PITT IN CAIRNS BUDGET TEASER FAIR GO
$3m for mental health as Treasurer keeps big-ticket reveal under wraps
CAIRNS taxpayers are hoping the Queensland Government will today announce two more big-ticket items for the region in the State Budget: funding for a convention centre extension and $120 million for the Smithfield highway bypass.
Yesterday Treasurer Curtis Pitt revealed $3 million towards a new $70 million mental health unit following a pledge for $120 million for the long-awaited dredging of the city’s shipping channel late last week.
THE State Government has rushed forward funding to start work on a new $70 million mental health facility after the Cairns Post uncovered gaping security holes at Cairns Hospital.
Treasurer Curtis Pitt will today announce $3 million in the 2017-18 State Budget to get the ball rolling on a plan to colocate inpatient and community mental health services at Cairns Hospital and build a new mental health precinct.
But Mr Pitt has dropped a funding cliffhanger for two of the region’s most important projects – the proposed Cairns Convention Centre upgrade and extension and a $120 million plan to build the Smithfield bypass.
“I’ll be announcing further major infrastructure spending for Cairns in today’s Budget speech,” he said.
Mr Pitt has previously called the convention centre expansion “the single best project that we could see happen in Cairns” but was keeping quiet yesterday.
The state government will today unveil $240.8 million in 2017-18 to improve social housing across the Far North.
The lion’s share of that allocation will go to Cape York and Torres Strait communities, where the need and logistic expenses are greater. But Housing Minister Mick de Brenni’s office yesterday announced Cairns would get a dedicated $54 million funding pool to build 137 new social housing dwellings over the first five years of a 10-year, $1.8 billion statewide program.
The $3 million Cairns Hospital funding pledge follows the Cairns Post revealing four forensic patients, charged with criminal offences, went missing from the mental health unit during 2015-16. The Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service had the state’s worst record for keeping track of its mental health sufferers with 133 missing patients over the year.
The Budget will set aside $10.6 million to deliver specialist homelessness services across the Far North with a $3.8 million allocation to develop the Tingira St industrial precinct in Portsmith.
The entire local infrastructure allocation for the Far North will be $819.2 million in 2017-18 with a record $1.1 billion health budget apportioned between the Torres and Cape, and Cairns and Hinterland hospital and health services.
Education projects will tally up to $49.8 million for Far North schools next financial year, including a $4.8 million injection to build a multipurpose hall at Trinity Bay State High School and $4.6 million to construct classrooms at Cairns West State School.
Mr Pitt will unveil the full list today, but has promised a surplus without selling off income-generating assets.
“Despite the economic and financial damage inflicted by Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie and related flood events, the 2017-18 Budget is in surplus,” he said.
“And we will continue to deliver jobs and surpluses across the forward estimates.”