Stadium a win for all of us

THIS evening’s first major event at our new Queensland Country Bank Stadium speaks volumes of the power of the North Queensland community when presenting a strong and unified vision.

Public funds are exceptionally difficult to secure, with each region in Australia every day pushing their case to decision-makers across the state and nation.

But this is where, for some time now, our region has set a benchmark, and a $290 million world-class stadium opening in the same city that will soon complete a $225 million water pipeline demonstrates what strong advocacy can deliver.

Four years ago our community decided that it was not going to be one or the other, and the power of unity across our region has been fundamental to getting to where we are today and where we are going tomorrow.

By harnessing that collective intellect, influence and passion from business, community and media, the North drives a strong agenda that puts us in the best position to ensure visions become realities and projects leave legacies for generations.

These unified approaches have delivered unified responses from state and federal levels. We now have a City Deal, a new water pipeline, a business case for new dam and agriculture development, an underwater art museum, new mines, and of course, a new stadium.

These wins are testament to the role of advocacy and each person in our community has played a part.

This community has come through significant adversity to achieve what many said we could never do.

Just as The Strand transformed our city 20 years ago, the stadium will redefine and reinvigorate not just our CBD, but North Queensland more broadly.

The stadium proudly stands as a symbol of what can be achieved when a community rallies together.