Calls for $50m uni campus pledge

FAR North leaders are backing a university’s call for the Coalition to go on the record with a $50m commitment towards a new CBD campus.

The project is said to generate close to 800 short and long-term jobs.

On Tuesday, CQUniversity’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Nick Klomp said the time for “maybes” was past and questioned the absence of a commitment from the Coalition.

“Let me speak frankly, it’s time for the Coalition to stop selling Cairns short when it comes to future investment in education and training infrastructure,” he said.

“I’m talking about their silence, so far, on one of the more important infrastructure priorities in the region, a new and expanded CQUniversity campus in the Cairns CBD.”

Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen was enthusiastic.

“Based on the modelling I’ve seen, a $50m investment in a new campus now will generate $549m over the next 10 years,” he said. “That’s going to have very positive ripple effects for our local economy.”

Professor Klomp said the new campus would allow CQU to “double student numbers and it will further diversify and future-proof the region”.

He said the Coalition should match the ALP, which committed $50m to fully fund this project in November.

Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said the investment was vital.

“The launch of this project will usher in a new era of education, training and employment opportunities for the people of Cairns,” he said.

Cairns Chamber of Commerce chief executive Patricia O’Neill said CQU had enjoyed unprecedented success in Cairns, with rising enrolments since it first established a presence in the city a decade ago.

“An expanded campus will double the number of students at CQUniversity Cairns and see even more skilled young people entering our workforce, where they are desperately needed,” Ms O’Neill said.

“It will also provide a muchneeded boost to retail and hospitality spending, thanks to increased student foot traffic in the CBD,” she said.