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When IWD Takes Over the Calendar | Dean’s Desk 5

1. International Women’s Day Business Lunch 2026

We can’t start anywhere else.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for RIN’s International Women’s Day Business Lunch. With 580 guests in the room, it was another fantastic celebration of leadership, diversity and connection across our region.

This year marked our 10th year at the MECC and our sixth consecutive sell-out. Over the life of the event we’ve now welcomed around 4,500 attendees, cementing IWD as a cornerstone of Mackay’s business and social calendar.

Our keynote speaker Kate Davies, CEO of Netball Queensland, delivered an inspiring address about the strength of regional communities, the value of networks and the importance of consistency and grit over time. As a big sports fan, I couldn’t have enjoyed it more.

The panel discussion sparked great conversation across the room, and despite the weather forecast keeping us on our toes, the rain mostly held off for our first IWD After Party at The Dispensary, where the discussions continued well into the evening.

A fantastic day and a great reminder of the strength of this network.

2. Committees Are Back in Action

Behind the scenes, our committees have also kicked off for the year.

This week we held our first Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Committee meeting for 2026. It was a positive start with strong engagement and clear momentum for the year ahead.

One key discussion was Recommendation 6 of the Brady Review, which focuses on strengthening safety leadership and culture across the sector. Members highlighted the importance of better communication and learning from incidents across industry.

The group also began conversations around this year’s Safety Conference, which continues to grow as one of the region’s key safety leadership events.

I’m proud RIN hosts the region’s only dedicated HSE working group, bringing together members, industry and regulators to share knowledge and support safer workplaces.

3. Tough Headlines, Important Conversations

There have been several tough headlines across our region in recent weeks, with announcements and closures creating understandable concern for local businesses and communities.

While these developments aren’t entirely unexpected, they reinforce the importance of honest conversations about investment confidence and the long-term outlook for regional industries.

Recently I met with Jason Kidd (Deputy Director-General for Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development within the Department of Natural Resources and Mines) and Chris Filby (Regional Director Central Queensland at the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning) to discuss the impacts being felt across our region.

Encouragingly, there is growing recognition of the significant contribution our industry and regional economies make to the state, along with increasing acknowledgement of the pressures currently being experienced on the ground.

We will continue advocating strongly for our members and ensuring the voices of regional Queensland are part of these conversations.

4. Connecting Industry and the Next Generation

On a more optimistic note, we’ve also been connecting with the next generation of our workforce.

I recently spoke at a VET networking event at Pioneer State High School, followed by several conversations with educators and industry representatives.

One thing became clear. There is still a significant gap between the future workforce and current industry.

Encouragingly, there are some exciting developments underway around school-based apprenticeships and modern trade training programs that better align with industry needs.

Our focus now is helping bridge that gap by connecting schools with businesses, inviting educators to events and creating greater visibility around career opportunities in our sector.

Investing in young people will be critical to the long-term sustainability of our region.

Looking Ahead

The next fortnight isn’t slowing down.

We kick things off with our Economic Outlook Breakfast, delivered with NAB and Mackay Regional Council, exploring the theme Global Headlines, Local Impact. From fuel prices to geopolitical tensions, we’ve all seen the news. This session will unpack what they mean for our region and why they matter for local businesses.

From there we head to Moranbah for the Renewable Energy Supply Chain Forum, before finishing the week with our March Industry Briefing featuring Qantas and Mackay Airport, focusing on the importance of maintaining and increasing strong regional routes that keep our communities and industries connected.

As always, plenty happening behind the scenes, and I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events.