$120m investment keeps Bundaberg Brewed Drinks in hometown

The family behind the famous Bundaberg Brewed Drinks has launched a government-backed $120m super brewery that will ensure the much-loved brand remains in its hometown for decades to come.

It’s been a big week for Bundaberg Brewed Drinks with the family-owned company opening its multimillion-dollar master brewery that will ensure the much-loved brand remains in its regional hometown for decades to come.

Located at Kay McDuff Drive in Bundaberg’s south, the 22,000sq m facility is more than triple the footprint of the company’s existing brewery and has been designed to enable future expansion without impacting operations.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was a special guest at the unveiling of the state-of-the-art brewery, which cost more than $120 million including a $19 million grant from the Australian Government. The brewery supported almost 900 jobs during delivery and will further benefit local employment by helping keep production in Bundaberg.

Bundaberg Brewed Drinks chief executive John McLean says the launch was a landmark moment for the family-owned company that was founded in 1968.

“The brewery means production of Bundaberg Brewed Drinks will remain in the town where our journey began and continue to benefit local suppliers, farmers and other direct and indirect partners,” he says. McLean says the opening is just phase one of the development, with multiple further phases to be rolled out as needed, reinforcing our commitment to investing in global infrastructure to meet customer demand long into the future.

Anthony Albanese cuts the ribbon to open the new super brewery along with Bundaberg Brewed Drinks founder Cliff Fleming.

Kicking high

Australian rugby may be in the doldrums, but former Queensland Rugby chief executive Stephen Thornton is flying high in business. His technology company, Voltin this week won the Industry 4.0 Award at the InnovationAus 2023 Awards for Excellence in Sydney. The company recently celebrated its third anniversary and is a hot favourite for a global award at next week’s 2023 Design and Engineering Awards in London – also a feather in the cap for Trade & Investment Queensland (TIQ) and the Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas program which supported Voltin’s market entry. Voltin’s ground breaking automated building inspection and defect analysis system that can detect more than 50 types of building defects ranging from water penetration and thermal

losses to cracks, corrosion, and paint peeling. Strategic partnerships with specialist global building consultancy, Sedgwick, and global real estate management organisation, International Real Estate Partners (IREP), are extending Voltin’s footprint to over 80 international markets – with strong interest coming from India at present.

Stephen Thornton

Sleeping on it

More than 50 property and construction types came together last week for the Property Industry Foundation’s inaugural Backseat SleepOut to support thousands of young Queenslanders experiencing or at risk of homelessness. During the event, the foundation announced its next housing project – Haven House Kingaroy – the second of its kind to be built in Southeast Queensland in less than three months and fourth project in 12 months. The latest census data reports the highest rates of homelessness per 10,000 people in 2021 were for those in the aged 19 to 24. Property Industry Foundation Queensland manager Antoinette Rusby-Perera, who participated in the Backseat SleepOut, said the event was a successful yet eye-opening event. “Thousands of young Queenslanders don’t have a safe or stable home and are forced to couch surf, sleep in cars or on the street, so it was inspiring to see the industry come together overnight to support the homeless youth crisis,” Rusby-Perera says.