The Sunshine Coast Council’s corporate vision for a region that is healthy, smart and creative, acknowledges that creativity broadens our perspective, helps us to explore ideas to find solutions and to build resilience.

The aspirational vision defines creative regions as those regions while not exclusively driven by the arts, are those that acknowledge the arts as integral to creative achievement - alongside science, research, education, design and invention.

In fact, a vibrant and diverse arts and cultural ecology is an important contribution to the liveliness and vitality of the places we call home. Arts and culture contribute directly to the “sense of place” which attracts both residents and investors. These attributes determine the attractiveness of a city or region as a place in which to work, live, invest and raise a family.

The Refinery is a creative incubator designed to transform ideas into sustainable businesses. A testing ground and training platform, The Refinery connects the dots between creativity and business, with access to mentors and a network of inspiring industry leaders sharing real time knowledge.

Participants get mentoring from leading industry professionals, provide support to each other via a digital platform and gain access to online learning modules which cover the fundamentals of turning an idea into impact.

The Sunshine Coast’s economy continues to evolve into a modern, ‘smart’ economy based on sound growth across numerous high valued and knowledge-based sectors including professional business services, innovative manufacturing and numerous high-tech start-ups.

The strength of the regional economy is based in its diversity and strength across a number of key sectors including healthcare, education, finance and professional business services.

The Sunshine Coast is home to industry disruptors like Youi, Huddle, Gourmet Garden, Country Chef, Ambrose Building, Auto & General, Get Wines Direct and Office HQ.
Businesses tap into an inspired workforce of more than 83,000 students across University of Sunshine Coast, two TAFE campuses and more than 150 registered training organisations

Businesses tap into an inspired workforce of more than 83,000 students across University of Sunshine Coast, two TAFE campuses and more than 150 registered training organisations.

The University of the Sunshine Coast is a public university based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. After opening with 524 students in 1996 as the Sunshine Coast University College, it was later renamed the University of the Sunshine Coast in 1999.

The Sunshine Coast is home to industry disruptors like Youi, Huddle, Gourmet Garden, Country Chef, Ambrose Building, Auto & General, Get Wines Direct and Office HQ.

Agribusiness – focusing on niche food and beverage product and value-adding production – which has a strong foundation in the region and is a key part of the economic future of the hinterland communities. This sector will expand in response to burgeoning national and global demand a clean and safe food supply.

The Sunshine Coast University Hospital will provide leading-edge research facilities and professional services and provide an attractant for allied professional services to co-locate in the region. The facilities and services offered via SCUH and the broader Oceanside Kawana Health Precinct will enable the region to respond to both domestic and global demand for health and well-being services, particularly in the area of chronic disease prevention.

The specialist research capabilities of SCUH will further assist the region in establishing an international reputation and alliances and deliver careers and services not presently available.

Is Australia’s housing crisis self-inflicted? If so, then we need a series of reforms to reverse it
The best long-term solution to the structural problems of the rental crisis is to build more public and/or affordable housing.

Make renting more Sustainable. Increase rent assistance or look at rental caps, similar to countries in Europe and some US states, long term tenancy agreements with incentives for all parties to the agreement.

Build to Rent
The Build to Rent property sector is growing in Australia – this new class of housing is focused on providing high quality purpose designed and built rental stock, creating an additional housing choice for Australian renters with greater security and service.

Build to Rent developments are typically owned by institutional investors for the long term and the owner could be the developer/ongoing building manager. The format provides tenants with the flexibility of renting with the security of home ownership.

Build-to-Rent developments are usually large-scale residential properties specifically designed, built and managed for long-term ownership and rental.

Social Housing
In the 40 years between 1981 and 2021 the percentage of all Australian households living in social housing (i.e. state owned and managed public housing or community managed housing) has ranged from 4.9 per cent in 1981 to 3.8 per cent in 2021. Such a drop in the proportion of social housing raises the question of has Australia achieved the balance right, and also just what is the right level of social housing for Australia?

In 2018 Statistics Canada said 628,700 Canadian households, more than one in ten renter households nationally (13.5% of 4,652,500), were living in social and affordable housing.
In New Zealand, as of 30 June 2021, there were 74,337 public housing households. This equates to 4.0% of households living in social housing.

