Rates grace in virus relief
RATEPAYERS will have a four-month grace period to pay their rates as part of a multimillion-dollar rescue package to relieve the Far North from the economic impact of coronavirus.
Cairns Regional Council has approved several initiatives to assist the local economy, including a $2.05 million payment to Tourism Tropical North Queensland to ease the more than $25 million direct economic impact already experienced by the region due to booking cancellations.
It comes off the back of three tourism marketing funding packages, totalling $3.8 million, announced by the Queensland Government yesterday to help Far Northern businesses feeling downturns from the viral outbreak.
Measures to be rolled out by the council include:
■ Extension of the due date for half-year rates from February 27 to May 27 for all ratepayers
■ Reallocation of $150,000 in TTNQ project funding previously allocated to the now defunct Aviation Attraction Program for destination marketing activities
■ A one-year extension to the council’s resource and performance agreement with Study Cairns and the immediate payment to the organisation of $165,000 to support international education
■ Ensuring that $150,000 committed by the council to support air freight services between Cairns and Hong Kong remains effective
■ Allocating $40,000 to develop and promote a “Stay Local – Buy Local” campaign.
Cairns Mayor Bob Manning told the council’s ordinary meeting yesterday the impact of the coronavirus outbreak was quite apparent in the CBD.
“I was in town having a cup of coffee this morning … and if it wasn’t for workers there, I think there would be nobody in town,” he said.