PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed the state government’s review of its Advance Queensland policy to promote innovation in the region.

Innovation Minister Kate Jones on Wednesday announced the ‘Our Innovation Future’ review, which is aimed at ensuring the state’s innovation system meets the major economic, social and community challenges that will arise through digital disruption in the next 30 years.

“We invest in innovation to create the jobs of the future here in Queensland,” she said.

“Our A$650-million Advance Queensland fund is designed to give innovators everything they need to tackle the state’s greatest challenges and diversify our economy.

“I’ve launched this review to make sure we’re up-to-date and we’re doing everything we can to support our innovators to create sustainable jobs in the wake of the resources boom.

“We need to look not just at what the government is doing but at the innovation system as a whole,” Jones said.

A new report into the risks and opportunities for Queensland over the coming decades will outline the impact of those challenges when it is released next week.

The research report will highlight the challenges and opportunities re-shaping Queensland’s economy in the next 20 years from changing employment and new occupations, to new technologies, new markets and global export opportunities.

The government’s review will begin with a roundtable event on August 30, involving leaders from across Queensland’s innovation system, with the outcomes used to develop a public issues paper to engage participants throughout the innovation system.

The review will seek to identify policies and programmes that produced the best results and determine the means of meeting new challenges.

Jones said the innovation review would result in a new plan which will shape the next phase in Queensland’s innovation agenda.

QRC CEO Ian Macfarlane on Wednesday said that to support nearly 300 000 jobs and deliver 80% of Queensland’s exports, the resources sector adopts and develops innovation for sustainable, competitive and safe development of the state’s mineral and petroleum reserves.

“The world wants what we have, particularly for infrastructure, growth in renewables, electric vehicles and battery storage,” Macfarlane said.

“To supply the cutting edge, the resources sector is at the cutting edge to ensure we are sustainable, competitive and safe.”