Whitsunday 2030 - Shape our Economic Development Strategy!

Consultation results and next steps

We thank the community for having their say on the Whitsunday 2030 - Economic Development Strategy!

The Whitsunday 2030: Draft Economic Development Strategy outlines a bold vision to grow a thriving, resilient, and diverse economy, including 18 targeted actions across three focus areas, strategic investment, business and employment growth and prosperous places. We sought feedback on our proposed focus areas and associated targeted actions.

Please view our Consultation summary or detailed Consultation report. Key feedback included:

• Broad support from the community and stakeholders for the draft Strategy’s pillars and actions.
• Desire for equitable improvements across town centres to promote vibrancy and infrastructure upgrades, including several key projects forming part of Masterplans.
• Strong support to expand local TAFE and university offerings, with a focus on skills in automation, health, marine, and construction.
• Recognition of the importance in growing partnerships between industry, business and tertiary education providers to expand pathways, establish critical mass for courses and grow local workforce.
• Focus on addressing affordable and diverse housing needs, including prioritising essential worker affordability, implementing planning controls that encourage distributed rather than clustered housing density and neighbourhood design consistent with lifestyle expectations (e.g. road widths and promoting environmental integration).
• Consideration for the Strategy to include greater emphasis on environmental sustainability both in business and development. Recognising our world-renowned natural assets and identity as important to business growth, workforce attraction and lifestyle.
• Support for advocacy for health and education service improvements, particularly housing access for essential workers and upgrades to Proserpine Hospital to include MRI and cancer clinic.
• Support for business and event initiatives or incentives, including:
  • Consideration of train and retain business incentives
  • Greater emphasis on small-medium business support, growing entrepreneurship and innovation
  • Educational tips for grants, procurement, business growth and exports
  • Event volunteering and financial support
• Consideration of more refined timeframes for actions, KPI’s and accountable reporting framework, maintaining engagement with grass roots and chamber representatives.

Council Officers will consider the consultation findings to refine the final Whitsunday 2030: Economic Development Strategy, which will be adopted at a future Council meeting.

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Whitsunday Regional Council’s draft Whitsunday 2030 Economic Development Strategy, outlines a bold vision to grow a thriving, resilient, and diverse economy.

The draft Strategy includes 18 targeted actions across three focus areas:

• Strategic investment - attracting and facilitating investment to grow established industries and emerging sectors
• Business and employment growth - Workforce development, skills training, supply chain growth and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship
• Prosperous places - Enhancing the Whitsundays as the premier destination to visit, live and learn

Informed by extensive research, stakeholder consultation and data analysis, Whitsunday 2030 articulates Whitsunday Regional Council’s commitment to take the lead in building a prosperous future for the region.

Council is now seeking community feedback to shape the final strategy. We invite residents, businesses, and stakeholders to review the draft strategy, fact sheet overview and share their insights to help drive the Whitsundays forward.

Share your thoughts by visiting Council offices at upcoming consultation events, or have your say via the survey below. Upcoming consultation events include:

• Bowen Markets, Hansen Park – Sunday 13 April 2025 - 7am - 12pm
• Proserpine Freshfields Shopping Centre - Thursday 17 April 2025 - 12pm - 4:30pm
• Whitsunday Shopping Centre (Cannonvale) - Wednesday 30 April 2025 - 1pm - 5pm (event postponed from 24 April)