Isaac Region - Industry Profile

INDUSTRY PROFILE

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isaac.qld.gov.au

T H E IS A AC REGION I S HEL P ING TO EN ERGISE T H E WORLD. A R EGION TH AT FE ED S , P OWER S A N D BUILDS COM M UNITIES. The Isaac region is situated 1,000km north-west of Brisbane and 900km south of Cairns, with access to world-class export infrastructure.

The region encompasses an area of 58,862 sq km, from prime agricultural land to mineral-rich northern Bowen and Galilee Basins; with the tropical climate and coastal strip giving vast diversification of industries. In adding to this, its diverse landscape, vibrant communities and economic strengths is a lifestyle second to none.

Ultimately, Isaac’s fuel and food industries share a common theme, namely energy. It makes sense therefore that Council’s vision is “helping to energise the world” as a region that feeds, powers and builds communities.

Isaac region is home to 20,935 residents; an additional 12,130 resource sector workers (nonresident workers) travel here and are housed in temporary accommodation.

At any one time the full-time equivalent population in the Isaac region is estimated at 33,065, in 17 vibrant familyfriendly communities.

Further information resources: This document is a brief overview of the region and its economic drivers; for detailed social and economic data and to further understand Council’s vision, refer to Council’s webpage: isaac.qld.gov.au

Economic Indicator reports on: Population and Demographics, Industry & Development, Real Estate & Housing isaac.qld.gov.au/about-our-region/socialand-economic-data

Economic Development strategies: Economic Development Framework, Tourism Development Strategy, Business Support Strategy isaac.qld.gov.au/about-our-region/socioeconomic-services-and-strategy

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ISAAC REGION – INDUSTRY PROFILE

REGIONAL SNAPSHOT ECONOMY

$11.46B

Gross Regional Product (GRP)2

6 times

>

Queensland’s Gross State Product (GSP) per capita2

POPULATION

20,935

Permanent population2

12,130

Non-resident population (fly in/fly out and drive in/drive out)2

33,065

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) population2

EMPLOYMENT

21,462 Total jobs2

14,480

Mining, construction services and transport jobs2

2.1%

Unemployment3

INFRASTRUCTURE

86,183

Passengers Moranbah airport6

W H I T S U N D AY R E G I O N

M A C K AY R E G I O N

MACKAY

GLENDEN

CHARTERS TOWERS REGION

NEBO

ILBILBIE

GREENHILL

COPPABELLA CARMILA MORANBAH CLAIRVIEW VALKYRIE KILCUMMIN

LOTUS CREEK ST LAWRENCE

DYSART MISTAKE CREEK CLERMONT

MIDDLEMOUNT

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS REGION

CLARKE CREEK

LIVINGSTONE SHIRE

MACKENZIE RIVER

BARCALDINE REGION

AREA

58,862km2 BUILDING APPROVALS

48% INCREASE Residential building approvals 2019-202

85% INCREASE Non-residential building approvals 2019-202

2nd in QLD

Strongest sales performer by Local Government Area for <2400m2 residential housing (12mth to Mar 20)4

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

$16.229B

$46M

$65M

$2.012B

MINING - including construction, services, etc.5

CONSTRUCTION - including residential and commercial projects5

INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS including roads, rail, airport, ports5

UTILITIES - including water, waste, energy projects5

SOURCES: 1. Bowen Basin population report | 2. Remplan | 3. https://docs.employment.gov.au/documents/lga-data-tables-smallarea-labour-markets-march-quarter-2020 |4. REIQ Queensland market monitor June 2020 | 5. Cordell Connect/GW3 Proposed development register | 6. www.bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/airport_traffic_data

WWW.ISAAC.QLD.GOV.AU

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KEY INDUSTRIES MINING

COAL

The Isaac region is a resource-rich area with a large portion located in the Bowen and Galilee Basins’ coal.

Isaac economy is largely driven by the resource sector, with the sum of all mining activities contributing $15.6 billion to the region’s total output. The region has significant growth potential with $16.2 billion in proposed future resource industry projects.

The Isaac region is a critical component of Queensland’s coal extractive industry, being home to 24 active coal mines, with an additional 25 in differing stages of development.

The region is significant as to other regions in its supply chain opportunities, direct employment of 12,130 non-residents and the royalty contributions that come from its activities to the state’s economy.

This production was 136,560,000 tonnes with 86% of that being metallurgical coal; the region produced 73% of Queensland’s metallurgical coal and 22% of Queensland’s thermal coal.

In 2018-19 Isaac region produced more than half (56%) of Queensland’s saleable coal, using just over 5% of the Isaac region’s 58,000 sq km land mass.

Its coal mining activities alone contributed over $2 billion in royalties. Mining directly employs 60.9% of the Isaac region’s workforce.

