Rockhampton Hosts successful Developing Northern Australia Conference

Published on 27 November 2020

advance_rockhampton-heritage-building-post-office

Rockhampton has further cemented its reputation as the Gateway to Northern Australia this week after being the host city to this year’s Developing Northern Australia Conference.

The city welcomed 300 delegates from across the country and 200 virtual attendees for the three day conference which focused on the challenges, opportunities and progress of new infrastructure, indigenous entrepreneurship, trade and investment and research and innovation.

Acting Mayor Neil Fisher said the conference gave the Rockhampton Region a unique opportunity to showcase its strengths and untapped potential that can contribute to building a strong Northern Australia.  

“Council has been actively involved in advancing the northern regions since its inception and has attended past DNA events for six years,” Acting Mayor Fisher said.

“There are so many opportunities for the local government areas of Northern Australia to work together and I was pleased to see such a strong attendance at this year’s conference, with people coming to Rockhampton from all parts of Northern Australia. It really goes to show that there is strong interest in Rockhampton’s offering.

Advance Rockhampton’s Executive Manager, Mr Greg Bowden, said a positive benefit in hosting the DNA Conference was brainstorming with economic leaders about our own opportunities.

“As the gateway to Northern Australia, this conference has been a great opportunity to collaborate with key stakeholders across a diverse range of industry players, local Government and other Government entities,” Mr Bowden said.

“Advance Rockhampton looks forward to continued discussion on the Northern Australia agenda and how Rockhampton Region can play a part.”

While visiting the region, delegates toured a range of local sites including the CQ Livestock Exchange, CQUniversity, SMW Group’s industrial facility and the Fitzroy River to get a feel for the Region’s diverse investment and growth opportunities.

ENDS