Share your thoughts on the draft Mackay Region Economic Development Strategy

Council is developing the Mackay Region Economic Development Strategy 2025-2030, which will set a clear vision to guide the region’s economic growth over the next five years.

This strategy has been shaped through extensive consultation with stakeholders, government agencies, business networks and industry groups. Key representatives from sectors including mining, METS (Mining, Equipment, Technology and Services), agriculture, biomanufacturing, construction and tourism have contributed to its development.

The strategy identifies four key economic pillars:

• Advocacy and leadership: Improve investment outcomes for Mackay through consistent, coordinated and targeted advocacy and promotion of identity, and prioritisation of projects. This means establishing a clear framework and plan for advocacy, in partnership with industry, that will form the basis of advocacy to potential investors and State and Federal decisionmakers.
• An enabled economic environment: Establish an environment that enhances the growth opportunities for the natural resources and agriculture industries and ensures a long-term sustainable future for those industries. This means planning and advocating for enabling infrastructure and creating an environment that is conducive to attracting investment to enable these industries to continue to grow, to innovate, and transfer know-how to emerging industries.
• Workforce development: Develop workforce capability and capacity that will support growth in traditional and emerging industries. This priority has a strong focus on education and training, particularly in skills that are future-focused and transferrable across industries, as well as improving the attractiveness of Mackay for people to relocate to live and work.
• Precincts and property: Build the region through the optimisation of existing industrial hubs and activate growth precincts (industrial estates, PDAs and SDAs) to attract investment and industry proponents to these areas. The advancement of residential and short-term housing will also be fundamental in underpinning continued economic development.

Each economic pillar is supported by a range of initiatives and specific actions, designed to deliver tangible outcomes for the community.

Council invites you to provide your feedback below on the draft Mackay Region Economic Development Strategy 2025-2030.

To read the draft strategy, click here.

Consultation closes Sunday, August 10, 2025, at 11.59pm.