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ISAAC REGION – INDUSTRY PROFILE

COAL - AT A GLANCE

$2B

24

operating coal mines

provided in state royalties 2018/19

56%

hectares of operating coal production land mass

tonnes of coal

73%

of Queensland’s total saleable coal

307,000

136.5M

>

of Queensland’s metallurgical coal production

22%

of Queensland’s thermal coal production

5%

of the Isaac region’s total land mass used for coal production

SOURCE: https://inventory.dnrme.qld.gov.au

NEW MINE UNDER CONSTRUCTION EXISTING MINE EXPANSION PROJECT

Advanced export coal project * Includes underground operation OPERATING MINE Mine closed Deposit

COLLINSVILLE

SONOMA

Sarum

NEWLANDS*

BYERWEN

WOLLOMBI/Suttor Creek

EASTERN CREEK

Lenton

HAIL CREEK

Broughton

NORTH GOONYELLA/ Burton GOONYELLA RIVERSIDE BROADMEADOW UNDERGROUND Broadlea North Grosvenor West MORANBAH NORTH GROSVENOR ISAAC PLAINS

Moranbah South

CAVAL RIDGE

SOUTH WALKER CREEK COPPABELLA CARBOROUGH DOWNS MOORVALE

MILLENNIUM POITREL EAGLE DOWNS PEAK DOWNS SARAJI

Codrilla

DAUNIA

Saraji East LAKE VERMONT

Moorlands

BLAIR ATHOL

Olive Downs

Picardy CLERMONT

Norwich Park MIDDLEMOUNT GRASSTREE

German Creek East FOXLEIGH LAKE LINDSAY

WWW.ISAAC.QLD.GOV.AU

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KEY INDUSTRIES PETROLEUM & GAS The Isaac region’s petroleum and gas activities are primarily coal seam gas and mostly coexisting with coal mining leases. Approximately 21% of Queensland’s current identified gas wells are located in the Isaac region, with 12% of Queensland’s active wells. There are currently a further 11 exploration permits covering 837,000 hectares.

There is also 28% of Queensland’s identified petroleum reserves (oil/LPG/ condensate) in region.

Arrow Energy and AGL Energy currently operate the largest project, being the Moranbah Gas Project, and this is a 50/50 joint venture. This is one of the oldest and geographically largest gas fields in Australia. It has produced gas for the domestic market since 2004

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and today it supplies Townsville Power Station and industrial customers in North Queensland.

A further significant development for this industry is the Galilee – Moranbah Pipeline Project. The proposed pipeline will commence in the Galilee Basin, approximately 200km north-west of Clermont in Queensland, and travel east to a final termination point north of Moranbah. The pipeline will likely connect into the existing high pressure gas pipeline that operates from Moranbah to Townsville.

This project will unlock significant deposits in the previously untapped Galilee Basin of which Isaac region borders.

ISAAC REGION – INDUSTRY PROFILE

AG R I C U LT U R E Agriculture has always been a key industry for the Isaac region. The gross value of Isaac agriculture commodities produced is $374 million with 600 agribusinesses in the region. The region’s agricultural industry is made up of several agribusiness production sectors including beef, broadacre cropping, sugar cane, aquaculture, forestry and fishing.

The Isaac region is known for its high quality grazing lands and has two important agricultural areas. This was identified by the Queensland Agricultural Land Audit – East Coast (the coastal area of Ilbilbie and Carmila forms part of this broader area) and The Golden Mile (located around Dysart and Middlemount).

The East Coast is an important area for the growing of sugar cane, but is also recognised as being a high pasture-growth area, with the potential for horticulture and plantation forestry. The Golden Mile is an area of high quality soils along the Isaac, Connors and Mackenzie Rivers and are excellent for grazing and dryland cropping. The Land Audit notes that this area has the potential for further expansion into irrigated cropping and horticulture if water and transport was made available.

BEEF The major component of this is the region’s beef industry being $347 million. The region’s land mass is perfectly suitable for pastural grazing and the region’s locality borders the Fitzroy Basin and Northern Dry Tropics natural management areas.

The significance of the region in the beef industry is noted as these two regions have the first and third largest herd catchment numbers in Australia with 3.2 million and 1.45 million respectively and the region herd is estimated at approx. 866,000. The region is also serviced by two saleyards at Clermont and Nebo, and 17 feedlots.

The Clermont Saleyards is ideally located on the north-south supply chain as well as distributing part of the region’s own cattle herd with a throughput of nearly 100,000 cattle, and investment in the facility in building greater capacity is continuing.

Three new feedlots and one abattoir are planned for construction in the region by 2022. This will include a newly approved custom kill abattoir on a farm in Moranbah, south-west of Mackay. This facility is expected to have a throughput capacity of 35,000 head per annum.

WWW.ISAAC.QLD.GOV.AU

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KEY INDUSTRIES BROADACRE CROPPING Isaac is the largest grain producer of the Mackay-IsaacWhitsunday region, accounting for 98% of all grain produced and 78% of all grains’ businesses. Typical feed crops are sorghum, wheat, cotton and some oilseeds.

