Times for Cairns to get its fair share at last

Let me be blunt: Cairns has been shafted when it comes to state funding.

We haven’t received the dollars and infrastructure we need to keep pace with population growth.

That’s what the facts tell us.

Over the past decade, State Government capital funding allocated to the Cairns region was the lowest of any region outside South-East Queensland on a per person basis.

We got $31,738 per person in budgeted capital expenditure (things like infrastructure and grants) from the state between 2015/16 and 2024/25, according to council analysis of State Budgets.

Compare that $31,738 allocation to our regional cousins. It’s a stark and disappointing contrast.

Central Queensland had one of the largest allocations at $52,519 per person. Townsville received $37,560 per person. The Wide Bay region $37,282, Toowoomba and Darling Downs $36,640 and Mackay got $35,082.

When you total up those per capita differences across our city, we missed out on hundreds of millions of dollars throughout that decade compared to other regional cities.

That’s why your council has put forward nine state election priorities for all sides of politics to get behind over the next few weeks.

These projects and initiatives align with council’s mission to balance population growth while maintaining our tropical lifestyle and Cairns-ness, creating the type of city we love to live, work and play in.

Now it’s time for parties across the political divide to step up and deliver.

Our election priorities are spread right across our city from north to south, focusing on housing, recreational infrastructure and tourism.

The long game to secure these commitments on a bi-partisan basis is now reaching crunch time.

We’ve already had some early wins. The LNP’s $14 million commitment to enhance the Smithfield Mountain Bike (MTB) Park is one of our election priorities. This will expand the trail network to compete with global mountain biking destinations and attract major events.

Just yesterday, the Labor Party made a significant pledge towards one of the biggest advocacy items on our list.

The $15 million commitment for a high-performance centre at West Barlow Park, plus $10 million from the North Queensland Cowboys, will help realise the dream to base the Cowboy’s women’s team here and provide huge benefits to local and visiting athletes and teams.

I appreciate any support from candidates that align with our nine priorities and help move Cairns forward. I’ll publicly acknowledge and thank those who do.

If any of these nine priority projects resonate with you, talk to your local MP and candidate over the next few weeks to advocate for them alongside your council.

Let’s make it happen by the time we get to polling day on October 26.

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