More work needed

A TUMULTOUS year has passed since the federal election returned Warren Entsch to parliament for another three years in Leichhardt’s driving seat.

Most of his funding pledges have been delivered, including an $8.8 million spend in the ongoing fight to eradicate yellow crazy ants, but his biggest ticket items have still not gone from concept to construction. Applications for a share in Mr Entsch’s $20 million jobs fund for the Far North close at the end of the month.

“The very few election promises that haven’t yet been delivered, such as the Regional Jobs Investment Package, are still waiting for applications,” he said.

“Once the deadline for these applications has passed they will be assessed and the successful project leaders will be notified with government funding being delivered soon after as originally promised.”

Advance Cairns CEO Kevin Byrne said the public was getting restless, noting the money was due to be allocated to projects within three months.

He said the promised $24 million upgrade of the Cairns marine precinct, still in its planning phase, was supposed to happen by the end of the year.

“There hasn’t been any money roll out the door, we know that,” he said.

“When announcements of this nature are made in the heat of an election campaign, it builds up expectations.

“The natural expectation is that it happens sooner rather than later.”

Mr Entsch said Regional Development Minister Fiona Nash had approved the marine precinct upgrade plan with details soon to be released.

He said the $10 million funding guaranteed for the new Cairns Innovation Centre at James Cook University was similarly committed, although work was still pending.

“A decision on when construction will commence is up to JCU,” Mr Entsch said.

Last year’s election win heralded Mr Entsch’s seventhterm in parliament, having beaten Labor’s Sharryn Howes with 54 per cent of the vote after preferences.

While his pledges for Leichhardt are progressing – not all as quickly as some might like – Mr Entsch’s battles in the national sphere have had varied success. He was “profoundly disappointed” in October when Labor voted down the Coalition’s same-sex marriage plebiscite and he lost the debate alongside Senator Ian Macdonald to block the cancellation of lifetime gold travel passes for retired MPs.

Cory Bernardi’s exit from the Coalition in February did not cause much concern, given Mr Entsch’s long-running feud with the erstwhile Liberal powerbroker over gay marriage.

Mr Entsch’s public lobbying for scrutiny into the banking sector paid off when a $6 billion banking levy was handed down in the 2017-18 Budget.

“There are also many other achievements including my advocacy for the establishment of cannabis for medical use,” he said.

Locally, Mr Entsch listed securing top-up funding for the Junction Clubhouse, the establishment of the Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef program and negotiating a $10 million pledge for the Cairns Performing Arts Centre among his greatest recent achievements.

Securing money for a 3000tonne synchrolift to hoist offshore patrol boats in the Port of Cairns was one of his key priorities for the future.