Premier’s message:
Smart State – a new direction
The Smart State Strategy is the Queensland Government’s signature policy to create a state where knowledge, creativity and innovation drive economic growth to improve prosperity and quality of life for all Queenslanders.
Over the past 10 years, the Government has invested strongly in education and training reforms and research and development (R&D) infrastructure, and has broadened the state’s industry base. Queensland is now Australia’s strongest state economy and is well positioned to compete on the global stage.
- Our $3.4 billion investment in R&D has resulted in 36 new research institutes and more than 230 research scholarships and fellowships.
- Our $1 billion Queensland Skills Plan is addressing skills shortages and better matching the supply of skilled labour to industry.
- Our education system has undergone significant reform and schools are being transformed into 21st century learning environments. More Queensland students now finish Year 12 than the national average.
- Queensland’s knowledge-intensive exports grew by 105.5 per cent between 1999-2000 and 2006-07.
- Business expenditure on R&D grew by 162 per cent between 1997-98 and 2005-06.
Having laid this platform, we now need to secure Queensland’s future by investing in our people, ideas and partnerships to drive creativity and innovation. Our new $120 million program will capitalise on our past achievements and investments in the Smart State, and will continue to build Queensland’s capabilities.
The highlight of the 2008 strategy is a trebling of our investment in people including:
- $23.3 million to attract and retain some of the brightest minds in science and industry to solve the challenges of the future
- $25 million to attract leading clinical researchers to improve Queensland’s health services through research.
We will also establish a $60 million Innovation Projects Fund to support collaborations between researchers and industry- research partnerships.
Innovation will be the key to addressing some of the biggest challenges facing Queensland in the future, such as climate change, population growth, sustainable development, health and wellbeing. We are working to ensure that Queenslanders provide the solutions and that we all benefit from the opportunities they create.
ANNA BLIGH MP
PREMIER OF QUEENSLAND
www.thepremier.qld.gov.au
Last reviewed 21 May 2008
