Show us the money

Cairns convoy seeks state cash

CAIRNS tourism leaders will head to Brisbane next week to lobby for a $110 million cash splash from the State Government to attract airlines and flights to the city.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland chairwoman Wendy Morris said with the tourism industry set to lose

$2.2 billion by the end of the year and a 99 per cent drop in international flights, attracting aviation was vital.

Ms Morris will join 11 other delegates, including Cairns Mayor Bob Manning, on a convoy to Parliament

House in Brisbane next week for talks with both sides of politics on how they can help dig Cairns out of its COVID hole.

A larger group made the same trip in February.

The convoy group revealed its top five priorities going into the talks, which included the aviation and event attraction fund – an annual $110m package to be shared throughout the state.

“And we would want more than our fair share,” she said.

“For all sectors to survive and thrive we really need to ensure that we boost that aviation.

“The fastest way that we can recover as a region is to bring people here and that means having the access and filling the flights.”

Cairns Airport boss Norris Carter revealed on Friday flights from all state capitals were being targeted, including potential new destinations Canberra and Hobart. Among the $1.3 billion state funding the convoy will seek is $434m for food and water security, $150m for the Cairns marine precinct,

$124m for health and innovation and $50m for CQUniversity’s new campus.

The university has also requested the same amount from the Federal Government.

But Advance Cairns executive chairman Nick Trompf said it was hoped to split the funding between both tiers of government.

He said, along with aviation, the biggest priority in terms of job creation was in marine maintenance, particularly of defence force vessels.

“We’ve had 70-year history of ship building and ship maintenance in this city,” he said.

“We’ve already got 4600 people working in the marine maintenance precinct, the potential for hundreds more to be added in the coming years is real.”

Cairns Chamber of Commerce president Sally Mlikota said she would be calling for more support for small and medium businesses.

She said if JobKeeper was stripped and something was not done to stimulate the local economy, unemployment in Cairns could grow to 17 per cent.