Jobs boom creating opportunities close to home

Ipswich’s accelerating jobs boom is sending a clear signal to investors: this is a city where business confidence is translating into real economic growth.

Over the past five years, our city has added more than 17,000 local jobs, reaching almost 100,000 jobs across Ipswich and surpassing council’s 2027 target ahead of schedule.

This growth reflects the confidence businesses have in our city and the strength of our local economy. For residents, more local jobs mean more opportunities to build rewarding careers closer to home.

For businesses, it means access to a growing workforce, a larger customer base and a city that is attracting significant investment.

That investment can be seen right across Ipswich, from major projects such as the proposed Hilton Garden Inn in Ipswich Central and Australia’s first new steel mill in 30 years, Future Forgeworks, to expansions in logistics, manufacturing, retail and hospitality. 

We now have almost 14,000 registered businesses operating across the city, highlighting the entrepreneurial spirit that continues to drive our growth.

Just as importantly, this economic success supports the lifestyle that makes Ipswich such a great place to call home.

As Queensland’s fastest-growing city, Ipswich has enormous potential, and your council remains committed to working with the business community to ensure that growth translates into long-term prosperity, investment and opportunity for all.

For more about how our city’s economy is performing, view the Ipswich City Council Office of Economic Development Report Card 2025-2026 here.

Nominate a local legend

Nominations are currently open for the 2027 Ipswich Australia Day Awards.

This is a great opportunity to celebrate the people and groups who make our city a better place.

Each year, these awards shine a light on the individuals, volunteers and organisations who go above and beyond in areas such as community service, sport, culture, business, education and the environment. 

There are six award categories: Citizen of the Year, Senior Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Cultural Award, Sport and Recreation Award, and Community Group of the Year.

I encourage residents to take a moment to nominate someone they believe deserves recognition. Nominations close on 1 November, with finalists announced in December and winners celebrated in January.

For more information visit council’s website.

Digital leadership in focus

Recently, I joined with leaders from local government, industry and technology for a discussion about the role of digital leadership in shaping the South East Queensland region.

The event was hosted by the Committee for Brisbane and focused on how we move beyond digital strategies to deliver tangible solutions that improve the way people live, work and play.

I’m pleased to report Ipswich is already kicking goals in this area.

Over the past 12 months, council has been trialling the use of AI technology to better identify potholes on city roads. The trial involved the fitting of AI-equipped smart sensor cameras to Ipswich Waste Services garbage trucks which scan the road network to automatically detect potholes and map wear-and-tear on roads.

Over the first year, more than 9,500 potholes have been detected by this technology. Almost 2,800 of these potholes were considered serious enough to be escalated for repair, helping council identify and repair them before residents need to report them.

Since the system was introduced, pothole reports from the community have fallen 43 per cent. Standard pothole maintenance requests are down 42 per cent and urgent Priority 1 requests have dropped 51.4 per cent.

We were also able to identify other defects requiring attention including damaged signs, faded line markings, pavement problems and overhanging trees.

Council has also been exploring the use of digital technology to help with how local sports fields are maintained and recently rolled out new field irrigation systems designed to save money and water at 14 Ipswich parks.

The system uses real-time weather data to automatically adjust watering schedules based on weather conditions and turf requirements, only turning on the sprinklers when the fields need it.

If the fields have received the water they need, the system keeps the sprinklers off. This will result in healthier turf, as well as water and cost savings.

Just as previous generations invested in roads, water and transport networks, today we must invest in digital infrastructure as a critical foundation for our city’s future.