Ipswich
The Ipswich electorate includes Ipswich Central and surrounding suburbs including East Ipswich, Booval, Silkstone, Eastern Heights, Raceview, Flinders View, Ripley, Woodend, Sadliers Crossing, Yamanto, Churchill and parts of Bundamba.
The electorate is mainly residential but includes light manufacturing, retail and service industries and a wide range of small to medium businesses.
Ipswich has also been a ‘dormitory suburb’ with many commuting to Brisbane for work. However due to Rachel’s strong advocacy for regionalising government agencies when appropriate, Ipswich is now the home for a wide range of government offices including the new state headquarters for Queensland Rail. This particular move has particular significance as Ipswich is birth place of the rail industry in Queensland.