Advocacy is an important role of council in representing the needs of the Ipswich community to decision makers in State and Federal governments.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to advocacy. But working at its best, advocacy combines elements of influencing policy, informing decision-making, and involving the community in the process.
Why is advocacy important for Ipswich?
Ipswich is one of Queensland’s fastest growing local government areas, with an annual percentage growth rate of 3.5 per cent between 2022 and 2023.1 By 2041, Ipswich will reach an estimated population of 456,000.2 Ipswich’s rapid and unprecedented population growth requires an equal acceleration of investment in population-supporting infrastructure to ensure that Ipswich residents are afforded the same level of liveability and opportunity as residents in other regions.
Council's advocacy activities aim to provide decision makers with clear and consistent messages about what is needed to deliver beneficial outcomes for the communities that they serve.
1ABS ERP 3218.0
2(Queensland Government population projections, 2023 edition; Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional population, 2021).
Our priorities
Council’s advocacy priorities are known as Regionally Significant Projects (RSPs). These are future-focused projects that will have a positively transformational impact on the whole of the Ipswich region. Council is actively advocating to State and Federal governments for funding and support for these critical, city-shaping initiatives.