WHERE’S OUR SHARE?

Sweet words not enough for mayor

CAIRNS Mayor Bob Manning reckons the Federal Budget reminds him of a clever sign he once saw at a one-pub town near Longreach.

The sandwich board standing sentinel outside the Wellshot Hotel in Ilfracombe read “Free beer ... tomorrow”.

“Tomorrow never comes and the sign never changed,” Cr Manning said.

“It’s a bit like saying there’s money in the budget, not allocated specifically but available, for projects like the navy base, and roads.”

Cr Manning has had the time to digest Treasurer Scott Morrison’s financial plan and came out underwhelmed but hopeful of getting a fair go.

It was devoid of specific infrastructure commitments for the Far North but plenty of billion-dollar funding pools that could potentially deliver big wins.

Cr Manning said it was his job, and that of regional advocacy organisations, to turn the screws ahead of the looming federal election.

“Now, we know where the targets are and we will go hard on them,” he said.

“It’s now up to us to concentrate our attack on the buckets of funds that are there.

“The ability is there to use the election as a lever to get access to those funds.”

Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said major road and in- frastructure items were only absent because the State Government needed to complete costings.

He said the National Highway extension was a “nobrainer”, had trilateral support between the three tiers of government and would get funds once planning was done.

In short, everybody needed to pull their finger out.

“There’s no ‘sexy’ stories there as such, but the money is sitting there for when we get this stuff done,” he said.

“Everybody says this is an election budget – every third year is an election budget because that’s the election cycle.

“We’ve got the lowest unemployment for 25 years, we’ve put the budget back into surplus next year.

“For the first time in 10 years we’re not paying any of our welfare payments or other obligations out of borrowing.

“I’m excited about it, I think it’s bloody brilliant.”

Mulgrave MP Curtis Pitt, who has overseen his fair share of budgets as former Queensland Treasurer, said there was little to celebrate in the Far North.

“That’s why the upcoming federal election is going to be so important,” he said.

“Queensland has been a bellwether state for many elections.

“Advocates, economic development agencies and different levels of government will all be asking both sides of politics what they are offering.”