The Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) is delivering an innovative plan to revitalise Queensland's food and agriculture sector and enhance its economic and employment contribution to the state. The Fresh Approach initiative was launched in June 2008 to accelerate growth in Queensland's primary industries and achieve the vision of a $34 billion industry by 2020 - almost three times today's value.

The Fresh Approach is based around three pillars:

• Building skills for the future, in collaboration with the Department of Education and Training, the Australian Agricultural College Corporation (AACC) and Queensland universities, to create a career pathway that will produce the skills needed by an internationally competitive industry.
• Capitalising on research and development (R&D) potential to foster world-class innovation by progressing Queensland's involvement in the national research, development and extension (RD&E) framework and establishing 'Centres of Research Excellence' to maximise research opportunities and outcomes for industry through partnership with other research providers.
• Networking and modernising services through greater use of the latest technology to improve and broaden service delivery and ensure services are more closely aligned to Government priorities and meet industry needs.

Since the fresh approach was announced by the Minister, Tim Mulherin, in June 2008, key progress has included:

• transferring the Australian Agricultural College Corporation (AACC) to DEEDI from the Department of Education, Training and the Arts on 1 July 2008
• announcing a agri-science hub in Mareeba to focus on RD&E, education and training on the Atherton Tablelands
• launching DEEDI's mobile office
• signing a Statement of Intent with James Cook University to create the Australian Institute for Tropical Agricultural Sciences
• launching the new Queensland Biosecurity Strategy
• announcing $32 million in investments for the Queensland beef industry
• signing a Statement of Intent with the University of Queensland (UQ) to partner in key areas of research
• developing a new Service Delivery Framework that outlines DEEDI's strategy to modernise service delivery
• launching the AACC 2012: Reconnecting agricultural education implementation plan to improve training products and services in rural Queensland
• announcing the new Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) and the appointment of its Director
• announcing major dairy research expansion at Gatton with UQ.