Peter Beattie says Smart State agenda has put Qld in ‘box seat’

It was an agenda that was vilified at the time, but former Queensland premier Peter Beattie says his government’s Smart State push has put Queensland ahead in the race to find a vaccine for coronavirus.

PETER Beattie says the Smart State agenda pursued by his Government has helped put Queensland in the “best possible box seat” to lead the world in finding a vaccine for coronavirus.

The former Queensland premier conceded the agenda was “vilified” at the time, but insisted governments needed to develop long term strategies for the future.

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“Too often we think about the next election or the next few weeks,” Mr Beattie said.

“We don’t think about what will happen ten years down the road.

“(Smart State has) now put Queensland in the best possible box seat to lead the world in finding a vaccine for the coronavirus.”

Former premier Peter Beattie with a “Smart State” number plate.

Mr Beattie described Smart State as a “game changer”, saying it worked to involve the “best brains we have in the world” to reach their full potential.

“While tourism is really important, mining is really important and agriculture is really important, we have to use science to keep value adding – particularly agriculture and mining,” he said.

“This most important thing we’ve got is brain power.

“You can commercial brain power and you can use that to develop jobs and opportunity.”

Mr Beattie said governments needed to keep investing in innovation, arguing that the commitment should be bipartisan.

“What this coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated is that investing in innovation is more important than ever before,” he said.

“The down side for it in politics is that you don’t see the results of it until years later.

“We’ve got to rise above the self-interest of politics.”