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| Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and QIC Chief Executive Officer Damien Frawley |
The Premier said the meeting was an excellent opportunity to sell the Queensland story and hear from leaders in international finance about the state of the economy and their investment priorities.
“BlackRock is the largest fund manager in the world, with almost $6 trillion in assets under management, so this was an important chance to talk about the rebound in the Queensland economy and promote the numerous opportunities to invest in our State,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“BlackRock have recently completed the acquisition of 90% of the 200-megawatt solar farm at Collinsville in north Queensland, and they are excited about the potential for renewables.
“Our Government is championing large-scale renewables and we have a project pipeline worth in excess of $20 billion and offering 15,000 construction jobs.
"In addition to promoting Queensland’s economy – our leading employment growth, record export results and high business confidence, it was a valuable opportunity to gain insights into the global economy, investment trends and what we can do to continue to grow our local economy.”
Deloitte is one of the ‘Big Four’ accounting organisations, with the largest professional services network in the world – more than 263,900 professionals across 150 countries.
Accompanied by Queensland Investment Corporation Chief Executive Officer Damien Frawley, the Premier is currently on a US trade and investment mission to gather information on the status of the global market and promote Queensland’s trade and investment opportunities abroad.
“Queensland is the export state and these missions are an integral part of marketing the benefits of trade and investment opportunities in our great State,” the Premier said.
“The State’s exports increased to more than $69 billion last calendar year (2017), up $14.3 billion from the 2016 result that was a record.
“My Government continues to work with businesses and industry to target new growth opportunities and strengthen existing markets.
“Developing Queensland’s export markets is vital to creating jobs and opportunities for Queenslanders. Since the 2015 election, my Government has worked with businesses to create more than 150,000 new jobs – that is an average of 140 new jobs per day,” the Premier said.
Attached is a picture of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and QIC Chief Executive Officer Damien Frawley following meeting with the world’s largest investment fund manager BlackRock in New York.