Almost 100 people attended CHDC's Economic Futures Forum, which was held in Emerald on 11 March.

The business breakfast touched on comparative data, forecasting and economic updates to support local businesses to make informed decisions in future planning that is sustainable and viable.

Guest speakers included:

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner
Scott Parry, Westpac State General Manager of SME Banking
Annette Smith, Regional Manager of Acumentis Group (the new face of LMW and Taylor Byrne Valuers) based in Emerald.
Michael Anthonisz, Director of Economic and Market Research at the Queensland Treasury Corporation.
4T Consultants Director Bronwyn Reid
Clinton Adams, Managing Director of local real estate company Clinton Adams and Co.
CHDC Business Investment and Attraction Manager Peter Dowling
CHDC Agribusiness Development Coordinator Liz Alexander

Key points raised by the guest speakers:

The agriculture sector in the Central Highlands is incredibly strong, topping $1bn in FY18-19.
The cooperative research between the Dept of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Cotton Research and Development Corporation has increased yields and doubled the value in the region.
Although there are signs of investment turnaround, confidence in the market is still cautious.
There are strong headwinds economically and financially ahead for 2020, however 2021 holds an optimistic view.
India is now positioned as an equal to China for metallurgical coal exports from Australia.
Trust in government, institutions and corporations is still concerning.

Some presentation slides can be viewed in the grey sidebar to the right.

Watch a few snippets and see a few photos from the Economic Futures Forum:

Watch Kirsty Appleton from the Local Buying Foundation, Platinum Partner of CHDC's Economic Futures Forum, give her takeaways from the event:

Watch Adrienne McCauley from WorkPac, Trade Partner of CHDC's Economic Futures Forum, discuss her highlights from the event:

THANK YOU:

Platinum Partner

Trade Partner