QUEENSLAND

According to Queensland's Office of Economic and Statistical Research the estimated population of the state at the end of 2007 was 4,228,290 which is almost 20% of Australia's total. Queensland is also the fastest growing state in Australia, with over 1,500 people moving to the state per week; 1,000 in the southern part of the state alone. Predictions show that Queensland will become Australia's second most populous state by the late 2020s. A smaller proportion of Queensland's population lives in the capital city than any other mainland state. As of June 2004 the capital city represented 45.7% of the population; for the whole country, capital cities represented 63.8% of the total population.

Latest thinking is the SE Corner of the State is under too much population strain and to overcome these pressures, State Government is looking north to expand the regional centres such as Townsville and Cairns as cities which operate more like mini capitals. Initiatives such as moving State Government departments to these centres are currently being reviewed. This will mean a greater focus on attracting skills to the northern end of the State. RHA Search takes a regional view of Queensland and are already working with business outside of the SE Corner and will continue to do so as the regions grow in economic strength. 

Economy

Main articles : “Queensland Economy” and “ Australian Economy”

Queensland's economy has enjoyed a boom in the tourism and mining industries over the past 20 years. A sizable influx of interstate and overseas migrants, large amounts of federal government investment, increased mining of vast mineral deposits and an expanding aerospace sector have contributed to the state's economic growth. The 2008-09 saw the expansion slow to just 0.8% , the state's worst performance in 18 years. 2009 and 2010 is expected to be buoyed by world wide mining investment and significant growth in the housing sectors.

In late 2005 Brisbane was the third most expensive capital for housing after Sydney and Canberra and just ahead of Melbourne by $15,000. By 2008, Queensland had the least affordable housing of any state or territory. Primary industries include: bananas, pineapples, peanuts, a wide variety of other tropical and temperate fruit and vegetables, grain crops, wineries, cattle raising, cotton, sugar cane, wool and a mining industry including bauxite, coal, silver, lead, zinc, gold, and coppers . Secondary industries are mostly further processing of the above-mentioned primary produce. For example, bauxite is shipped by sea from Weipa and converted to alumina at Gladstone.  There is also copper refining and the refining of sugar cane to sugar at a number of mills along the eastern coastline. Major tertiary industries are the retail trade and tourism.

 RHA Search experience and focus across industry means that we have the knowledge to help a large range of Queensland clients no matter what industry they are in.

Regions

Greater Brisbane 

Greater Brisbane region includes the capital Brisbane and the satellite councils of Ipswich to the west, Logan to the South and Redcliffe to the North. Brisbane has an estimated population of approximately 2 million, along with three satellite population registering a bit over a million; it is the third biggest capital in Australia by Population.

Brisbane's economy has both white and blue collar industries. White-collar industries include information technology, financial services, higher education and public sector administration generally concentrated in and around the CBD as  well as a recent expansion of established office and commercial buildings in the inner suburbs. Blue-collar industries, including petroleum refining, stevedoring, paper milling, metalworking and Queensland Rail workshops tend to be located on the lower reaches of the Brisbane River and in new industrial zones on the urban fringe. Tourism is an important part of the Brisbane economy, both in its own right and as a gateway to other areas of Queensland^.

Over the last ten years, the Queensland State Government has been developing technology and science industries in Queensland as a whole, and Brisbane in particular, as part of its "Smart State" initiative. The government has invested in several biotechnology and research facilities at several universities in Brisbane. A particular expertise of RHA Search has been in health, animal health, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors.

Brisbane is one of the major business hubs in Australia. Most major Australian companies, as well as numerous international companies, have contact offices in Brisbane, while numerous electronics businesses have distribution hubs in and around the city. DHL Global's Oceanic distribution warehouse is located in Brisbane, as is Asia Pacific Aerospace's headquarters. Home grown major companies include Suncorp Metway Limited, Flight Centre, Sunsuper, Orrcon, Credit Union Australia, Boeing Australia,  Donut King, Wotif.com, Webcentral, PIPE Networks, Krome Studios, NetBox Blue, Mincom Limited and Virgin Blue. RHA Seach has worked with a number of these companies as well as related and smaller firms which are flourishing as a result of this increase in companies with Brisbane based head office locations.

