EMPLOYMENT DRIVE Call for FNQ maritime training centre
Cairns ‘perfect place’: MP
JOBS are sailing so far south they threaten to leave Australian waters, due to a bizarre snub to the world-class Cairns maritime training industry.
Cairns MP Michael Healy has just announced a $100,000 boost for TAFE Queensland to bid for a contract that would create 17 new jobs in his patch.
A successful bid would make Cairns host to about 160 students due to crew 21 guardian patrol boats under an Australian Defence Force cooperation program with 12 small Pacific Island nations.
That training is currently delivered in Tasmania despite Cairns having the globally recognised facilities, equipment and expertise to deliver the tuition to its close island neighbours.
“Cairns is the perfect place for the Pacific Maritime Training Services program to come ashore,” Mr Healy said.
“With a long history in marine industry excellence, we are home to a raft of world-class ship repair and maintenance facilities. It’s a no-brainer.
“Today I’m calling on the Prime Minister to do the right thing and award this contract to Cairns.”
State Development Minister Kate Jones inspected TAFE Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef International Marine College facilities with Mr Healy yesterday.
She was baffled by the current arrangement which sent students to the Apple Isle, thousands of kilometres further from their home nations.
“It makes no sense to host maritime training for our Pacific Islander neighbours in Tasmania,” Ms Jones said.
“We’re investing in new infrastructure and partnering with the private sector to make Cairns a world-class hub for maritime training and maintenance.
“Not only would this contract deliver thousands of dollars for local businesses, it would help to put Cairns on the map as a global hub for maritime training.
“COVID-19 has had a huge impact on our economy. Securing this tender is about investing in the future of Cairns and backing local jobs.”
If successful, TAFE Queensland will use its Cairns facilities to train patrol boat crews from across the Pacific region and offer pastoral care services for them before they hit the water.
IT MAKES NO SENSE TO HOST MARITIME TRAINING FOR OUR PACIFIC ISLANDER NEIGHBOURS IN TASMANIA
STATE DEVELOPMENT MINISTER KATE JONES