A document highlighting projects critical to the future economic prosperity and liveability of the city has been endorsed by Cairns Regional Council.
The Cairns Region City Deal Proposal Document provides the basis for discussion and negotiation between representatives of local, state and federal governments, with the view of securing a City Deal for Cairns.
City Deals are a tripartite arrangement bringing together all three levels of government, the community and private enterprise to drive economic development and liveability within Australia’s cities.
Using the Cairns 2050 Shared Vision as its foundation, the document sets out the projects and initiatives that should be considered for inclusion within a City Deal for Cairns.
They include:
- Aviation route development
- Cairns destination sports
- Cairns Gallery Precinct
- Cairns Hospital (university status)
- Cairns Metro/Airport Link
- Cairns Road Network Projects (eg Cairns Western Arterial Road)
- Cairns Seaport/HMAS Cairns
- City Centre Masterplan
- CQUniversity City Campus and Impact Plan
- Innovation Precinct
- Integrated Transport Strategy
- National Indigenous Heritage Centre
- Nature Based Tourism Strategy
- Population and Migration Strategy
- Priority Regional Recycling and Reprocessing Hub
- Priority Renewable Energy Zone
- Reef and Rainforest Management
- Sustainable Tourism Funding
- Water Infrastructure Development
“Whilst the proposal document sets out 19 of the key projects we believe should be considered for inclusion in a City Deal for Cairns, we appreciate the process is a negotiated one,” Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said.
“This means we may not be able to get all of these projects included in a ‘Deal’ for Cairns.
“Having said this, the people of Cairns can rest assured that we will be advocating and negotiating strongly to achieve a positive result for our community.”
The Proposal Document carries the support of State Member for Cairns Michael Healy and Federal Member for Leichhardt the Hon Warren Entsch, and was developed with input and consultation with key stakeholders.
“With input from all levels of government and a diverse range of stakeholders, the proposal document provides a roadmap to deliver economic prosperity and liveability for our community,” Cr Manning said.
“The role of Council and indeed any government is simple, to make life better for our people, both the people of our community today, but perhaps even more importantly, for the generations that follow.
“Building a shared vision and securing a City Deal for Cairns is critical to ensuring that we remain focussed on securing the infrastructure, programs and policy that will deliver the long term prosperity of our city and ensure the continued improvement in the quality of life for our community.”