Darling Downs / West Moreton

This region west of Brisbane includes major regional towns such as Dalby, Gatton, Goondiwindi, Stanthorpe, Toowoomba and Warwick. Traditionally a primary industries hub, the region is home to an emerging wine industry and the oil, gas and coal reserves. Education, tourism and commerce are also contributors to the economic base. Toowoomba is home to the University of Southern Queensland, a leading distance education facility which has a strong brand name in this sector both nationally and internationally.

In 2009-10 the State Government has pledged an $18 billion building infrastructure program to stimulate growth and protect jobs. Key building projects include a number of significant dam and correctional facility upgrades. RHA Search has expertise in rectruiting key skills in infrastructure, agriculture and resource industries.

Moreton (Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast)

The area is popularly regarded as being part of South East Queensland and are located south and north of Brisbane. They are two of Queensland's most popular tourist regions, containing many hotels and resorts.

Each region has an airport servicing domestic travel and Gold Coast supports international air travel. The region has approximately 900,000 residents representing 21.0% of Queensland's population. High numbers of retirees means the income to house value is quite low. This effectively  makes these two regions the most unaffordable in the country and almost comparable to New York city however most retirees have sunk the majority of their wealth into their houses distorting these figures. Commerce activities tend to centre around tourism, real estate, health and light industry. A large part of real estate development is also focussed on the retirement market. RHA Search has worked extesnively in health, retail, education and property, the major economic areas of activity in this region.

Far North Queensland

This region is home to regional centres of Atherton, Cairns, Cooktown, Georgetown, Mareeba and Weipa and the main economic base is tourism, agriculture and mining of sand and bauxite. This region is renown world wide for its stunning scenery, high biodiversity and access to the Great Barrier reef. It is recognised that the sensitivity of this important environment makes the management of this region particularly sensitive as it's two main employers and income producers, agriculture and tourism often compete in terms of resource use.

The population is expected to grow by 100,000 over the next twenty years as sea changers and tree changers from across Australia and indeed overseas  look to the North for a more relaxed lifestyle. This also produces added pressure on the land use but presents exciting opportunities for this region.

According to Queensland government information, there are over 14,000 businesses in the region, with the agriculture, forestry and fishing, retail trade, property and business services and construction industries accounting for over 50 per cent of businesses. Other major employers include hospitality, transport and storage, and health and community services. Cairns is also home to the James Cook University, a leading tertiary university based in and focussed on the tropics.  

Cairns is also emerging as a service centre for PNG with the high cost of living in this developing nation seeing companies base their staff in Cairns as a fly in and fly out centre. This of course leads to numerous opportunities for a range of service industries and RHA Search have established a presence in Cairns to be part of this exciting business hub.

Fitzroy

The Fitzroy region contains the major centres of Rockhampton, Gladstone, Emerald and Yeppoon, the coastal areas of Agnes Waters and 1770 and the hinterland areas further west. The region's economy is heavily dominated by coal mining and cattle grazing and a major aluminium smelter is located in Gladstone. The region has a population of 187,961 people.

 A region with enormous economic clout and importance on both the Australian and international stage,  the agricultural and mining statistics are staggering. At Rockhampton , known as the  beef  capital of Australia, the Gracemere saleyards have an average throughput of 135,000 head annually with sales reaching in excess of $85 millions dollars per annum. Fitzroy region's  major generating facilities including Stanwell, Gladstone and Callide power stations produce the majority of the State's power. The newest and technically most advanced powerhouse at Stanwell is a major exporter of power station technology. RHA's extensive experience in agriculture and resources makes us well placed to service this region.

