Local Government Regional Economic Development Meeting 

Friday 12th October 2012 

Summary 

Attendees  Shenal Basnayake ( Cassowary Coast) Joy Wii ( Tablelands) Katrina Houghton ( Cairns) Angelo Finocchiaro (Cairns) Peter Boyd (Cairns) Darlene Irvine (FNQROC) Margaret Darveniza ( Advance Cairns)   

Apologies  Fiona Brady ( Cook) Glenys Pilat ( Tablelands) Anne Cunningham Reid (Tablelands)  

 

1. Purpose of Regional Economic Development group.  The group discussed what they saw as the purpose of the group and identified: 

• Cross pollination of ideas and activity  • Identification of opportunities for leveraging each other’s strengths • The establishment of a process to provide information that can be fed   into 

the collaborative group and out to the individual Councils • Establishment of contacts and provision of education that can result in 

building the capacity of both Council offices and Councillors • Collection of whole‐of‐region data and information and the ability to 

coordinate to access funding • Providing recognition and credibility for the work of economic development 

staff, giving them a voice • Encouraging and supporting the development of  a whole‐ of‐ council 

approach to economic development  • Facilitating linkages with other economic development agencies including 

Qld govt, regional development organisations 2. Regional reports  

The following initiatives/issues and opportunities were discussed by the respective representatives  Cassowary Coast Cassowary Coast has a 5 year economic development plan that is based around a 5 pillar approach – copies are available at http://www.cassowarycoast.qld.gov.au/web/guest/economic‐development‐plan 

 

 

Currently working on: • Regional Investment Strategy to be a sub strategy to the TNQ Investment 

Strategy. Some funding to develop collateral to support this • Master plan for Mundoo aerodrome, this is a 20 year strategic plan for this 

Council asset • Workforce development – particularly within the transport industry • Provision of events including Business awards • Commercialising the natural environment • Disaster risk system review • Cassowary Coast community hub project 

Tablelands  

Current opportunities include: • Workforce and training issues through Tablelands Industry Workforce 

Group. Interest in promoting the area as a “region of choice” and attracting lifestyle workers and professionals  

• New business and industry growth and diversification esp around agriculture and tourism 

• Encouraging innovation and entrepreneurialism • Transport within and ex the Tablelands • Carbon economy / sustainability/Bio based industries  and tropical expertise • Telecommunications and the opportunities presented by the NBN • Need for small business support • Developing an investment prospectus and promoting the region • Facilitating capital raising • Promoting a regional identity and brand 

 

Cairns 

Currently working on  • China Engagement strategy – investment opportunities and city readiness 

for visitors • Innovation awards and the general promotion of innovation as an economic 

driver • Industry Development particularly film, marine, tropical expertise • Facilitating the economic Diversification Fund which provides $180k in grants 

of up to $30k for economic projects by groups outside of Council that benefit the Cairns region 

• Local area programs for Babinda and Port Douglas economic development 

 

 

• RV strategy • Managing contracted organisations eg Advance Cairns, TTNQ, TPDD • Providing business/ economic information eg website, snapshot, impact 

assessment tool, econ id • Events and sister city relationships 

Cook 

(as updated by Darlene – to be confirmed) Current opportunities include: 

• Renewable industry energy • Strengthening and diversifying tourism and agriculture • Mining – transport issues surrounding this • Resolving land tenure • Lifestyle attraction for population growth 

 

Yarrabah 

(As updated by Darlene – to be confirmed) • Jetty and water taxi 

Wujal Wujal 

• The river crossing and associated access issues 

Advance Cairns 

• Monitoring and reviewing the TNQREP • Regional Investment through the major strategy which has both promotional 

and de‐risking components, China Engagement, Attracting resource companies to headquarter, FIFO 

• Regional Brand development and implementation plan • Advocacy for major regional issues • Business Enterprise Centre providing small business support across the 

region • Skills Formation Strategy looking at Workforce issues and solutions 

 

3. Objectives/ Action Plan  

The attached document describing alternative approaches to working together was tabled and discussed  

 

 

The following common issues were identified and actions agreed 

• Investment Attraction ‐ Need to pursue clarification of Councils role within the Regional Investment Strategy and collaborate to develop effective and aligned processes 

• Data and Information ‐ Agreed that there is a need to be able to measure, communicate and use accurate economic information. Investigate common tools and the cost of joint purchasing eg SGS and Economy id or Remplan 

Actions 

a. Map what we have in terms of data and data sources b. Get quotes for Econ id, Remplan and the expansion of the CRC Economic Impact tool 

