What’s happening?
efex has acquired Priority 1 IT, expanding its presence in Queensland and lifting its healthcare and medical IT capability.
Priority 1 was established in Toowoomba in 2013 by Jamie Patch. Since then, it has built a strong name in the Darling Downs and regional Queensland.
The business provides managed solutions for medical sector clients, including cloud, cybersecurity, automation and managed IT. It also supports medical centres, healthcare practitioners and a wider business customer base.
For efex, the deal adds more technical depth, strengthens its regional delivery model and improves its ability to support customers with more complex technology needs.
The move also adds to efex’s growing healthcare focus, with Priority 1 bringing established medical IT experience and a strong healthcare customer base.
Why it matters?
This deal gives efex a stronger foothold in regional Queensland, especially across the Darling Downs and west of Brisbane.
It also gives the company more reach in healthcare, which efex has flagged as a key strategic area.
The acquisition follows efex’s sale to private equity firm Advent Partners toward the end of last year. It also comes less than two months after efex acquired Shepparton-based IT consultancy Compusult.
Together, those moves show efex is continuing to expand through acquisitions that add sector depth and wider geographic reach.
Local Impact
For Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, the deal keeps a well-known local provider in place while linking it to a larger national business.
That matters for medical practices and other businesses across the region that rely on local support and trusted long-term relationships.
efex said customers can expect continued local support, backed by broader capability, deeper resources and a continued focus on helping organisations work more securely, productively and efficiently.
By the numbers
- Priority 1 was established in 2013 in Toowoomba, giving it more than a decade of experience in regional IT support.
- The business supports more than 600 companies across the Darling Downs and regional Queensland, showing its strong local footprint.
- efex also acquired Compusult less than two months ago, pointing to an active acquisition push after Advent Partners bought the company late last year.
Zoom In
efex CEO Nick Sheehan said Priority 1 made strategic sense for the business and the region.
“Priority 1 is the market leader in the Darling Downs and anything west of Brisbane, which bulks up our technical capability and allows us to reach clients that require more complexity and local boots on the ground,” Mr Sheehan said.
“They have great clients, excellent staff, alignment on tech stack and operate in a region that we’ve long believed strongly in from a growth perspective. Importantly, they also strengthen our healthcare capability, which is an area we see as strategically important for efex.”
Priority 1 founder and director Jamie Patch said the move would give customers more support while keeping the local service they know.
“Priority 1 has always been focused on delivering dependable, high-quality technology support for businesses across our region, including healthcare providers. Joining efex gives our clients access to broader capability and deeper resources, while preserving the local service and trusted relationships that have been central to our success,” Mr Patch said.
Zoom Out
The acquisition fits efex’s broader growth strategy of buying managed services businesses that expand its footprint and deepen specialist capability.
It also shows how healthcare and medical IT remain a strong focus in the managed services market, especially where secure systems, cloud services and cybersecurity are becoming more important.
What To Look For Next?
As Priority 1 moves into efex, the key development will be how the combined business grows its healthcare offering while keeping local support strong across Toowoomba, the Darling Downs and regional Queensland.