The estimated number of participants from with the Region in the National Disability Insurance Scheme is projected to increase from 4,300 to 9,900. The workforce to cater to the needs of these participants is projected to increase from 1,110-1,350 to 3,200-3,900.

As one of the fastest growing regions in Australia, the South East Queensland (SEQ) Region is experiencing significant change. In the period to 2041, the region is expected to accommodate an additional 1.9 million residents and almost 800,000 new homes.

The region is also expecting to support one million new jobs. It is at the heart of growth with transport, logistics, light manufacturing and suburban expansion in South East Queensland. The SEQ City Deal Statement of Intent between the Commonwealth of Australia, the State of Queensland and the SEQ Council of Mayors provides an agreement between the three levels of government to work together to design and implement a City Deal for South East Queensland.

The Olympic Games could have a positive impact on job creation, supporting around 130,000 direct jobs. In addition to direct jobs, there will be tens of thousands of indirect jobs supported by the Games including over 10,000 tourism induced jobs in the Games year alone.

The planned Inland Rail is an opportunity to better leverage the Region’s aspiration to be the centre of economic growth and employment opportunities in Australia.

As we enter this exciting period, I would like to acknowledged the departure of Chiou See Anderson, Ross Elliott, Patrick Forbes and David Radich from the Committee, welcome Terri Cooper, Cr Jacob Heremaia and Shane Rendalls to the Committee and thank Kim Kerwin, Anne Livingstone, Dr Douglas Hunt and John Perry OAM for their commitment to continuing as Members of the Committee.

Discussed below is the background to your RDA’s planning for our future and our role in ensuring the corporate objective of the RDA is achieved, i.e.:Ensure the Region will be at the centre of economic and employment growth for South East Queensland, statewide Queensland and Australia wide.

There is still much to be done and, as always, I encourage all in the community to contact me or our Director Steve McDonald to discuss topics of interest.

If there is any information you wish to draw to the attention of the RDA in relation to the above, please send it to admin@rdaloganandredlands.org.au.

For further information on the RDA, go to https://rdaloganandredlands.org.au/.

The Hon. Gary Hardgrave
Chair
Regional Development Australia Logan & Redlands

 On 30 June 2021 the periods of appointment for Member positions with the RDA Logan & Redlands Committee came to an end. Over the past few months the RDA undertook a public recruitment and appointment process for the Deputy Chair and Committee Member positions.

The Hon. Gary Hardgrave, Chair of RDA Logan and Redlands recently announced “I am delighted to welcome Terri Cooper, Cr Jacob Heremaia and Shane Rendalls to the RDA Logan & Redlands Committee. All have extensive experience in the Logan and Redlands Region and I look forward to working with them as we pursue the Region’s full economic and social potential.”

Mr Hardgrave went on to say “I am also delighted to welcome back Kim Kerwin who, following my recommendation, was endorsed by the Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories, the Hon. Nola Marino MP as Deputy Chair. I am equally delighted to welcome back Anne Livingstone, Dr Douglas Hunt and John Perry OAM. All returning Members bring a rich range of experiences to the Committee and I look forward to continuing to work with them and all Members of the Committee.”

Mr Hardgrave also acknowledged the departure of Chiou See Anderson, Ross Elliott, Patrick Forbes and David Radich from the Committee. Mr Hardgrave said “I extend my appreciation on behalf of the Committee for their contribution and wish them the best for their future endeavours. In recognition of their experience and commitment to the Logan and Redlands Region I have no doubt we will retain a connection in the interests of the Region.”

In announcing the new Committee Mr Hardgrave said "I welcome each of our newly appointed Committee members and look forward to working with them throughout their terms. The Logan and Redlands Region is fortunate to have local leaders with the skills and knowledge of the departing, continuing and new Committee Members to develop and coordinate strategies to address challenges facing the Region and create opportunities for growth. With our newly appointed Committee we move forward with a refreshed RDA Charter providing further emphasis on greater alignment across all levels of government and regional planning that identifies and advocates strategic long-term investment priorities.”

“We believe the stronger our RDA Committee is, the stronger our community becomes. With the addition of our newest appointees to the Committee, the RDA Logan and Redlands Committee is well represented across the Region, and each of our Committee members brings a unique perspective that will strengthen the work of the RDA into the future.”