(SGS) – for discussion at next meeting c. Engage The Cairns Institute to explore how they can assist  d. Events calendar‐ identify an appropriate calendar of events to be promoted and used e. Develop tools to assist economic development staff to build the capacity of Councillors 

and other local government staff in terms  of Economic development its nature, impact and the resources required  Developing a considered position on the relationship between economic development and tourism and how this might operate in local government 

f. Communication mapping – understanding who else is working in the field , their roles and responsibilities   

4. Conclusion and next meeting December 6th   10 o’clock for morning tea for a 10.30 start until 2.00 pm  Kingsford Room level 3 Cairns Regional Council, Spence Street, Cairns   Attachments –  Regional Development Environmental Scan (list of RD organisations) Ways of working together  

   

 

 

 

Cooperation, Coordination, Collaboration:  Asking the Hard Questions 

Misty D. Goosen 

For those of you who know me, you might believe I enjoy asking the hard questions, and

I guess I would have to agree. I believe that asking hard questions lends itself to brainstorming and selecting potentially powerful solutions, moving groups one step closer toward their goal. In addition, I believe it is necessary to continue to ask hard questions even after the goal has been accomplished to successfully maintain excellence in our work. Let’s face it, the needs of children and their families, as well as the workforce that supports them, continues to change and evolve and therefore requires constant vigilance. Ours is always a work in progress and is not for the faint of heart. So you may ask, what is the hard question to ponder today? Here it is:

“What is the difference between coordination, cooperation, and collaboration, and why is it important as an early childhood professional to understand the difference?” In retrospect, this is probably a series of hard questions but give me an inch… you get the point.

Why is it important for early childhood professionals to understand the difference between coordination, cooperation, and collaboration? There is no easy answer. Early childhood professionals often find themselves working within a group (or groups) that erroneously define themselves as “collaborative”. Using the wrong term to describe the group doesn’t seem to be that important. However, groups that call themselves “collaborative partners” when in fact they are merely coordinating or cooperating often confuse and frustrate most, if not all, of their members.

Understanding the difference between the words coordination, cooperation and collaboration is taxing because they have often been used interchangeably. Indeed, if you “Google” this question you will find that there have been many attempts to clarify these words (albeit vaguely), and many continue to seek better answers. After reviewing several on-line dictionaries, I found out why that may be so. All three of our “C” words include, “working together” in their primary definition. However, each word varies slightly on who is working together, and what they might be working on. Merriam-Webster Online (2009) further defined our “C” words as follows: 1. Coordination: the harmonious functioning of parts for effective results 2. Cooperation: to act together or in compliance for mutual benefit 3. Collaboration: a) to work together jointly, especially in an intellectual endeavor; b)

cooperating with or willingly in assisting an enemy of one’s country, especially an occupying force.

The first two definitions were probably no surprise; however, the definition of

collaboration may have been a bit eye opening. Being the “pot stirrer” that I am, I would

 

 

argue that this definition can and does apply to our work in early childhood, but I will get to that later. Before we go there, lets first take a closer look at coordination and cooperation, and discuss why most of our work may actually be falling within these two models of working together.

As stated previously, Merriam-Webster Online defines coordination as the harmonious function of parts for effective results. Work that is coordinated involves more than one person, includes shared objectives, requires an understanding of personal roles and responsibilities, and is generally overseen by someone (e.g. coordinator). There is a general assumption that there may be overlap in work, even though different people/units come into the process working on specific pieces. In this model, the coordinator works to decrease gaps and/or overlaps and increase the harmonious functioning of each part to achieve the end result or product. Communication between individuals to the coordinator and vice versa may be all that is needed to keep the machine running smoothly. Clearly defined roles and schedules will help minimize the overlaps, and the gaps will be addressed through input to the coordinator (who ultimately makes the needed changes). Examples of coordinated efforts in early childhood include child find screening activities (that are coordinated between two or more agencies), activities specified in Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) such as record sharing/keeping between agencies, and oversight of services birth through five in Kansas (Interagency Coordinating Council – ICC). In order for coordination to be accomplished, individuals and/or departments must also cooperate.

