Council wins Economic Development Award for Excellence

Published on 07 October 2016

Rockhampton Regional Council was last night announced as the winner for the Economic Development Award for Excellence in the Digital Entrepreneurs Category.

The award recognises Council’s Smart Way Forward Strategy initiatives to be amongst the most powerful in Australia when it comes to building Smart Cities.

Rockhampton Region Mayor Margaret Strelow said the acknowledgment comes at a crucial time after Council’s CBD Smart Technologies & Working Hub project was shortlisted for the State Government Building our Regions funding.

“We have received incredible support from both state and federal government MP’s to date and we hope this award puts us in the spotlight for the Building our Regions funding,” Mayor Strelow said.

“Council is 'fair dinkum' about implementing the 'Smart' agenda as laid out in this strategy and the various initiatives are already either in progress or in the budget.

“The project will fit out the Smart Hub at 212 Quay Street with the latest technology for high-tech business start-ups and it will transform the riverfront and city streets through smart technologies including free Wi-Fi, enhanced security, smart lighting, digital signage and parking sensors.”

Rockhampton was the only regional centre in the country named as a finalist for the initiative that will create an additional 225 jobs after construction, which is planned to begin in November this year.

Glentworth CEO Neil Makepeace, who has been working closely with Council on this project, said the successful win was testament to the tailored approach for Rockhampton Regional Council’s Smart Hub.

“The concept differs to others in Australia as its focus is on the regional context and the tuning of services to meet local demand. This goes far beyond simply replicating smart hubs operating elsewhere,” Mr Makepeace said.

“Congratulations from the Glentworth team to Rockhampton Regional Council for this success.”

This achievement also follows on from Rockhampton’s selection as the only regional centre host for the Federal Government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Roundtable in September.