February 1, 2017

a focus on health and wellbeing

BY mayor mark jamieson

Everyone in our region plays a role in shaping our future – one which is connected with the formidable economic armoury the council is building through the development of high-value industries, including health and wellbeing.

The health and wellbeing sector is at the forefront of many people’s minds as we move into the final countdown to the opening of our new public hospital at Kawana. The health and wellbeing industry is already the largest employer on our Sunshine Coast, providing jobs for more than 21,000 locals.

According to the AEC Group, the Coast has the highest concentration of health and allied services businesses in the state and is home to around 1700 such businesses servicing residential, commercial and business customers associated with the industry in regional, national and international markets. Now we also have the impressive Sunshine Coast Health Precinct, which is currently the largest health infrastructure project being developed in Australia.

Our Sunshine Coast gross regional product stands at more than $13 billion; however with the new $1.8 billion Sunshine Coast University Hospital, the co-located $150 million Ramsay-owned university private hospital, and the development of the Sunshine Coast Health Precinct, we can add a further $680 million into the local economy year-on-year.

Interest in our region is growing quickly from a health investment perspective, with more international delegations visiting the Sunshine Coast than ever before – and as far as a springboard to the Asia-Pacific Rim is concerned, strategically the Sunshine Coast is brilliantly placed.

Council has underlined the economic significance of the health and wellbeing industry as an integral part of the region’s future and is committed to supporting its development.

We will continue to work closely with local health businesses to help them develop and will continue to concentrate on strategic investment retention and attraction for identified pathways to increase economic viability of the region.