Hydrogen is already a very large industry. It's used in a number of applications but it has a very high carbon footprint because it uses methane as its source, as green hydrogen can be used to decarbonise those streams using renewables but they can also be used potentially in replacing oil in heavy transport applications, in the aviation sector, in maritime, in long distance trucking and rail. 

And also, into Industrial domestic heating, where gas would be used as a feed stock.

It's really important for us to be investing in this sort of capacity and capability in the region, because the region is going to be attracting and already is significant amounts of investment over the coming decades.

And we want to grow the local workforce so that people can be employed in those projects and so that the project proponents will be attracted to the region and will be retained in the region, and will be successful in the region through renewable energy and hydrogen investment.

It's really important for Central Queensland University to offer research opportunities, training and education in hydrogen renewable energies because we have an obligation to be supporting the transition to Net Zero. 

We want to align our objectives with sustainability and empower future workforces to be able to meet the future demands, to also work in clean energy hubs and to support that broader transition.

That Global transition that we need to do in order to combat the impacts of climate change. 

Central Queensland University is supporting industry and community in a number of ways right across our campuses. 

One is in Workforce Development. There's going to be a lot of jobs required, a lot of new skills as this industry develops. It's also important that we're developing solutions and local supply chains to actually underpin the success of those projects that industry is putting in place.

We really want to maximise the investment and we want to retain the investment and the position of central Queensland as an energy and Industrial superpower. Australia currently is a major energy exporter and being an exporter of renewables is going to be a really important step.