced in Cairns today that North Queensland would now have a dedicated Innovative Regions Facilitator to help boost productivity by increasing vital business and research links, driving innovation and better positioning local firms to benefit from growth opportunities around the region, the nation and the world. "The Prime Minister has set down a new national competitiveness agenda for Australia and the steps we are taking today will help put us on track to achieve the 2 per cent annual productivity growth we need to stay ahead of the field," Senator Kim Carr said. "The Innovative Regions initiative is a key part of the Labor Government's $250 million Enterprise Connect program that has been driving growth, firm by firm, since we opened it in 2008". "Five years later we have a national network of centres and around 100 experienced Business Advisers and Facilitators working with individual businesses to build capacity and help them work smarter and more collaboratively to modernise our industries." "The Government is committed to working with business, to supporting local firms by giving them the tools they need to succeed. In the same way that we support our elite athletes, so too must we support enterprise." "We want to see good businesses become even better and this program, this proven partnership model between business, government and the research community, will help them do just that." Senator for Queensland Jan McLucas said biomedical engineering company Medtek was a fine example of an innovative local company who would benefit from a smart, regional approach. "Medtek here in Cairns is a great example of the success we have achieved through the Enterprise Connect program – success we aim to replicate across the region with the launch of the North Queensland Innovative Regions," Senator McLucas said. "The initiative will help improve supply chains, find local suppliers and talent, encourage entrepreneurship. They can make a real difference to local businesses." "With this new initiative we will link businesses to local researchers to help solve problems, and local training organisations to skill workers – the possibilities are exciting." For more information on Enterprise Connect's Innovative Regions Centres, visit http://www.enterpriseconnect.gov.au or call 131 791.