John Strano discusses the Smart State by noting that a lot of the thinking and push for the branding came from the university sector. He details the influence of universities upon the encouragement for biotechnology. He goes on to detail the outcomes of this policy that many strategists did not consider, largely that biotech had very different flow on effects for the economy compared to IT.
Peter Beattie reflects on his policy initiatives, identifying the Smart State suite of policies as his greatest achievement, and reiterating his belief in the importance of research and innovation in Queensland's future.
Ross Rolfe describes the relationship between government and vice chancellors under the Beattie era, including John Hay at UQ, and Dennis Gibson at QUT, Glyn Davis's links between government and Griffith University, and the role of Ken Fletcher and billionaire philanthropist Chuck Feeney.
Ross Rolfe reflects on the relationship between premiers and universities, including Peter Beattie and Mike Ahern, and Peter Beattie's ability to convince the media of its importance. He describes the spread of Smart State-ism to other activities including 'clean coal' technologies, gas, coal seam methane, and aviation. He describes the failure in the synchrotron bid and the resulting initiative with Paul Greenfield of the University of Queensland to get federal funding for the AIBN.