In England (in 2018) 17% of households (3.9 million) lived in social housing, while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development publishes that 1.2 million households live in public housing, which is 0.98 per cent of all housing.

Located on the Sunshine Coast, the Innovation Centre assists innovative and ambitious businesses at every stage across all industries. Typically, Innovation Centre members are looking to either launch a new venture or scale an existing venture in the mid to short term. Members join the Innovation Centre to access programs, training, mentoring and tailored advice aligned with their strategic needs.

The Sunshine Coast has all of the key ingredients required to support an innovative and thriving tech industry. These include game-changing infrastructure, a supportive business and investor community, local government committed to innovation, talent and education pathways. This, coupled with the region’s enviable lifestyle, is seeing the Sunshine Coast emerge as a future tech hub and offers myriad opportunities for the tech industry as well as tech-enabled business.

The newly formed Sunshine Coast Tech Industry Alliance (SCTechIA) will focus on priorities that build industry capacity; drive local tech jobs; encourage member collaboration to compete nationally and internationally, and provide a united voice for the tech industry in the region.

The Sunshine Coast is officially the ‘Most Loved Destination in the World’ according to the Tourism Index Sentiment, with travellers from across the globe following their hearts to our slice of Queensland paradise.

Our landscape is pretty special too and is as diverse as the experiences and people who call it home. Here you can be barefoot on the beach one minute and hiking the ancient peaks of the Glass House Mountains the next, sampling farm-fresh local produce and immersing yourself in verdant rainforest along the way.

We are nestled in nature and green at heart, with a commitment to living sustainably with nature.

Clean technologies – in which the region is gaining a national reputation and which will expand in response to forecast national and global demand for technologies and solutions that avoid, reduce or remediate environmental impacts.

Queensland’s beautiful coastline and world-class marine environments are the envy of the world, and among our state’s leading tourism attractions. These advantages, along with our skilled workforce and excellent marine infrastructure, make us a prime location for superyacht activity.
The Queensland Superyacht Strategy ( 15.3 MB) sets out our support for growing this high-value industry under five priority action areas:
• Supportive policy environment
• Infrastructure for growth
• Promoting Queensland as a global superyacht destination
• Strengthening supply chains
• Promoting superyacht visits for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Superyacht Strategy has been extended by five years (the first edition was from 2018-2023) with the addition of the fifth priority noted above.
The strategy envisions that by 2028, Queensland share of the Australian superyacht sector will have grown to 90% and Queensland will be world recognised as a major superyacht hub in the Asia-Pacific region. This growth is expected to create thousands of new highly skilled jobs across the state and contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to our state’s economy.

Superior Training Centre’s aim is to promote careers in electrical, air conditioning-refrigeration, and metal fabrication developing skilled workers throughout NSW and Australia. STC is an education provider started by tradies and taught by tradies so you get quality training & support. Our qualifications are part of the requirements for you to apply to become a licensed electrician, licensed air conditioning refrigeration, and licensed metal fabricator. We cater for, Apprentices, Fee for Service and International Students, Groups, and Corporate training.

Our facilities have been designed to meet the industry’s skill requirements and demands. By providing a hands-on learning experience and exposure to real-life scenarios, we ensure that highly motivated individuals gain the competencies they need to become fully qualified tradespeople.

We provide the time to ensure that the training provided at Superior Training Centre promotes active participation/interaction between learners and staff. This ensures that the training provided at STC meets the expectations of the industry which results in better tradesmen upon completion of their course opening pathways to employment and further education.

Traditionally known as the Birrarung, meaning 'rivers of mist', the river was once rich with fish, eels and birds' eggs, making it a popular meeting point for Aboriginal people. Red gum trees on the banks of the Birrarung were used to build canoes, allowing men to fish and travel down the river.

Making the Birrarung swimmable again is so much more than just swimming. We need to reorient our city to recognise our main waterway, as a living entity, as a place inextricably linked to health and biodiversity.

Swinburne University of Technology is a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1908 as the Eastern Suburbs Technical College by George Swinburne to serve those without access to further education in Melbourne's eastern suburbs,

The Tasmanian Council of Social Service (TasCOSS) is the peak body for the community services industry in Tasmania. We advocate to challenge and change the systems, behaviours and attitudes that create poverty, inequality and exclusion, to ensure all Tasmanians have the same opportunity to live a good life.

