Hill’s Singapore trip to build on defence deal

TOWNSVILLE City Council Mayor Jenny Hill is meeting with Singaporean business and government leaders as the defence deal “opens doors” between the cities.

Cr Hill is in Singapore at the invitation of the government to attend the World Cities Summit. A council spokesman said the summit was held every two years and was an invitation- only event for mayors from around the world to discuss common challenges and global best practice.

“The Mayor has an excellent opportunity to put Townsville front and centre of the summit, particularly in relation to the multibillion- dollar agreement between Australia and Singapore to expand defence training ties and facilities in North Queensland,” he said.

The spokesman said Cr Hill had organised meetings to maximise the benefits of the Defence deal for Townsville.

He said this included talks with urban industrial consultancy Surbana Jurong, which signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the City of Townsville in February.

“The defence deal with Singapore has helped to open doors with a number of international companies and major investors based in Singapore,” he said. “To ensure Townsville remains in focus for a number of these international companies based in Singapore, nothing beats a face- to- face meeting and that’s why it was important for the Mayor to go.”

He said a “major focus” would be innovation, collaboration and understanding the opportunities and challenges faced by local governments in the “age of digital disruption and big data”.