Cairns to storm nation’s capital

POOR old Canberra will not know what hit it.

More than 50 business leaders from Far North Queensland are destined for the nation’s capital as part of the region’s biggest industry delegation in history.

Advance Cairns chief executive Nick Trompf will today reveal details of the Cairns TNQ Convoy to Canberra to target government, opposition and crossbench MPs over two days in October.

“We have representatives from 11 sectors across various industries, from agriculture to tourism to health, education and so on,” he said.

“Logistics will be a challenge – perhaps that’s why it hasn’t been done in the past, because it’s not easy.” The timing is no accident. It will coincide with Senator Matt Canavan’s annual Statement on Northern Australia on October 16, to be delivered to Parliament while the Far Northern multitude attends a cocktail party littered with MPs and their policy advisers.

The cavalcade arrives at a critical time in the electoral cycle, with a federal election due no later than May 2019.

“The recent ‘Super Saturday’ by-election results confirm that the federal poll is on a knife edge and that Queensland will be central in deciding who will govern the country next,” Mr Trompf said.

“The Government’s May Budget clearly left open funding opportunities for the TNQ region, which we are going to pursue – like the $1.5 billion for ‘roads of strategic importance in Northern Australia’.

“We’ll leave no stone unturned in Parliament House.

“We’ll be present in just about every corridor over a couple of days in a high-profile showing of our regional capability and unity.”

Advance Cairns is seeking meetings with politicians of every feather, including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

The Cairns Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Tropical North Queensland have flagged support for the plan.

editorial@cairnspost.com.au facebook.com/TheCairnsPost www.cairnspost.com.au twitter.com/TheCairnsPost