Revival plan endorsed

CAIRNS’ leaders have outlined a four-step recovery plan aimed at guiding the Far North out of the coronavirus crisis.

Mayor Bob Manning, Member for Cairns Michael Healy and Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch today endorsed the Pathway to Recovery from COVID-19.

Cr Manning said Cairns’ distance from metropolitan centres and its reliance on tourism meant it was likely to be one of the hardest-hit parts of the country.

“While the outlook is somewhat daunting, this is a time to not only look at survival, but at opportunities to strengthen our economy so that we not only recover, but build for greater future prosperity,” he said.

“This approach will not only see the Cairns economy return to the position of strength it was in ‘preCOVID’, it will also build a more diverse and resilient economy that will support sustained economic growth and prosperity in the long term,” he said.

“However, critical to our recovery will be the re-establishment of domestic aviation capacity and connectivity, coupled with investment in destination marketing and the accelerated relaxation of domestic travel restrictions.”

The region took a step towards that yesterday after Qantas and Jetstar announced increased intrastate flights to the Far North.

The four-step plan, which involves all three levels of government, is supported by Advance Cairns, Cairns Chamber of Commerce, TTNQ and Regional Development Australia Tropical North. It includes the extension of JobKeeper and State Government support measures (payroll tax relief and electricity support), the fast tracking of existing capital works projects, while planning for the long term economic recovery of Cairns is already well under way.