Given the location of the Isaac region, and its proximity to the Central Highlands and Central Queensland handling and distribution facilities, there is a high degree of supply chain connectivity in this broader region. The broadacre cropping industry in Isaac’s output is approximately $30 million.

SUGAR CANE Sugar cane production in the Mackay-WhitsundayIsaac area is the second largest production area in Australia after the Burdekin, with the climatic conditions and good soils producing high sugar cane yields with high sugar content. This wider region provides an established sugar cane tramway network, five sugar mills and port facilities for exporting.

As identified by the Queensland Agricultural Land Audit, Isaac’s east coastal area is part of this important agricultural area. The coastal strip, particularly in the region of Ilbilbie and Carmila, is active in sugar cane production and there is potential for growth in this part of the region. The sugar cane industry in Isaac region output is approximately $13 million.

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ISAAC REGION – INDUSTRY PROFILE

AQ UAC U LT U R E & FISHING Aquaculture is present within the region with Australian prawn farms at Ilbilbie harvesting 40 tonnes of tiger prawns from 33 hectares of ponds per week. With much of the Isaac Region’s coastline undeveloped, potential for further opportunities for the aquaculture industry to expand exists. Isaac’s coastal area is also renowned for its mud crabbing industry with stock transported directly to Sydney for consumption, with the region being a large supplier of the Sydney Fish Markets. Aquaculture and commercial fishing industries production in the region is approximately $13.7 million.

WWW.ISAAC.QLD.GOV.AU

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KEY INDUSTRIES R E N E WA B L E S The Isaac region boasts a burgeoning industry of renewables.

Total production capacity approved in wind and solar is 1,926 megawatts. The region has major potential for growth in this industry given its locality, existing infrastructure and climate, being 97% of the region suitable for solar capture, 91% suitable for wind capture and 49% suitable for geothermal energy.

Within the Isaac region, there are currently 10 solar farms approved and one further solar farm project in the pipeline. These solar farms range in generating capacity from 50 to 400 megawatts.

In addition, approval has recently been granted for Australia’s largest wind farm at Clarke Creek which will comprise 195 turbines, with the capacity to generate 2000 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity each year, equivalent to powering 590,000 homes or 5% of Queensland’s energy demand.

Construction is due to start in 2021 and the total project investment is anticipated to be approximately $1.5 billion and will be the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere.

ISAAC RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS Clarke Creek Clarke Creek Wind Farm - 1200MW Clarke Creek Energy – 400MW Broadsound Solar Farm – 392MW

Clermont Clermont Solar – 150MW

Coppabella EC Energy World – 100MW

Dysart Dysart Sun Farm – 150MW Tilt Renewables - 120MW Renewable Energy Developments – 120MW

Middlemount Capricorn Solar Farm – 50M

Moranbah Adani Solar – 300MW

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ISAAC REGION – INDUSTRY PROFILE

TOURISM The Isaac region, whilst well renowned for its production industries in the resource and agricultural sectors, is also building its tourism profile.

Isaac region has a vast tourism offering with its geographical location giving it access to a number of visitation markets.

Its hero experiences are diverse with its idyllic coastal locations areas to Isaac’s inland outback. The region has the Peak Ranges which are part of the world’s longest continental volcanic chain, the Cosgrove hotspot, and are a geological marvel and thing of beauty. Outback activities in the area are renowned, with visitors enjoying the many bush sports, culinary and cultural events.

The region has an ideal offering that fits the Greater Whitsunday market with its idyllic coast and outback experiences

sitting neatly in the reef, island and rainforest offerings in that area, while adding the competitive advantage of its road networks through the Bruce Highway, Great Inland way and paths of travel to Western Queensland.

In 2019 523,000 visitors came to the region with over 2.4 million nights’ accommodation. Over 60% of those visitors were for business and the potential in this area and its recreational space is significant.

The total value of tourism output for Isaac is estimated at $193 million. Isaac Regional Council foreshadowed the potential in tourism through adoption of its Tourism Strategy in 2019 and has prioritised this industry as a key recovery industry.

WWW.ISAAC.QLD.GOV.AU

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ISAAC

REGIONAL COUNCIL OFFICES (Open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm)

Clermont – Corner Karmoo and Daintree Streets, Clermont Dysart – Shannon Crescent, Dysart Glenden – Ewan Drive, Glenden Middlemount – Shopping Centre, Middlemount Moranbah – Grosvenor Complex, Batchelor Parade, Moranbah Nebo – 10 Reynolds Street, Nebo St Lawrence – 36 Macartney Street, St Lawrence

CONTACT US For more information on the Isaac Region:

P: 1300ISAACS (1300 472 227) E: economyprosperity@isaac.qld.gov.au isaac.qld.gov.au You can also connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter:

www.facebook/isaacregionalcouncil @isaacregionalcouncil @isaacrcouncil

Show us what you’ve been up to in our region by tagging us in your photos with the hashtag #ourisaac.

Published November 2020. © Isaac Regional Council