Last month in Brisbane, almost 550 people attended the Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards Gala.

These Queensland businesses, including Queensland Exporter of the Year Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, are about to don their best black tie and gowns yet again as they represent our State at the Australian Export Awards in Canberra next week.

Australia’s exporting champions

Queensland’s export achievements are impressive.

Despite the challenges stemming from Covid-19 including logistics and supply chain issues, the State’s incredible trade figures have continued to break records.

The latest figures for the year ending September 2022 totalled $131.3 billion, exceeding the export totals of New South Wales and Victoria combined.

More than one in two of Australia’s export dollars are generated by Queensland, contributing over half of Australia’s goods export growth for the 12 months to September.

Queensland’s secret sauce

Apart from almost 300 sunny days each year and spectacular natural treasures, the Sunshine State produces an incredibly diverse range of goods.

There’s an undercurrent of ingenuity and reinvention that flows through and reaches right out to the regions, especially in this year’s Export Award category representatives.

Companies representing Queensland and competing for the national titles next week have a remarkable story.

Some are family businesses, and some are pioneering innovations.

The Advanced Technologies category winner, Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment, is based in Noosaville.

Their aerial firefighting equipment is retrofitted to helicopters to more effectively battle large scale wildfires and exported to the US and Europe.

ABI Interiors, a family business from the Gold Coast, are representing Queensland in the e-commerce category.

Established in 2016, they found their secret sauce in the lack of supply of premium coloured kitchen and bathroom fixtures and fittings. Using the latest PVD technology, they launched an advanced colouring process into the industry mainstream and scaled their business by giving greater access to global customers.

In the Manufacturing and Advanced Materials category, winners Sun Engineering opened their doors in Ipswich in 1975. Their first major project was servicing the Bulimba power station and have since worked on major projects across Australia, in China and Papua New Guinea.

They now have many classic Queensland projects under their belt including the new roof on Suncorp Stadium, fabrication of the Tower of Terror rollercoaster at Dream World, and even the steel crown of the Q1 Tower.

Second time nominee, and winner of the Creative Industries category, Next Level Racing from the Gold Coast exports their racing simulators to over 50 countries for global electronic gaming events.

From the hinterland of the Scenic Rim, Plasvacc, will represent in the Small Business category.

The company is the only dedicated animal plasma production facility in the country and exports to several international destinations.

And our Queensland Exporter of the Year 2022, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, epitomises a great Queensland family business, taking out the title for their range of locally inspired drinks so popular overseas.

State of origin showdown

These are just some of the 12 accomplished state winners who will take on the rest of the country in a hotly contested battle for the national titles next week.

No matter how many titles the state brings home, Queensland is the export powerhouse of the nation sending goods to around 200 countries.

One in four jobs are directly dependent on interstate or international trade, which equates to more than 600,000 jobs – nearly the size of the Gold Coast population.

The announcement of each quarter’s ABS statistics continues to reveal new records, each quarter showing a solid upward trajectory.

And with this spirit of inventiveness and 40 per cent of exporters based in regional areas the global business door is wide open across the state.

Queensland’s exporters are supported with guidance, market insights, network connections, grants and other support by the Government’s dedicated agency, Trade and Investment Queensland.

Find out how your business can be supported at the Trade and Investment Queensland website.