Q-SEED: Driving opportunity and economic growth in Townsville

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Susan: Now local jobs for local people is a major goal for most regional communities, that concept is behind a project called Q-SEED which is being launched later this week, Elisabeth Lette is the Director for ArcBlue in Queensland and the Northern Territory and is with me to tell us more about it, Good morning Lis

Lis: Good morning Susan.

Susan: So what’s the aim of this program?

Lis: Well Q-SEED, it’s stands for Queensland Social procurement, Employment and Economic Development, and it’s a project that’s about transforming Townsville together, by increasing local procurement opportunities.

Susan: Well Q-SEED is much easier to say than that!

Lis: It is a bit of a mouthful!

Susan: So at the moment it is for Townsville but there is potential that this could be rolled to other regions. So how do we get there and who’s involved?

Lis: OK so Q-SEED in Townsville, it’s led by procurement consultancy ArcBlue, together with local Townsville organisations which are CQ University and Smart Precincts North Queensland. The project has been going since 2023 and it’s already engaged over 200 local Townsville businesses, community and local Government organisations to develop a Regional Action Plan for Townsville, and this Thursday we’ll be launching the second stage of the program.

Susan: So why do we need programs like this in regional Queensland?

Lis: So what we do know is that Townsville has around $14billion incoming investment and infrastructure opportunities. And what the Q-SEED Program looks to do, is to leverage that incoming procurement to create job opportunities for local people, and in particular for local young people in Townsville by increasing local procurement.

Susan: Ok, so lots to explore and lots to learn as we move forward, Elisabeth Lette is the Director for ArcBlue in Queensland and the Northern Territory, sharing more about this Q-SEED Program. So often for small business and small operators, it can be a bit of a feeling of ‘what difference can I make’, can small business actually make a difference and get some of these contracts, is that possible?

Lis: Yes, absolutely it’s possible. And what we will look to do through the program, including starting with a procurement workshop at the launch event on Thursday, is actually show those businesses – on both the buyer and the supplier side, how to break down and ‘demystify’ procurement and tender processes so that they can increase the opportunity for local participation.

Susan: And this particular panel and workshop is happening in North Queensland as you’ve mentioned, but I understand this model is essentially a pilot for other regions too. How can those people in those other Queensland regions stay across this to see how it progresses?

Lis: So absolutely, Q-SEED in Townsville is the first time the program has been introduced in a regional Queensland location but it’s actually based on the tried and tested successful program that ArcBlue has implemented in other parts of the country, including regional Victoria and New South Wales. So in Queensland, whilst we are commencing the program in Townsville, it has been designed with scaling and regional rollout in mind, and this is able to be done because it’s built on the principles of local collaboration, local co-design and local empowerment so the program can absolutely be replicated in other parts of the state. For anyone that’s wanting to follow the program they’re most welcome to register for the launch event on Thursday and even if they’re not able to attend in person, what they can do is register their details and keep them abreast and add them to our stakeholder mailing list.

Susan: Elisabeth Lette, the ArcBlue Director for Queensland and Northern Territory, thanks so much for your time this morning.

Lis: Great, thank you Susan, have a good day.

Susan: And to you too. You are on ABC Radio Queensland and on the ABC Listen app, good morning.