Industry innovation puts Moreton Bay on road to recovery

Published 12 February 2021

Even before the launch of Moreton Bay’s Regional Economic Development Strategy 2021-41 (REDS), the local economy was showing signs of rapid recovery thanks to the quick thinking of local businesses.

Mayor Peter Flannery said while consequences of COVID-19 are undeniable and “the game has changed”, Moreton Bay businesses are finding opportunity in the face of adversity.

“I’ve honestly been astounded by how nimble local businesses have been to respond to this ever-changing pandemic and seemingly stay one step ahead,” he said.

“The tech innovation coming out of Brendale, the agricultural investments around Caboolture and Samford, and the knowledge precinct USC’s building in Petrie in spite of this pandemic truly defy the global recession.

“It won’t all be smooth sailing, at times it will be tough and at times it will be uncertain.

“But in everything there is opportunity, and that’s what the REDS is all about.

“We are no longer operating on a ‘Business As Usual’ basis and we can look to industry leaders as evidence of the untapped potential here in our region.”

Packer Leather chairman Lindsay Packer said the secret to his company’s 130 years of success was continual innovation.

“The pandemic has made us look at how we can improve things, so we installed new cutting and printing machines that allow designs to be printed on leather,” he said.

“You might be busy today, but if you don’t prepare you could all of a sudden be in a deep hole.

“That’s why we’re always looking to industry leaders in places like Italy and thinking about how we can innovate to be competitive and stay at the forefront of our industry.

“Fortunately Moreton Bay has natural advantages like our proximity to Brisbane’s port and airport, which means we’re able to now export 70% of our production.”

My Berries founder Stuart McGruddy turned a farming ‘waste’ product into a business that literally put Moreton Bay on the national map earlier this year when Arnott’s launched a Tim Tam flavour named after Moreton Bay.

“We think that the Moreton Bay Raspberry & Dark Choc Tim Tam in particular is a true success story of what can happen when great thinkers and good heads get together to solve a problem,” he said.

“Moreton Bay grows the best berries in Australia, but we were having to throw away mountains of perfectly good, juicy, sweet berries away simply because they wouldn’t look good in a punnet.

“I couldn’t accept that, so we changed our practices and in 2020 we repurposed over 300 tonnes of berries and we're really proud of that.

His wife and business partner, Allison McGruddy, encouraged local businesses to start small but think globally about how they can grow and seize opportunities.

“At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic we saw empty shelves following the panic buying of everyday staples,” she said.

“This highlighted, more than ever, the need for food security from home grown, sustainable food production and delivery.

“We are lucky in Australia because we grow enough food to feed 75 million people.

“However, in a country with a population of around 25 million it makes sense for us to export 70% of that to nations who are less food secure than we are.

Right now Australia is seen as one of the safest places in the world and thanks to our established infrastructure, business networks, available space, and climate, I think Moreton Bay has abundant opportunities if you dare to take them.

“Not to mention the fact that it’s really beautiful lifestyle here - you’re close to the beach and there's beautiful farm land, and I just think that people are friendly and great weather, you can't beat it!”

The new economic strategy outlines the steps the region is taking to grow a $40 billion economy and create 100,000 jobs making Moreton Bay a Tech and Innovation hub in the process.

To join #TeamMoretonBay and understand the aspirations of the new Regional Economic Development Strategy for your business, visit: moretonbay.qld.gov.au/REDS