Advocacy documents outline State and Federal prior

Council today endorsed the Cairns – Queensland Government Priorities and Cairns – Federal Government Priorities advocacy documents, which outline the policies, projects and investment required from the State and Federal government to support long-term economic prosperity and liveability in the Cairns region.

The documents will support Council’s advocacy activities in the lead up to next year’s State and Federal budgets, and the 2020 State election.

Advocacy priorities for the Federal Government include: naval base upgrades in readiness for HMAS Cairns homeporting for the navy’s new Offshore Patrol Vessels and commitments to undertaking long-term naval maintenance and sustainment activities in Cairns; implementation of a Cairns City Deal and designation of Cairns as a Priority Recycling and Reprocessing Hub.

The document also calls on the Federal Government to support a suite of commitments on the region’s road network including funding to support critical planning and analysis of the Kuranda Range Road corridor.

Key advocacy priorities identified in the Cairns – Queensland Government Priorities document include: $370 million for upgrades to the Cairns Western Arterial Road; the establishment of a $50 million state-wide fund to help establish new international aviation routes; $100 million to establish the Cairns Health and Innovation Precinct to support the goal of Cairns Hospital achieving university status; and a number of other Cairns Hospital projects including emergency department upgrades.

Tripartite funding arrangements to support delivery of the Nullinga Dam and Draper Road Water Treatment Plant water security projects as well funding commitments towards the proposed Cairns Gallery Precinct were identified as priorities in both documents.