TOWER POWER PLAY
City leaders in world trade centre stand-off
IT was announced by Treasurer Curtis Pitt with much fanfare – a world trade tower in the middle of tropical Cairns.
However, Advance Cairns bosses are divided over whether the project is viable.
Chairman Trent Twomey is excited by the project, while CEO Kevin Byrne and board member and Mayor Bob Manning are scratching their heads over the validity of the proposal.
Is Cairns ready to be a trade centre?
CRACKS have formed in Treasurer Curtis Pitt’s support for a world trade tower in the city centre, with Advance Cairns bosses at odds over whether the project is a pipe dream.
In one corner is CEO Kevin Byrne, who says the plan to locate all of the city’s foreign consulates in a single building is a monumental task, and his requests for the State Government to provide a funding model have been ignored.
“While on the face of it the concept has appeal, the realities are that we are a mediumsized regional city and this is a pretty ambitious sort of project,” he said.
Advance Cairns chairman Trent Twomey has a different point of view.
“Kevin Byrne is a brand new CEO. He’s been in the role for nine months and he’s doing a very good job,” he said.
“But economic development is multifaceted and complex, and it takes a while to get up to speed on all the issues.”
Cairns Regional Council Mayor Bob Manning, also an Advance Cairns board member, had doubts the trade centre would ever become reality.
“I’m overwhelmed by the concept,” he said.
“We’re a regional centre in Australia and we’re talking about a world trade centre.
“I don’t know, it just doesn’t ring with me.”
Mr Pitt announced the plan a fortnight ago, saying moving all of the city’s foreign consulates into a central building alongside market analysts, international education sector, global legal services and for- eign trade agents would strengthen the city’s position as a trade and investment leader.
He stood by his words and said he expected the project to be well under way by the end of the year.
“Cairns is perfectly located to define itself as the leading tropical world city; as a leader in tropical health, environmental management, primary industries, industrial processes and chemicals, tropical infrastructure and urban design,” he said.
Mr Twomey shared concept art of Lake St high-rise building the Cairns Corporate Centre sporting international flags, scrolling LED screens to create a virtual Australian Stock Exchange and with the name “Tropical World Trade Centre” emblazoned on its front.
Mr Byrne said the tower’s owners did not want to rename the building.
The Cairns Post understands Mr Byrne and the Advance Cairns board, as well as the two-person Trade Investment Queensland office, were unaware of the project’s revival before the left-field public announcement.
Mr Byrne said convincing foreign consulates to shift to a single building would be difficult, given heightened global security fears.
Even if that was possible, he said the Treasurer’s office had not been forthcoming with details about how the centre would be funded, and who would be the principal lessee.
Mr Twomey laughed off suggestions of an internal power struggle at Advance Cairns.
“We have met with the owners of the building, they know about the concept, they are interested in the concept, and are willing to progress with discussions about how this could work with the Corporate Tower,” he said.
“We have run a roundtable conversation with the honorary consulates and embassies in Cairns, but that was done a couple of years ago when it was first on the cards.
“That needs to be redone.”