Trade group to lead Queensland

THE Rockhampton-based IBECQ (International Business Exchange Central Queensland) will lead a group of central Queensland participants to the Fiji/ Australia business council meeting.

IBECQ is an organisation which was founded to establish direct trade, educational and cultural link ages between central Queensland and similar regions in the Pacific. IBECQ is supported by a • i r u • 7 . wide range of businesses government agencies and educational institutions.

The chairman of IBECQ is Professor Geoff Wilson, vice chancellor of the Central Queensland University. IBECQ has worked in close association with Atistrade in developing images m the Pacific Islands.

Central Queensland lies in a tropical zone and has many similarities to countries within the Pacific Islands region. The capabilities of central Queensland companies and institutions are diverse. The direct development of trade linkages gives many of the smaller regional-based companies an oppor-

tunity to enter international markets on a scale which would be denied them in more distant markets such as Japan and Europe.

From a geographic perspective major

central Queensland centres such as Rockhampton, Mackay and Gladstone are in some instances located closer to Pacific Island nations than they are to the major southern cities of Australia.

Chief executive of IBECQ Robert

Armstrong represented central Queens

land as part of a Queensland government trade mission to New Caledonia last November. This initiative has already led to the development of direct trade opportunities and has resulted in a return visit to central Queensland by several senior New Caledonian delegations.

Leopold Joredie, president of the North ern province, visited Rockhampton in

April.

Armstrong said that IBECQ was looking forward to creating a similar focus in Fiji to the mutual benefit of both Fiji and central Queensland. He said he

was confident that the visit would assist in developing long term linkages with the region and that central Queensland

companies were becoming increasingly

keen to focus opportunities in the Pacific.

Apart from Armstrong the team led by IBECQ will consist of Professor Kevin Fagg, dean of the faculty of business, Central Queensland University; Paul Bell, mayor of the Emerald Shire; John Lever, proprietor of the Koorana Croco diles Farm; and Jean Me Gruvie, manager of the Central Highlands De

velopment Bureau.

IBECQ will also mount a display of central Queensland product and services.

These wul include crocodiles skin prod ucts, education and training services, gemstone, agricultural products and manufactured goods.

IBECQ was initially established over two years ago after research identified a need for a regional-based organisation capable of both developing export awareness and assisting regional businesses to develop international mar kets for their goods and services. □