Tasmania is a dynamic place to do business. It is an island of entrepreneurs, with 97% of the business population made up of small businesses.

Tasmanians have a culture of solving problems and inventing new solutions, in everything from mining equipment to simulations. For decades, we have been applying these solutions to the defence industry where craft, precision, safety, strength, and sophistication matter.

Tasmanians breathe some of the world’s cleanest air. We enjoy rainwater of exceptional purity and our soils are unusually rich and fertile. Tasmanians focus on quality – on growing and producing delicious food and beverages, and creating super fine wool.

Tasmania, a group of Australian islands washed by the unpolluted Southern Ocean, has won respect as a supplier of fine, safe food. More than a quarter of the total land area is committed to food production, while a 3,200km coastline is ideal for catching or growing excellent seafood.

Tasmanian forests are the ultimate renewable. The forestry sector is managed by strict environmental and sustainability principles and requirements. It carefully balances the preservation of this valuable natural resource while supporting an industry that provides wood and timber products globally.

Tasmania is among the most mineral-rich places on the planet. We can extract critical minerals for the future. We have smelters and processers powered by renewable energy and a culture that privileges hard work, new ideas, safety, technological innovation, and a commitment to environmental sustainability.

Tasmania’s manufacturing sector is globally competitive in food and beverage processing, smart technologies, forestry, maritime and defence.

The Manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Burnie on Tasmania’s north west coast is home to facilities, training spaces and equipment designed to develop workers’ and students’ skills in advanced manufacturing.

The maritime precinct near Hobart is home to a number of globally competitive shipbuilders and product manufacturers.
In the northwest is one of the country’s most significant heavy vehicle manufacturing clusters. Vehicles manufactured here are generally highly specialised products for the global underground, surface mining and rail maintenance industries.

Hobart is also Australia’s Antarctic Gateway to the great frozen continent in the south. Tasmania has strong manufacturing services and research and policy capability in Antarctic related activities. Hobart Port has a dedicated Antarctic and cruise terminal and houses the Australian Antarctic Division’s world class Cargo and Biosecurity Centre. The state is a leader in skills and research development in remote and extreme environment health care.

The move to a circular economy can only happen if governments, businesses and industry, and the wider community work together. Everyone can make a difference on this path to sustainability.

This vision is one that is based on all products and materials having value for reuse, repair, refurbishment and recycling. Working together, we can embrace a circular economy that achieves zero waste outcomes. Transformational changes will design out waste, keep products and materials in circulation and build regenerative systems.

The need for aggressive climate action is clear and compelling. While confronting, this is a challenge that we must embrace with a sense of hope rather than despair. Tasmania, with its negative emissions profile and renewable energy assets, can be an example to the world on climate action, but much more does need to be done.

Tasmania has an impressive record on climate action� In 2015, we were the first Australian jurisdiction to achieve net zero emissions and we have achieved this commitment four years in a row.

The latest figures show we have the lowest emissions per person in the country.

Our State is now 100 per cent self- sufficient in renewable energy and continues to lead Australia’s transition to a low emissions economy. This includes a commitment to generate 200 per cent of our energy needs from renewable energy by 2040, and fast-tracking a renewable hydrogen industry in Tasmania.

Tasmania is also fortunate to have world-class climate science capability and detailed climate change projections to inform our decisions.
Despite our strong advantages, Tasmania is not immune to the impacts of a changing climate. In the past five years we have seen extreme flooding, fires, drought, biosecurity concerns and marine heatwaves� These events have had an environmental, economic and social impact on government, business, communities and households.

Culture and creativity are part of our Tasmanian story – it’s who we are and what we do and why we do it. It touches every facet of our lives.

Tasmanian culture is our most treasured asset, which no other people and no other place can replicate. It is the source of our pride, our regret, our mutual understanding, and our most honest and reliable engine of growth. Our culture is an expression of who we are, what it feels like to be Tasmanian.

Tasmanians express it to each other and tell our 60,000 year-old stories to visitors and to the world. We feel it in our museums, galleries, natural environment and historic places. We hear it and read it and watch it, play with it, wear it, bring it into our homes, taste it, and, most importantly, we share it.