Tom Willis is an award-winning marketing leader and Co-founder of Lawpath. Tom’s journey journey includes steering several entrepreneurial projects and addressing the unique challenges faced by small businesses. As the Chief Marketing Officer at Lawpath, Tom has been pivotal in shaping the company’s marketing strategy and business growth.
If you want to start a business in QLD in FY26, the numbers point somewhere specific: Ipswich, Livingstone, Logan, Moreton Bay, Scenic Rim, Townsville, Redland, Fraser Coast, Cairns and Sunshine Coast, in that order of growth. These are the ten local government areas where new business registrations grew fastest year on year, cross-checked against ABS business counts so you can see which ones are backed by real trading activity, not just a rush of ABNs.
Most people register their business wherever they happen to live. They rarely check whether that postcode is where the growth actually is. That is not a mistake exactly, but it leaves something on the table: cheaper commercial rent, less competition for tradies and services, and council economic teams that are actively chasing new operators rather than ignoring them. Decide to start a business in QLD with the data in front of you, and you get a head start the rest miss.
- Ipswich is QLD’s fastest-growing LGA for new businesses. Registrations jumped from 6,415 in FY25 to 9,593 in FY26, up 49.5%, on the back of Springfield and Ripley’s population boom.
- QLD logged roughly 286,000 new business registrations in FY26. That is a jump of more than a third on FY25, spread well beyond Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
- Two ranked areas run hotter than their ABS active-business base. Livingstone and Scenic Rim both show new registrations exceeding the official active count, a sign of owners registering against a home postcode outside their trading area.
- Construction leads new registrations in 8 of the top 10 areas. Land release and housing approvals are the common thread behind this year’s growth list.
- Registering a company costs $636 in ASIC fees as of FY26. GST registration is only compulsory once turnover passes $75,000, a threshold that has not moved since 2000.
How we ranked the top 10 cities to start a business in QLD
Two datasets sit behind this list. The first is the Lawpath New Business Index, which tracks new business registrations by postcode across Australia and rolls them up to local government areas. The second is the Australian Bureau of Statistics Counts of Australian Businesses, released in December 2025, which counts every operating business by industry, staff numbers and turnover.
We took every QLD local government area with at least 2,500 new registrations in FY26, then ranked them by year-on-year growth. The floor keeps the list to genuine cities and larger centres, rather than small shires that can post big percentages off a low base.
We then cross-checked each area against the ABS count of active businesses. One caveat worth naming: registrations are recorded against a business owner’s address postcode, while the ABS counts businesses by their main operating location. In fast-growing outer areas that can push annual registrations close to or above the ABS active count, so read the two figures as complementary rather than identical.
The 10 fastest-growing places to start a business in QLD (FY26)
| # | City / LGA | Region | New businesses FY26 | YoY growth | 5-yr growth | Active (ABS 2025) | Top industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ipswich | Greater Ipswich | 9,593 | +49.5% | +409% | 13,888 | Construction |
| 2 | Livingstone | Capricorn Coast | 3,719 | +47.0% | +263% | 3,503* | Construction |
| 3 | Logan | South Brisbane Corridor | 15,459 | +45.8% | +362% | 29,449 | Construction |
| 4 | Moreton Bay | North Brisbane | 24,423 | +42.8% | +318% | 33,587 | Construction |
| 5 | Scenic Rim | West Moreton Hinterland | 10,587 | +41.2% | +295% | 5,130* | Agriculture |
| 6 | Townsville | North Queensland | 7,001 | +41.1% | +350% | 13,122 | Construction |
| 7 | Redland | Bayside Brisbane | 8,736 | +37.5% | +256% | 12,896 | Construction |
| 8 | Fraser Coast | Wide Bay | 3,084 | +37.3% | +252% | 7,104 | Construction |
| 9 | Cairns | Far North Queensland | 9,088 | +37.0% | +331% | 15,166 | Construction |
| 10 | Sunshine Coast | Sunshine Coast | 18,955 | +35.0% | +234% | 39,239 | Construction |
Wherever you land on this list, getting started is quick. You can register an ABN in about a day, or register a company and have your ACN in minutes.