Details of all Committee Members are available via the RDA Logan and Redlands website at https://rdaloganandredlands.org.au/.

In a positive sign, the Hon. Nola Marino MP, Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories hosted the annual Regional Development Australia National Forum in Canberra from Tuesday 15 June to Thursday 17 June 2021.

The Forum provided a wonderful opportunity for Regional Development Australia Chairs, Deputy Chairs, Directors and Executive Officers to come together to hear from Assistant Minister Marino, inspiring speakers and from each other on key activities that have been effective in driving economic futures of their region. It also provided the opportunity to network with representatives from three levels of Government and to hear from experts in the field of regional economic development.

This year’s theme was Growing Stronger Regions together with sessions that focused on regionalisation, the role of infrastructure and financing, growing economic futures, data to build the business case and vertical integrated policy-making.

The Forum sessions were framed around drivers of regional growth including: infrastructure, human capital, regional employment, leadership and collaboration, amenity and liveability; and sustainable natural resources.

Taking the opportunity while in Canberra to advocate on behalf of the Region, the RDA Chair, the Hon. Gary Hardgrave and Deputy Chair, Kim Kerwin met with several relevant Ministers.

Further details of this event are available at https://www.rda.gov.au/national-forum

In considering strategic planning requirements for the Region, Regional Development Australia Logan & Redlands (the RDA) sees a need for working with stakeholders to develop a Regional Strategic Plan. The RDA is of the view while a number of plans exist or are under development, the Region does not have an appropriate overarching strategic plan. This is a priority for the RDA for 2021 to 2022.

As reflected in the Chair’s message above, the creation of a narrative cross the Region is essential to better advocate on behalf of the Region and to provide integrated evidence in supporting the Region’s ability to argue for greater inclusion in key initiatives (e.g. the 2032 Olympics) and funding (e.g., equity of infrastructure funding).

The development of a Regional Strategic Plan will be led by RDA Committee Members who are influential members of the Region’s business and social communities as well as having strong engagement with local and state governments. The development of the Plan will ensure development of a comprehensive stakeholder map, identify all relevant existing plans across the Region and develop a concordance between identified Plans and the Regional Australia Charter and regional priorities.

This is a critical activity and the RDA welcomes any comments from interested stakeholders. Further information will be distributed as it becomes available.

In parallel with the development of a Strategic Regional Plan a number of key areas of focus will be pursued. These were identified by the Committee at its 27 January 2021 strategic planning meeting and featured in the RDA’s January to April 2021 quarterly report.

Logan and Redlands residents and businesses can continue to get the latest information on COVID-19 at these links:

The Prime Minister's Media Statements 

treasury.gov.au

Federal Government's information entry point for details of COVID-19 and support for business

Smart Traveller information & advice

business.qld.gov.au

Logan City Council COVID-19 Resources

Redland City Council COVID-19 Resources

Each of these sites provide links that navigate to other relevant sites.

There was a high level of interest in Building Better Regions Fund (Round 5) across the Logan and Redlands Region. It is understood a good number of applications were submitted by the closing date of 12 March 2021. Successful projects are expected to be announced in the third quarter of 2021.

Market engagement for Building Better Regions Fund (Round 6) will begin in July 2021 (4 months prior to the expected invitation for applications opens). Initial workshops for small groups and individual organisations such as Councils and Chambers will be developed, tested and rolled out based on the Building Better Regions Fund (Round 5) Guidelines which are expected to be similar for Round 6 with perhaps an area of specific focus (e.g., Round 4 related to bushfire impacts and Round 5 related to Tourism impacts).

If you or your organisation is interested, please let the RDA know at admin@rdaloganandredlands.org.au.

The next meeting of the Inland Rail Community Consultative Committee (CCC) for the Kagaru to Acacia Ridge and Bromelton section of the project will be held on 30 August 2021 at the Logan West Community Centre. Details will be shared closer to the date to ensure those who would like to attend have that opportunity.

In the meantime, information relating to key dates, publications and the project timeline is available at https://inlandrail.artc.com.au/K2ARB. The CCC membership, Agendas, Minutes and Chair’s summaries from each of the previous meetings of the Committee are available at https://inlandrail.artc.com.au/k2arb-ccc.

