Editorial: Qld Chief Entrepreneur axing flies in face of Smart State

Somewhere along the way innovation has become a dirty word in the Queensland Government, and the state will be poorer for it.

Governments are frequently guilty of having short attention spans when it comes to tackling long-term problems.

When public interest subsides, the number of controversies grow and the decisions get tough, and governments generally like to move on to more popular areas of policy in the never-ending pursuit of votes.

That’s certainly been the case with the current State Labor Government and its so-called “Advance Queensland” agenda.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk used to lead the charge when it came to the innovation sector, happily spruiking the success of new start-up ventures, announcing an array of different sector strategies and unveiling hand-out schemes.

Yet at some stage innovation became almost a dirty word within the Labor administration, and Ms Palaszczuk withdrew from pitching the sector as one of the hallmarks of her premiership.

The sector barely rates a mention in the latest incarnation of the Labor ministry.

It’s been jammed between the tourism and sport titles of Stirling Hinchliffe.

Then premier Peter Beattie with a Smart State number plate in 2002.

And Mr Hinchliffe’s official Ministerial Charter Letter illustrates just how much the government’s zeal for the innovation sector has waned with just a few dot points about how he needs to support/deliver/continue with programs already under way.

However, perhaps the greatest sign yet that the Government’s love affair with innovation is over is news that it has quietly dumped the role of chief entrepreneur.

While there’s always questions over the merits of such quasi-public service roles, the three people chosen to fill the autonomous chief entrepreneur position since its creation in 2016 showed the government was keenly interested in listening to the industry in order to grow the sector and create jobs.

Mark Sowerby, Steve Baxter and Leanne Kemp are all well-respected industry leaders in innovation who volunteered their time because they were committed to growing the Queensland sector.

The government’s decision to downgrade the role to a bureaucratic advisory council is a shame.

Not only does it send the signal that Queensland isn’t all that interested in the innovation sector any longer, it also shows that the Government isn’t keen on hearing new ideas either.

If correct, that’s not a good outcome for Queensland as the state attempts to claw its way back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The role has now been jammed into minister Stirling Hinchliffe’s portfolios.

The Sunshine State is certainly performing well when it comes to job creation compared to other states who were slower to emerge from restrictions.

Official figures show Queensland has more jobs now than when the pandemic first started.

However, our challenge is to keep pace with the rapid growth in workforce participation that has occurred.

On this front we are failing with the highest unemployment in the nation.

Ditching the chief entrepreneur role is terribly shortsighted given the pandemic showed there’s a need to further diversify the Queensland economy, improve local supply chains and grow the manufacturing sector.

Innovation isn’t about just building game apps for smartphones.

It’s about finding smart solutions to modern challenges and will be crucial if Queensland is going to be able to find ways to turn our wealth of raw materials into finished products and develop more successful manufacturers.

Former premier Peter Beattie may have bastardised his Smart State mantra on occasions, but his belief in the founding principles of the agenda never waned.

Ms Palaszczuk should take a leaf out of Mr Beattie’s book and revive her Government’s interest in innovation.

She could start by appointing another chief entrepreneur.