The 10 fastest-growing places to start a business in QLD, in detail
1. Ipswich: Queensland’s fastest-growing city for new business
Ipswich added roughly 10,000 residents in the year to January 2026, taking the city past 270,000, with Ripley and Springfield the standout growth suburbs and a state forecast of 480,000 residents by 2041. The Ripley Priority Development Area alone is planned for 48,750 homes and 131,000 people, and the Springfield precinct has already drawn $18 billion in investment.
The $1.066 billion Ipswich Hospital Stage 2 rebuild and a state-funded three-stage bus network upgrade are both landing in growth corridors like Redbank Plains and Ripley. The customer base is arriving before the suburb finishes building. Construction, health services and retail trade all stand to benefit early.
2. Livingstone: the Capricorn Coast’s sea change economy
Livingstone Shire, home to Yeppoon and Emu Park, is absorbing more than 1,000 new permanent residents a year as downsizers and retirees make the move to the Capricorn Coast. New registrations reached 3,719 in FY26, though this exceeds the shire’s ABS active-business count of 3,503, likely reflecting owners registering against a Yeppoon home address while trading further afield.
The Yeppoon Town Centre Revitalisation Project and Stage 2 of the Capricorn Coast Homemaker Centre are both council-led pushes to give the CBD more retail pull. Construction and agriculture already dominate local registrations, so trades and hospitality businesses tied to the sea-change population have the clearest runway.
3. Logan: a satellite city taking shape south of Brisbane
Logan’s population passed 392,000 in mid-2024 and is growing at nearly double the South East Queensland average. New registrations rose from 10,600 to 15,459 in FY26, up 45.8%, with the 45,000-person Yarrabilba community and its new Dixon Circuit retail precinct a major driver.
Logan’s Office of Economic Development runs targeted investment attraction for the corridor. The state budget has also committed funding to transport upgrades in the city’s fastest-growing western suburbs. Construction and transport and warehousing lead new registrations. The corridor’s role as a logistics link between Brisbane and the Gold Coast is deepening.
4. Moreton Bay: an Olympic legacy corridor with room to grow
Moreton Bay’s new registrations climbed from 17,106 to 24,423 in FY26, up 42.8%, the third-largest volume gain in the state. The city is one of three co-host regions for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, with an $180 million tourism and dining precinct planned for North Lakes and a proposed Flatwater Rowing Precinct at Lawnton expected to deliver 850 new homes.
Council has partnered directly with private developers on both projects, positioning the city for long-term visitor and resident growth well past the Games. Construction leads new registrations by a wide margin, tracking the pace of housing approvals across the corridor.
5. Scenic Rim: freight, farmland and a state-backed industrial zone
New registrations in Scenic Rim rose from 7,498 to 10,587 in FY26, up 41.2%, though this exceeds the region’s ABS active count of 5,130, again likely a postcode effect from owners based in Beaudesert or Jimboomba trading into Logan and Ipswich. The 15,000-hectare Bromelton State Development Area west of Beaudesert is forecast to generate more than 15,000 jobs by 2035 in freight, logistics and manufacturing.
The Queensland Government has funded a business case to activate Bromelton, alongside a completed $27.5 million Beaudesert Town Centre Bypass that has already improved freight access. Agriculture and construction currently dominate new registrations, but the Bromelton pipeline points toward logistics as the next growth sector.
6. Townsville: North Queensland’s defence and hydrogen hub
Townsville’s new registrations grew from 4,962 to 7,001 in FY26, up 41.1%, backed by a North Queensland project pipeline worth an estimated $64.9 billion over the next decade. Defence remains the largest single contributor to the region’s economy, and the $3 billion Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct is drawing renewable energy, hydrogen and battery manufacturing investment.
