Mayor Bob Manning expressed his disappointment that while Cairns water funding needs remain unresolved, hundreds of millions of dollars are being poured into water projects in other parts of Queensland.
“I read on Wednesday that the Federal Government will be committing $483 million to the Urannah Dam Project in Central Queensland,” Cr Manning said.
“This is just the latest in a series of recent water funding commitments the Queensland and Federal Governments have made to other regions.
“It comes following a $1.2 billion for Paradise Dam in the Wide-Bay-Burnett, $420 million for the Haughton Pipelines in Townsville and $367 million for the Rookwood Weir in Central Queensland.
“We don’t begrudge those regions that investment, but why are the water funding needs of the Cairns community continually overlooked when our need is well established and our ask is a fraction of the commitments made elsewhere?
“Let’s not forget that without action, Cairns faces the real possibility of a drinking water shortfall by the middle of this decade.”
Cr Manning also pointed to a report from Infrastructure Australia which highlighted the lack of investment for water security in the Far North.
“Yesterday, we had Infrastructure Australia, the nation’s independent infrastructure adviser, releasing a report that highlights water security as a key infrastructure gap in the Cairns and Tropical North region,” Cr Manning said.
“Well that should come as a surprise to no one.
“When the Federal Government launched its Northern Australia white paper in 2015, investment in water infrastructure in the north was flagged as a key priority.
“Nullinga Dam was identified as the project that would ‘…secure Cairns’ long-term future (water) supply needs.’
“That project is not proceeding and seven years later, our water security problem still remains unresolved.
“In 2019, when then Natural Resources Minister Dr Anthony Lynham announced the Queensland Government would not be proceeding with Nullinga Dam he said: ‘The State Government will pursue other water supply options to support development and jobs…’
“My question for the Queensland Government is what are those other options for Cairns if it’s not our project?
“How many strategies, reports, business cases, policy agendas highlighting Cairns’ water problem need to be produced before someone actually does the one thing required – and that’s to step up and fund our water project.”
Background info:
- The Cairns Water Security – Stage 1 project will source new water capacity from a run of river supply in the Mulgrave River, treat and deliver that additional water into the existing Cairns water supply network.
- The project will also improve the treatment process to be applied to Council’s Behana Creek water source.
- Council is seeking a $215 million funding contribution from the Queensland and Federal Governments ($107.5 million each) towards the project’s capital cost.
- Based on existing supply capacity within the Cairns Water Supply Scheme and future population growth projections, Cairns will be at risk of drinking water shortfall by the middle of the decade.
- Cairns’ primary water source, Copperlode Falls Dam, was built in 1976 when 58,000 people lived here. The dam has served Cairns well, but the city’s service population has more than tripled to 198,000 (residents and visitors). Copperlode will not be able to meet the water needs of our growing population.
