Cabinet returns to north

Ministers on fact-finding duty to meet locals

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk’s top ministers will be sent on community fact-finding missions when she brings her full cabinet to Cairns next month.

The three-day visit will bring the Queensland Labor’s full frontbench to the tropics from August 24-26 after a previous meeting scheduled in April was cancelled at the height of coronavirus fears.

Ms Palaszczuk said ministers would hold face-to-face meetings with Far North business people during the visit.

“The cabinet visit will be an important opportunity for ministers to hear and see firsthand how the region is recovering and to drill down on the opportunities that lie ahead to support this great part of our state to recover and thrive,” she said.

“I want ministers out meeting businesses, learning whether there is anything more that we as a government can do to assist them.

“And I know that the Michael Healy, Craig Crawford, Cynthia Liu and Curtis Pitt look forward to having the cabinet there.”

Ms Palaszczuk’s announcement of the new date came off the back of a convoy of 12 Cairns business delegates to Parliament House this week.

Advance Cairns executive director Nick Trompf said the meeting was a big win for the region.

“Cabinet coming to Cairns is really valuable two months before an election,” he said.

“The Premier said to me last night that she wanted her ministers out on the ground, seeing the opportunities first-hand and understanding where we might be headed in terms of a COVID recovery.”

Mr Trompf said the miniconvoy to Brisbane, also involving Mayor Bob Manning and Mark Olsen of Tourism Tropical North Queensland, had been a success with every minister and opposition frontbencher well aware of the issues facing Cairns.

“If they’re coming to Cairns, they have to come well informed and they can’t come empty-handed,” he said.