South East Queensland and adjacent areas are served by several Regional Development Australia Committees including for:

• Brisbane;
• Darling Downs and South West Queensland;
• Gold Coast;
• Ipswich and West Moreton;
• Logan and Redlands;
• Moreton Bay;
• Sunshine Coast; and
• Wide Bay Burnett.

These RDAs communicate regularly to discuss issues impacting across the South East Queensland Region and how best to work together in the interests of this broader Region. On 6 and 7 May 2021 the RDAs met in the Sunshine Coast Region to focus on cross regional issues including receiving an address from Ted O’Brien MP, Federal member for Fairfax wearing his hat as the Prime Minister's representative on the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid committee.

The RDAs will next meet on 9 to 10 August 2021 in the Gold Coast Region.

In April 2021, the RDA:

• participated in the RDA National Forum - Reference Group;
• participated at the Logan Chamber Presidents and Council meeting;
• met with Redland City Council Project Coordinator, Regional Skills Investment Strategy;
• participated in the Redlands Coast Business Leaders Boardroom;
• participated in the Australian Infrastructure Plan – Place Based Outcomes Briefingfrom Infrastructure Australia;
• participated in Housing shortages affecting regional development webinar hosted by the Commonwealth Government;
• participated in Championing Redlands Coast - co-design leaders workshop; and
• met with Lendlease on economic and workforce developmentincluding Shoreline and Yarrabilba Project Briefings.

In May 2021, the RDA:

• participated in Regional Australia Institute’s pre-budget address by Deputy Prime Minister the Hon. Michael McCormack;
• participated in Deloitte’s post Federal Budget briefing;
• participated at QTalent Workshop conducted by Urbis on behalf of Study Queensland as part of its strategic analysis of Queensland’s talent ecosystem;
• sponsored and participated in CLICK! Digital Solutions event in the Redlands; 
• participated in Queensland Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning workshop to explore how infrastructure can support the key priorities in our region;
• sponsored and participated in the Logan Small Business Expo; 
• participated in Infrastructure Australia workshop - Regional Strengths and Infrastructure Gaps - Logan and Redlands;
• participated at the Logan City Council Economic Recovery Sub-Group Meeting; and
• as a member, participated at the Kagaru to Acacia Ridge and Bromelton Community Consultative Committee meeting.

In June 2021, the RDA:

• met with key developer operating in Gold Coast/Logan area;
• sponsored and attended Redlands Coast Careers Expo;
• with RDA Ipswich and West Moreton investigated Employment Facilitator and Support Officer services for the broader region;
• participated in RDA National Forum in Canberra;
• met with several Ministers and relevant senior Commonwealth Government officials on issues affecting the Logan and Redlands Region;
• participated in Chamber of Commerce Presidents meeting with Logan City Council;
• conducted transition meeting between incoming, returned and exiting RDA Members;
• participated in Southern Moreton Bay Islands Ageing in place working group meeting; and
• participated in meeting with Redlands Coast Chamber of Commerce on Redland Coast Business Excellence Awards 2021.

When searching for funding, keep in mind that you’ll generally need to meet certain criteria to be eligible. Aside from funding assistance, many programs can help your business by building your skills and knowledge.

GrantConnect [Aust Govt]
GrantConnect publishes forecast and current Australian Government grant opportunities and grants awarded.

Grants Finder [Qld Govt]
Find a grant or assistance in Queensland including information on grants, rebates, loans, subsidies or training.

business.gov.au
The Australian Government's business.gov.au site has information on grants and assistance for business from all levels of Government.

 Austrade Export Grants
The Export Market Development Grants scheme is a financial assistance program for aspiring and current exporters.

Advance Queensland
Are you an innovator? Browse the range of grants and assistance from Advance Queensland for startups and entrepreneurs.

Logan City Council
Logan City Council offers a range of grants to community organisations, individuals, clubs and services.

Redland City Council
Redland City Council provides grants and sponsorship to individuals and organisations for projects that benefit the local community.

More details are available at our funding portal here. 

We are here to work for the Logan and Redlands Region. We welcome being contacted on any issue any member of the community wishes to raise. Please feel free to directly contact us with your comment at admin@rdaloganandredlands.org.au