Whitsundays

This region is centred on the coast city of Mackay and extends some 300km inland. It contains the Whitsunday Island group and the coastal towns of Proserpine, Bowen and Sarina. The Coastal areas are covered with sugar cane farms and the inland has several mining communities. Mackay is also one of Australia's biggest coal exporters as it  is close to Queensland's major mine, Dalrymple Bay.

Whitsundays is one of the highest producing income regions in the state. With over 700,000 visitors to the region each year,  powerful sugar and cattle industries as well as concentration of mines in the Bowen basin, it has also home to a burgeoning real estate industry with many coastal properties sky rocketing over the last several years. An area which will continue to grow in importance to the State economy and one which RHA Search is positioned to provide executive search strategies for, across a range of industries.

North Queensland

This region is centred around Townsville, the location of a major seaport which handles exports from Mt Isa and cattle exports from coastal and inland areas. The region also contains a bulk sugar exporting terminal at Lucinda in the region's north and the coast towns of Ayr, Home Hill and Ingham which sit in the middle of extensive sugar cane operations. To the west is Charter Towers a rural centre for a large cattle community.

Townsville is considered the administrative and commercial centre of Northern Queensland and its proximity to the PNG mining boom will provide business opportunities over the forth coming years. State Government is reviewing the idea of making Townsville a northern capital and relocating government departments here in order to relieve population and infrastructure pressures in the South-east.

The regional economy is credited as being the most diverse in Australia. Tourism has of late helped in the city's expansion. Its traditional role however as an industrial port,  for exporting minerals from Mt Isa and Cloncurry,  beef and wool from its western plains as well as sugar and timber from the coastal regions continue to influence corporate growth strategies.

The city also has its own manufacturing and processing industries and it is the only city globally to refine three different base metals Zinc, Copper and Nickel, sourced not only in Queensland but from Indonesia, the Philippines and New Caledonia. Townsville has several large public assets due to its location and population. These include the largest  James Cook University campus, the CSIRO Davies Laboratory, the Australian Institute of Marine Science headquarters, the Great Barrier Reef Marine park Authority and the large army base at Lavrack Baracks and the RAAF Base Townsville.

West Queensland

Incorporating South West, Central and North West Queensland, these sparsely populated regions have a majority of their income based in agriculture and mining. 

Serviced by a number of small towns, the population is less than 70,000 but the land mass is bigger than most countries. Services are limited and most things are delivered by air including health, post and of course education facilities through the School of the air.

Wide Bay Burnett

This region is located north of the Sunshine Coast and major centres are Bundaberg, Gympie, Hervey Bay and Maryborough.

The area is rich in sugar cane farms and mills and has a significant tourism industry backed by the proximity of Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. The regions population at the end of 2009 was 276,752. Commerce is also supported by light industry and other agricultural outputs including cattle and orchards and an emerging wine industry in the South Burnett. 

PNG

PNG our closest neighbor geographically, has the closest relationship with Australia over any other country and the  two countries continue to develop ties politically and economically.

PNG has a dual economy comprising a formal, corporate-based sector and a large informal sector where subsistence farming accounts for the bulk of economic activity. The formal sector provides a narrow employment base, consisting of workers engaged in mineral production, a relatively small manufacturing sector, public sector employees and service industries including finance, construction, transportation and utilities. The bulk of the population is engaged in the informal sector.

In comparison to other Pacific island countries, PNG is in a reasonably strong economic position, with the savings it accrued during the commodity boom now acting as a fiscal buffer against the Global Economic Crisis (GEC), and its financial sector relatively sheltered from the impact of the global credit crunch. Significant activity in the oil and gas sector has continued to buoy the country’s future. Much of this international investment is still been driven off shore – due to volatile nature of the country’s living conditions and the need to attract highly skilled staff in this area. As a result Queensland and in particular Cairns is proving to be an important centre for the support of ongoing development in PNG. This means growth in a number of sectors from infrastructure, air travel, supply shipping and administrative function in Northern Queensland in support of oil and gas and mineral field development. RHA Search understands the issues facing companies in attracting staff to this exciting region whether  based in Queensland or PNG itself.