June: Mayor’s message to the business community
To each and every small business in Greater Springfield, thank you. Queensland
Small Business Month was a fantastic opportunity to showcase local enterprise, build
connections across business and government, and understand our traders’ needs.
Ipswich’s business leadership and innovation was on show as Hon Di Farmer MP,
Minister for Employment and Small Business and Training and Skills Development,
launched the month at Brookwater.
New Hospital for Springfield
The State Government announced last week that a new 174-bed public hospital will
be built in Springfield, creating more than 700 new jobs during the construction
phase. This is a fantastic first step in meeting our growing community’s healthcare
needs, with the new hospital to include an emergency department, intensive care
unit, maternity service and amongst other areas. The facility is expected to open in
2024, creating more than 1000 new frontline health jobs.
Council is committed to standing with the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce
and advocating for healthcare closer to home. The staff at West Moreton Health do a
fantastic job caring for our community, but they will require further support to cater
for the additional 325,000 residents set to join Ipswich by 2041. With many Ipswich
residents still travelling to Brisbane for treatment, a tertiary hospital would reduce the
pressure on health services across South-East Queensland. All eyes are now on the
2021/22 Queensland Budget for greater investment in Ipswich healthcare.
Fire Station 101 set for transformation
The home of the $5 million Queensland defence supply chain and logistics hub is
undergoing upgrades, with more workshops, education and networking sessions
ahead. It has been wonderful to hear the success stories from Fire Station 101’s five
years of operations, with many small to medium companies securing defence supply
chain, maintenance and logistics contracts. Council’s increasing emphasis on
broader business support shaped around feedback from local traders on the
networks and skills you need for continuing success.
Defence Hub activities will continue at Fire Station 101, with more business training
courses offered from Tuesday to Thursday each week. There will be content for both
early-stage and mature local businesses, covering topics such as marketing, ATO
help, accounting and growth. These changes will mean a change in membership
structure, and Council will keep existing members informed in the months ahead. For
more information, visit https://businessipswich.com.au/, and look out for updates on
how Council is collaborating with the city’s chambers of commerce to bring a number
of these events direct to you.
Local business procurement training sessions
We are launching local procurement training to assist small to medium businesses to
leverage Council funds. Since adopting the Buy Ipswich Procurement Policy, Council
has spent more than $19 million – or 19 per cent of our total spend – on locally
based suppliers. That’s a 41 per cent increase since June 2020. The procurement
training sessions will be delivered by Toni Raso, a local business owner with ten
years of experience as a bid strategist. For more information including session dates
and details visit https://www.gscc.com.au/.
Thank you to Neil, Leila and the team at Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce
for another successful pop-up stand during Queensland Small Business Month. The
Deputy Mayor and Chair of our Economic and Industry Development Committee,
Councillor Nicole Jonic, was impressed by the showcase and I understand that a
number of local businesses have received some fantastic referral opportunities from
the team’s hard work.
For any questions or feedback on how Council can best support your business
goals, please reach out to our Local Business and Investment team at
business@ipswich.qld.gov.au. Thank you again for a fantastic Queensland Small
Business Month and all the best for June!