What does it take to cooperate with someone? Like the definition implies, cooperation suggests compliance in some manner, sharing something, all for mutual benefit. Unlike coordination, the “mutual benefit” or end product may be different for each cooperating group. For example, an inmate may cooperate with the police by providing evidence against another person charged with the same crime. In this scenario, the inmate is “sharing information”, which may benefit the inmate by reducing his jail sentence, and benefit the police by helping them solve the crime. Both parties see benefit, though it is not the same. In early childhood, agencies may agree to share information or resources. For example a community preschool program may allow the district speech pathologist to use a room in their building to conduct speech screenings and provide pull out speech services. The benefit for the speech pathologist may be the ability to have a location for screening activities that he/she may not of otherwise had, and the benefit to the preschool may be the additional visibility of their program to families who may be attending the screening whose children do not already attend their program. Both derive benefit, though the benefit is different.

Working together through coordinated or cooperative activities generally provides some type of benefit. However, in both of these models the work of the individual person or units did not inherently change all that much. Their general roles stayed the same, or were perhaps clarified, but the work itself did not vary much. There may have been more or less of one thing or another, but the identity of that individual or unit did not waiver. If something were to break down within either one of those models, the result would be inconvenience, and perhaps inefficiency, but in the end, the individuals or units could move back to their old ways and continue on with their work. Nothing new was created.

 

 

There are times however, when cooperation or coordination is not enough. When current systems or groups do not have the means to serve a new consumer group, or improve their services to better support their consumers, it may be necessary to join into a collaborative relationship with another group, a group that in the past would never have been considered for cooperation or coordination efforts because of their deeply contrasting ideas and philosophies. Remember how Merriam-Webster Online further defined collaboration as cooperating with or willingly assisting an enemy of one’s own country, especially an occupying force? I believe this definition helps convey the true complexity of collaboration, and hints at the inherent challenge of this model of working together.

I am not suggesting that collaborating early childhood groups started out as enemies. For our purposes, the enemy is the norms, status quo, and old way of doing something that stand in the way of creating something far more superior than what one group could have done on it’s own. The goal of collaboration is not to establish a positive relationship between partnering groups, but the pursuit of a specific result. Collaboration relies on both cooperation and coordination of efforts, but goes far beyond these two working relationships. Collaboration isn’t about consensus building and not everyone needs to be part of the collaborative brainstorm. A true collaborative effort creates something new (e.g. a new philosophy, way of doing something, changes in overall personnel roles) and is ever evolving and dynamic in nature. Collaboration is hard work, and needs constant tending. It requires a great deal of time and communication. The collaborative process merges differing views and conflicting ideas, while morphing into something that was previously unimaginable.

A good example of where collaborative efforts in early childhood can benefit consumers is regarding the provision of special education services in natural or least restrictive environments. The consumers in this scenario are young children with disabilities and their families. Historically, special education services have been provided in restrictive settings with special education personnel providing all of the instruction. Regular early childhood settings did not employ staff with the needed expertise or credentials for providing specially designed instruction, and therefore did not serve this population of children. At the same time, regular early childhood settings continue to enroll children who have significant needs (though not identified as having a disability) and could benefit from the knowledge and expertise of special educators. Collaborative partnerships between these two groups are an opportunity to create something new, by morphing the old, creating a newly shared vision that benefits all involved, especially the consumers. But for this to work, partners must understand that there is a lot of “giving up” in collaboration. If both parties are not willing to give up their old ways, and create something new, then they are not really engaging in collaboration.

Are you ready now to ask yourself the hard questions? Given what you have learned about the three “C’s” what working model does your group work under? Has your role really changed since working with this other group? Has their role changed? Are you doing things you were not previously trained to do, but have taken on (with adequate training and support in the process) to achieve some type of joint goal? Do you have scheduled time where you and your collaborative partners sit down and plan together, both bringing ideas to the table,

 

 

but leaving with a merging of the two, or do you coordinate so that you both continue to have a piece of something and are now clear on who does what, when and where? Do you respect your partner, and value what they are bringing to the table and vice versa? Do you find yourself plotting to “win” the debate and convince the team to follow your idea, or are all ideas considered in the development of the end product? Is one group insisting it cannot change roles, responsibilities, or any piece of the program, but it will allow you to work with them as long as you do what they say? Is that collaboration? At best, it is cooperation. Nothing new has been created, no joint vision or goal has been established, it is a working relationship, but is status quo.

