Marine precinct priority for city

THE Cairns marine precinct’s untapped potential to become a global industry powerhouse is getting special attention as Advance Cairns steadies its knuckles for some serious door-banging in Canberra.

Advance Cairns chairman Trent Twomey and CEO Nick Trompf will take the organisation’s billion-dollar Federal Budget submission to the capital next week, targeting key government decision-makers in the lead-up to April 2.

“This is basically phase two of our advocacy strategy, following last year’s Convoy to Canberra,” Mr Twomey said.

“It was great to take real-life businessmen and women to Canberra to put a name and face to all of these projects.

“This is specifically about Nick and I targeting the Treasurer and the other key senior ministers that sit on the Government’s Expenditure Review Committee … that decides what portfolios will be getting money and what won’t be.”

The only new addition to the group’s convoy wish list is $10 million to upgrade the 12year-old study into upgrading the Kuranda Range.

“You can’t go and ask for money for the Kuranda Range off a 12-year-old study,” Mr Twomey said.

“With a 400 per cent increase in unplanned closures over the past 24 months, clearly that is a problem.”

Extra focus is being applied to the city’s marine precinct prospects for rapid expansion, which has been laid bare in a 16-page dedicated document.

“With such a vibrant maritime industry, Cairns is the ideal location for the sustainment and maintenance of vessels travelling through Northern Australia,” the folio spruiks.