IT’S OUR FUTURE

We love it up here but do we want to form our own state? Would it mean a fairer go?

THEY’RE a band of separationists, hellbent on forming a new state north of the Tropic of Capricorn.

The Boot Brisbane secession movement is rallying whatever troops it can in a march toward the October 2020 state election which members believe could be a defining moment in history. They are determined to wrest back taxes to provide better infrastructure and provide a stronger voice in political halls of power.

However, not everyone believes a breakaway state would be beneficial for the Far North.

Mulgrave MP and former state treasurer Curtis Pitt said the movement would amount to nothing more than a political stunt.

A forum seeking support for a new state comes as the Cairns Post launches a comprehensive survey into the State of the Far North.

KILLER crocs, blood-boiling traffic migraines, a Reef under threat and murmurings of a state secession – Far Northerners have no shortage of pressing issues to wrap their collective noggins around.

Cairns Regional Council Mayor Bob Manning tried to do just that, rattling off the key factors he believes will shape the region’s future.

For starters, he said management of the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics rainforest should be rethought.

“The management of these two World Heritage areas should be done conjointly under the one body,” he said.

“And the headquarters of any such entity should be authentically located.”

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is currently, somewhat confusingly, headquartered in Townsville.

Cr Manning said a focus on waste reduction and recycling was crucial to maintaining the Far North’s green tourism reputation.

Energy security is another matter everybody agrees we need, but how it is achieved can generate fierce dispute.

“It’s not a simple equation of ‘build another coal-fired power station’ or ‘put in more windmills, hydro and solar’,” Cr Manning said.

“It’s not going to be solved by more coal-fired power, and as the city of the Great Barrier Reef, there is the issue of how people overseas see us. We must put the Reef first.”

It was a similar story for water security.

Cr Manning acknowledged the region was not yet at crisis point but it was creeping up. Assuming that new source would be a dam serving both urban consumption and irrigation, he said the time from concept through to realisation could take about 20 years.

“We’ve only got a few years up our sleeve,” he said.

“That’s why it is so important that the State Government pushes ahead with a more detailed business case for Nullinga Dam.

“It’s not a drop-dead issue at the moment but every day it becomes a higher priority.”

Ongoing challenges regarding indigenous reconciliation were painted clear as day in recent weeks in the debate about how to manage the city’s itinerant population.

“I believe there is a strong desire to bring this matter to a close, both from indigenous and non-indigenous groups,” Cr Manning said. “It’s crucial we get it right.” His final call was for governments to have a clear-cut vision for expanding the city’s port.

“We should be moving down that track now in terms of channel widening and deepening so we can get megacruise ships,” he said.

“There’s not going to be any ships under 300m long in seven or eight years’ time.”

Cr Manning has travelled extensively and lived in Townsville, Longreach, Toowoomba and Cyprus but has never lost the giddy feeling of flying back into his home town.

“We are so lucky to have in our possession, and responsibility, assets like the Great Barrier Reef, the Wet Tropics, our indigenous culture and this city we’re building,” he said.

“There’s nowhere I go where I’m not proud to look back and compare it to Cairns.”