If you have been working in a relationship that has been defined as collaborative when in fact you have been merely cooperating or working in a coordinated manner you may feel confused, frustrated, or perhaps apathetic. You may be confused because you are not seeing anything inherently new in what you or others are doing. You may be frustrated because you are being asked to change what you do when members of the other group have made no changes. You may feel apathetic because there is no clear vision of what is to be accomplished, so you are just going along. If you had a clear understanding that you were working only at a cooperative level (you or your organization is receiving some benefit from complying with this outside group) or coordinated level (your work or other work has been streamlined or gaps have been filled by working with the outside group) it might elicit the previously stated emotions. On the other hand, if you are truly working in a collaborative partnership, there will be times when you feel overwhelmed with the complexity of the partnership and at other times you will feel exhilarated and proud at what has been accomplished. Understanding the type of working relationship helps individuals have a better idea of their role, responsibility, and the intent of the partnership. References Denise, L. (1999, Spring). Collaboration vs. C-three (cooperation, coordination, and

communication). Innovating, 7(3). Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved October 6, 2009, from http://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/coordination

Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved October 6, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Cooperation

Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved October 6, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collaboration

   

 

 

 

 

 

Category Sub-category Name Acronym Footprint

Tourism Tourism Tropical North Queensland TTNQ Far North Queensland

Tourism Tropical Tablelands Tourism Tablelands

Tourism Mission Beach Business and Tourism Mission Beach

Tourism Cooktown and Cape York Peninsula Cooktown and Cape York

Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree

Tourism Tourism Queensland Queensland

Tourism Savannah Way Ltd Savannah Way

Tourism Mossman Gorge Centre Mossman Gorge

Indigenous Organisations Cape York Partnerships CYP Cape York

Indigenous Organisations Balkanu Cape York

Indigenous Organisations Cape York Institute CYI Cape York

Indigenous Organisations Cape York Land Council CYLC Cape York

Indigenous Organisations Indigenous Business Australia IBA Australia

Indigenous Organisations Apunipima Cape York Health Council Cape York

Indigenous Organisations Centre for Appropriate Technology National

Indigenous Councils Yarrabah Council Yarrabah

Indigenous Councils Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council Wujal Wujal

Indigenous Councils Aurukun Shire Council Aurukun

Indigenous Councils Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council Lockhart River

Indigenous Councils Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council Mapoon

Indigenous Councils Hopevale Shire Council Hopevale

Indigenous Councils Kowanyama Shire Council Kowanyama

Indigenous Councils Torres Shire Council Torres Straits

Indigenous Councils Torres Strait Island Regional Council TSIRC Torres Strait Islands

Indigenous Councils Torres Strait Regional Authority TSRA

Indigenous Councils Bamange Bubu Ngadimunku (Mossman Gorge) BBN

Peak Industry Groups Medical/Health Far North Queensland Rural Division of General Practice FNQRDGP Far North Queensland

Peak Industry Groups Medical/Health Australian Medical Association AMA Australia

Peak Industry Groups Medical/Health Medicare Australia

Peak Industry Groups Medical/Health Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine Australia

Peak Industry Groups Medical/Health Dentistry Institute: James Cook University Far North

Peak Industry Groups Construction Urban Development Institute of Australia (Qld) Queensland

Peak Industry Groups Construction Australian Property Institute- Queensland division Queensland

Peak Industry Groups Construction Housing Industry Association HIA Australia

Peak Industry Groups Construction Tropical Green Builders Network TGBN Far North Queensland

Peak Industry Groups Construction Master Builders Australia

Peak Industry Groups Construction Construction Skills Australia CSQ Australia

Peak Industry Groups Retail Australian Retailers Association ARA Australia

Peak Industry Groups Agriculture Growcom Queensland

Peak Industry Groups Agriculture Canegrowers Australia

Peak Industry Groups Agriculture Australian Banana Growers Council ABGC Australia

Peak Industry Groups Agriculture AgForce Queensland

Peak Industry Groups Agriculture Queensland Farmers Federation QFF Queensland

Peak Industry Groups Agriculture AUSVEG Australia

Peak Industry Groups Agriculture Farmers for a future Australia

Peak Industry Groups Agriculture Queensland Aquaculture Industries Federation QAIF Queensland

Peak Industry Groups Resources Minerals Council of Australia MCA Australia

Peak Industry Groups Resources Queensland Resources Council QRC Queensland

Peak Industry Groups Energy Ergon Energy Queensland

Peak Industry Groups Energy Evolve Energy Australasia

Peak Industry Groups Energy Clean energy council Australia

Peak Industry Groups Energy Degrees Celsius FNQ

Peak Industry Groups Marine Cairns maritime academy Cairns

Business Groups Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland CCIQ Queensland

Business Groups Business Support Advance Cairns Business Enterprise Centre BEC TNQ

Business Groups Business Support Enterprise Connect Australia

Business Groups Business Support Tablelands Industry Workforce Group TWIG Tablelands

