Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk keeps Office of the Chief Entrepreneur open

Annastacia Palaszczuk has intervened to keep the Office of the Chief Entrepreneur open just hours after its shock closure was announced.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has intervened to keep the Office of the Chief Entrepreneur open just hours after the government revealed it would be closed.

The Courier-Mail revealed on Thursday Innovation Minister Stirling Hinchliffe was set to close the office in favour of a bureaucrat-heavy advisory council working under in the Advance Queensland department.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will keep the Office of the Chief Entrepreneur open. Picture: Dan Peled

However, Ms Palaszczuk revealed the position of chief entrepreneur would remain “to work hand-in-hand with the support of a new Advisory Council”.

“Supporting business and new investment is a key part of Queensland’s plan for economic recovery,” she said.

“If someone has a good idea that could generate jobs, of course we should support them.

“We’ve seen terrific innovations here in Queensland as we needed to change how things were done during the pandemic.”

Ms Palaszczuk said Queensland had a “strong need for the Chief Entrepreneur” and said

recruitment was underway.

A backtracking Mr Hinchliffe said the new Advisory Council would support the Chief Entrepreneur.

“It will maximise the help available to start-ups and scale-ups to open doors to the expertise and networks they need to succeed in the new economy,” he said.

Ms Palaszczuk launched the chief entrepreneur’s office in 2016 – initially on a $1.5 million, two-year contract – to “help Queensland attract more venture capital and turn ideas into businesses and jobs”.

Queensland’s most recent Chief Entrepreneur Leanne Kemp said keeping the honorary role would ensure regional and indigenous communities were engaged and recognised.

She questioned the benefit of the advisory council, describing it as “same people championing for the seats at the table”.

On Wednesday Mr Hinchliffe said staff from the Office of the Chief Entrepreneur would shift to support the advisory council, however, it is understood some staff have already been told their contracts will not be renewed.

This week’s temporary decision to ditch the chief entrepreneur role drew widespread criticism across Queensland’s innovation sector.

Advance Queensland is the government’s $755 million program to drive innovation and raise the state’s profile as an investment destination.

Mr Hinchliffe said the Advance Queensland program had supported more than 25,000 jobs – with the program continuing to guide innovators through a network of hubs in Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton and Toowoomba.

Inaugural chief entrepreneur Mark Sowerby’s stint was followed by that of well-known investor and Shark Tank presenter Steve Baxter.