The Townsville City Deal and the newly released 2026-2031 Defence Industry Strategy are both actively steering government and industry investment into the city. Health care and construction lead new registrations, reflecting both population growth and a $12 billion committed infrastructure pipeline.
7. Redland: bayside growth beyond a stalled harbour project
Redland’s new registrations rose from 6,352 to 8,736 in FY26, up 37.5%. The long-running Toondah Harbour redevelopment has stalled after its private developer withdrew in April 2026, but the newly declared Southern Thornlands Priority Development Area, an 890-hectare precinct earmarked for around 8,000 homes, has stepped in as the region’s next major growth driver.
Southern Thornlands sits under a state planning framework rather than the local city plan. That should speed up approvals once it moves to delivery. Construction and professional services lead current registrations. The Redland Whitewater Centre is also funded as one of the region’s Brisbane 2032 venues.
8. Fraser Coast: a $9.3 billion train manufacturing anchor
Fraser Coast’s new registrations grew from 2,246 to 3,084 in FY26, up 37.3%, the smallest volume among the top 10 but still comfortably above the growth floor. The Queensland Train Manufacturing Program is building a purpose-built rail production facility at Torbanlea, near Maryborough, expected to bring more than 8,000 jobs to the region over the life of the project.
Council’s town planning has prioritised the Hervey Bay Airport expansion and road upgrades between Maryborough and Hervey Bay to keep pace with growth. Construction and health care lead new registrations, with the twin cities of Hervey Bay and Maryborough each anchoring a different side of the region’s economy.
9. Cairns: diversifying beyond tourism
Cairns’ new registrations rose from 6,633 to 9,088 in FY26, up 37%, as the region’s economic output pushed past $11 billion. Council’s Economic Development Strategy has driven diversification into marine, defence, health and aviation, with the Cairns Marine Precinct at Portsmith and the Far North Queensland Health and Innovation Precinct both expanding.
A $390 million Cairns Water Security Project and $91 million in Olympic-linked upgrades at Barlow Park are both underway. Health care and construction lead new registrations, with the visitor economy still the region’s defining strength alongside its two World Heritage-listed neighbours.
10. Sunshine Coast: an Olympic co-host with the deepest volume of the group
Sunshine Coast added the most new businesses in raw terms among the top 10, up from 14,043 to 18,955 in FY26, a 35% rise. The region is a confirmed co-host for Brisbane 2032, with the Sunshine Coast Stadium expanding from 1,046 to over 10,000 permanent seats and a new Maroochydore athlete village, arena and cultural precinct planned.
State and federal governments have committed $417 million to Games venues across the region, and a Caloundra interchange upgrade is set to ease a corridor currently carrying more than 46,000 vehicles a day. Construction and professional services lead new registrations, tracking both the venue build and the wider population influx.
Notable mentions: big volume, steadier growth
These three areas did not make the growth ranking. But they still matter to anyone who wants to start a business in QLD, for a different reason: scale, established infrastructure and deep customer bases.
Brisbane
Brisbane added 83,283 new businesses in FY26, more than any other LGA in the state, even though its 31% growth rate placed it outside the top 10. As host city for the 2032 Olympics, Brisbane is driving a wave of hotel, stadium and precinct investment, led by professional, scientific and technical services as the largest contributing industry.
Gold Coast
Gold Coast recorded 50,969 new registrations in FY26, up 35%. That is just shy of the growth cut-off. It is still the second-largest volume in the state. Construction dominates local registrations, reflecting a market that has combined lifestyle appeal with a deep pipeline of Olympic-linked and residential development.
Toowoomba
Toowoomba’s 6,362 new registrations in FY26 grew a solid 33%. The city is Australia’s second-largest inland city. It is also a key node on the Inland Rail freight corridor linking Melbourne to Brisbane. Agriculture and construction lead local registrations, reflecting the city’s position as the commercial hub for the Darling Downs.