Business Groups Business Support Australian Institute of Commercialisation Australia

Business Groups Business Support Commercialisation Australia Australia

Value proposition URL

Official, not for profit, tourism organisation of Cairns and

Great Barrier Reef. http://www.ttnq.org.au/

Tablelands local tourism organisation http://www.athertontablelands.com.au/

Mission Beach's local tourism organisation http://www.missionbeachtourism.com/

Cooktown and Cape York's local tourism organisation http://www.cooktownandcapeyork.com/

Port Douglas's official local tourism organisation http://www.pddt.com.au/

The official trade and media organisation for Queensland http://www.tq.com.au/

Savannah Way's local tourism organisation http://www.savannahway.com.au

Eco-tourism visitor and interpretive centre at the entrance

to Mossman Gorge north of Cairns http://www.mossmangorge.com/

Development organisation aimed at ensuring the people of

Cape York Peninsula have the capabilities to choose lives

they have reason to value. Implements the Cape York

Welfare Reform agenda http://www.capeyorkpartnerships.com/

Supports the Aboriginal people of Cape York to improve the

region's economic and social structures, at the same time

as preserving their heritage and culture. Focuses on

economics and environment in Cape York Welfare Reform

agenda http://www.balkanu.com.au/

Independent policy and leadership organisation

championing reform in Indigenous economic and social

policy and supporting the development of current and

future Cape York leaders. http://www.cyi.org.au/

Advance the self-determination of Aboriginal people of the

Cape York Peninsula, ensure the continuation of traditional

culture, provide for general social welfare, and ascertain

the wishes, aspirations and opinions of its members relating

to the management, use and control of traditional

Aboriginal land in Cape York. Focuses on assisting

Indigenous groups to claim ownership over land http://www.cylc.org.au/

Provides affordable loans for Indigenous Australians to own

their own home, create wealth and create business

opportunities. http://www.iba.gov.au/

Primary health care service provider and lead agency

representing a holistic approach to health issues in the

Cape York Region. http://www.apunipima.org.au/

The Centre for Appropriate Technology (CAT) works to

secure sustainable livelihoods for communities of

Indigenous people through appropriate technology. http://www.icat.org.au/default.asp

Yarrabah's local council http://www.indiginet.com.au/yarrabah/council.htm

Wujal Wujal's local council http://www.wujalwujalcouncil.qld.gov.au/

Aurukun's local council http://www.aurukun.qld.gov.au/

Lockhart River's local council http://www.lockhart.qld.gov.au/

Mapoon's local council http://www.mapoon.com/

Hopevale's local council http://www.hopevale.qld.gov.au/

Kowanyama local council http://www.kowanyama.qld.gov.au/kac/

Torres Strait local council http://www.torres.qld.gov.au/

Torres Strait local council http://www.tsirc.qld.gov.au/

The Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) aims to

strengthen the economic, social and cultural development

of the Torres Strait to improve the lifestyle and wellbeing of

Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people living in the

region. http://www.tsra.gov.au/

Indigenous body that governs use of land in Mossman

Gorge community NA

Working with and for general practice, the Division provides

continuing medical education, practice support services,

and promotion of the value of high quality general practice

in Far North Queensland. http://www.fnqrdgp.org.au/

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is the peak

membership organisation representing the registered

medical practitioners (doctors) and medical students of

Australia. The AMA promotes and protects the professional

interests of doctors and the health care needs of patients

and communities. http://ama.com.au/

Looks after the health of Australians through the efficient

delivery of programs such as the Pharmaceutical Benefits

Scheme, the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register

and the Australian Organ Donor Register. http://www.humanservices.gov.au/corporate/about-us/

Provides support for research, research training, and the

development of early-career researchers within the JCU

Faculty http://www.jcu.edu.au/fmhms/research/aitm/JCUDEV_018651.html

To train and provide ongoing professional development for

dentistry professionals and provide routine and specialist

dental services. http://www.jcu.edu.au/smd/dentistry/howtoget/JCU_082498.html

largest professional membership organisation representing

the interests of the property development industry in

Queensland. We represent small, medium and large

developers, construction companies and consultants from a

range of professions. Our mission is to advance the

credibility and integrity of the development sector by

attaining the best possible outcomes for our members

while achieving quality outcomes for the wider community. http://www.udiaqld.com.au/

The Institute’s primary role is to set and maintain the

highest standards of professional practice, education, ethics

and professional conduct for it members and the broader

property profession. http://www.qld.api.org.au/

The Housing Industry Association is Australia’s largest

residential building organisation. Members include builders,

trade contractors, design professionals, kitchen and

bathroom specialists, manufacturers and suppliers. http://hia.com.au/

The Network’s charter is to identify, develop and action

projects that will have a measurable impact on the uptake

of sustainable building practices in Far North Queensland. http://www.greenbuild.com.au/

Master Builders is the peak industry association

representing building and construction in Queensland since

1882. http://www.masterbuilders.asn.au/about-master-builders

Assists the Queensland building and construction industry

by providing industry-wide help with training, upskilling and

funding. http://www.csq.org.au/

Promoting and protecting retailers for over 100 years, the

Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has been the peak

industry body in Australia’s $240 billion retail sector which

employs over 1.2 million people. http://www.retail.org.au/

Growcom is the peak representative body for Queensland

horticulture and strives for the long term growth and

profitability of horticultural farms and the industry. http://www.growcom.com.au/home/default.asp

CANEGROWERS is the peak body for Australian sugarcane

growers.  http://www.canegrowers.com.au/

Australian Banana Growers' Council Inc. (ABGC) is the

Australian banana industry's peak national agripolitical

organisation representing over 800 banana growers.  http://www.abgc.org.au/

AgForce has been the unifying voice for Queensland’s beef,

sheep and grain producers since 1999.  Our strength

continues through our membership and a strategic vision to

secure the productivity, profitability and sustainability of

the agribusiness sector.  http://www.agforceqld.org.au/

QFF is a collective voice for the intensive agriculture sector

in Queensland. http://www.qff.org.au/

AUSVEG is the peak national body representing the

interests of vegetable and potato growers. http://ausveg.com.au/

A networking tool for young and beginning farmers to meet

other farmers and seek advice http://farmersforthefuture.ning.com/

QAIF is an organisations representing the rapidly growing

aquaculture industry in Queensland. All sectors of

aquaculture have representative organisations aimed at

assisting members and encouraging development. These

industry organisations are committed to working together

on common issues through QAIF. http://www.aquaculturequeensland.com/QAIF.htm

The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) represents

Australia’s exploration, mining and minerals processing

industry, nationally and internationally, in its contribution

to sustainable development and society. http://www.minerals.org.au/

The Queensland Resources Council is a not-for-profit peak

industry association representing the commercial

developers of Queensland’s minerals and energy resources. http://www.qrc.org.au/

Ergon Energy is an electricity retailer to homes and

businesses in regional Queensland. They also maintain and

expand the regional Queensland electricity network. http://www.ergon.com.au/

Provides customers throughout Australasia with smart

energy solutions http://www.evolveenergy.com.au

The Clean Energy Council is the peak body representing

Australia's clean energy sector. http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au

Degree Celsius has established systems that aggregates

economically viable quantities of greenhouse gases at a

regional scale – trial implemented in wet tropics http://www.degreecelsius.com.au

Cairns Maritime Academy at Tropical North Queensland

Institute of TAFE delivers training to all arms of the marine

industry, including fishing, transport and supply, trading,

general charter, diving, tourism and super yachts. http://www.tnqit.tafe.qld.gov.au/about_us/maritime.html

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland is the

peak association for employers across every industry. http://www.cciq.com.au/

The Advance Cairns Business Enterprise Centre is an

initiative of the Commonwealth of Australia and through

partnership with Advance Cairns offers low cost Advisory

Services to support small business within the Cook, Cairns,

Cassowary and Tablelands Regions. http://www.advancecairnsbec.com.au/

Enterprise Connect is a Federal Government initiative which

connects your business to the knowledge, tools and

expertise necessary to improve productivity, increase

competitiveness and fully capitalise on the growth potential

of your business. http://www.enterpriseconnect.gov.au/Pages/Home.aspx

Tablelands Industry Workforce Group (TIWG) is a not-for-

profit industry and community group who come together to

identify, improve and expand a sustainable workforce

within the Tablelands region, west of Cairns. http://www.tablelandsworkforce.com.au/about/

Provides innovation and collaboration services that help

organisations grow. Nationally, they work with

entrepreneurs, businesses, research organisations and

governments to convert ideas or intellectual property into

successful business outcomes. http://www.ausicom.com/

Commercialisation Australia is an initiative of the Australian

Government. It is a competitive, merit-based assistance

program offering funding and resources to accelerate the

business building process for Australian companies,

entrepreneurs, researchers and inventors. http://www.commercialisationaustralia.gov.au/Pages/Home.aspx