Why QLD is a strong state for new businesses
Queensland recorded around 286,000 new business registrations in FY26, and the growth is not confined to Brisbane or the Gold Coast. Seven of the state’s ten fastest-growing LGAs for new businesses sit in the South East Queensland corridor stretching from Ipswich to the Sunshine Coast, with Townsville, Cairns and Fraser Coast showing that regional Queensland is keeping pace.
Population growth is the common thread. The South East Queensland Regional Plan earmarks Ipswich, Logan and Moreton Bay as the state’s primary growth corridors, and Queensland’s own population projections show the state adding residents faster than any other mainland state through the 2020s.
The standout regional driver this year is the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Moreton Bay, Redland and Sunshine Coast are all confirmed co-host regions, and the 2032 Delivery Plan is steering venue and precinct investment into all three well ahead of the Games themselves.
What the index shows about where new businesses are going
The pattern in this year’s list is a shift outward. The fastest growth is not happening in Brisbane’s inner suburbs. It is happening in the outer growth corridors: Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay, and further out again to Townsville, Cairns and Fraser Coast. Brisbane and Gold Coast still carry the largest raw numbers. Their growth rates have simply slowed as the base gets bigger.
Construction is the industry showing up again and again across the top 10. That tracks with what is driving the growth in the first place: land release, housing approvals and population inflow. Where the houses go up first, the tradies follow. Real estate agents and professional services businesses follow soon after.
How to actually start your business once you have picked a place
Choosing the location is the strategic bit. Setting up is the admin bit, and it is quicker than most people expect.
Start with your structure. Most people begin as a sole trader for its simplicity, then move to a company once income or risk grows. Our guide on sole trader versus company walks through the trade-offs. The short version: a company caps your personal liability but adds reporting.
From there the steps are straightforward. Get an ABN, then register a business name if you are trading under anything other than your own name. If you are setting up a company, you can register a company online and receive your ACN in minutes, with the ASIC registration fee sitting at $636 for FY26. You will also need to register for GST once your turnover reaches $75,000. It does not usually matter which state you register a company in, because a company operates nationally, a point we cover in choosing where to register.
If you would rather have a person check your setup, you can hire a lawyer for a quick consult before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best city to start a business in QLD in FY26?
Ipswich posted the fastest growth in new business registrations in FY26, up 49.5% year on year, driven by population growth in Ripley and Springfield.
Which QLD city had the most new businesses in FY26?
Brisbane recorded the highest volume with 83,283 new registrations, though its 31% growth rate placed it outside the top 10 fastest-growing areas.
Why are Livingstone and Scenic Rim flagged in this ranking?
Both areas show new registrations exceeding their ABS active-business count, likely because owners register against a home postcode while trading in a neighbouring area.
How much does it cost to register a company in Queensland?
ASIC charges $636 to register a Pty Ltd company as of FY26, plus a $342 annual review fee. This is a Commonwealth fee and applies Australia-wide, not just in Queensland.
When do I need to register for GST in Queensland?
You must register for GST once your turnover reaches or is projected to reach $75,000 in any 12-month period. This threshold has not changed since GST was introduced in 2000.
Is regional Queensland growing faster than Brisbane for new businesses?
Several regional areas, including Townsville, Cairns and Fraser Coast, posted growth above 35% in FY26, close to the pace of the fastest-growing South East Queensland corridors.
What industries are driving new business growth in QLD?
Construction leads new registrations in 8 of the 10 fastest-growing areas, reflecting the housing and land release driving population growth across the state.
Will the Brisbane 2032 Olympics affect where I should start a business?
Moreton Bay, Redland and Sunshine Coast are all confirmed Olympic co-host regions receiving venue and infrastructure investment now, which is already showing up in their new business registration numbers.
Where to from here
You do not need to pick the perfect city to succeed, and no ranking replaces knowing your own customers. What the FY26 data gives you is a head start: a clear view of where people, homes and money are moving in QLD, so you can plant your business in front of the demand instead of chasing it.
When you are ready to make it official, register your company with Lawpath and get your ACN in minutes.
