Millions pledged by feds, state, for Daintree Ferry terminals
Shire transport
The upgrade of the Daintree Ferry north and south landings, set to start about this time next year, will be largely paid for by $8.5m in Federal and State Government grants.
The governments announced last week the money would come from a pool of cash set aside for disaster recovery to help “safeguard transport linkages and access routes for rural and remote communities”.
Federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said access was critical for regional communities.
“We know Queenslanders in regional areas are resilient and familiar with the impacts of severe weather like tropical cyclones and flooding rains,” Minister McBain said.
“In response to the increasing severity and frequency of recent disasters, we're ensuring that wherever someone lives they can rely on the crucial infrastructure assets in their area.”
A contract for the ferry-landing works has been awarded by Douglas Shire Council, but it has not yet revealed who will be doing the work.
“(A) contractor has been engaged and will commence the detailed design of landside infrastructure in July,” a recent council report stated.
New designs of the north and south ferry approaches posted on the DSC website appear to show that the southern terminal is set to be moved eastwards, meaning an as-yet-undisclosed amount of mangroves may be axed to make way for the new berth.
The DSC discussed in the most recent council meeting a request to the Local Government Association of Queensland to lobby for local governments who are required to pay fines for environmental works such as tree clearing to have the money spent back in the same council area.
“Every time a council removes a big part of mangroves, let’s say, we have to pay a fine,” Cr Michael Rees said.
“That fine, which can be in the hundreds of thousands, goes to the state and we have no say on where that money goes,” he said.
In October last year, the council decided to replace the Daintree Ferry, outsource ownership and operation to a contractor, and release a tender to the market for a contractor.
The new ferry and approach-road upgrade plan aimed to address long wait times in peak tourism season, the council stated, with the ferry replacement planned for the end of 2027.
The $88m joint-government disaster-resilience fund where the money is coming from is mainly focused on the repair and upgrade of airstrips, boat ramps and seaports in communities regularly isolated by extreme weather.
Other Far North Queensland projects to receive funding include: Close to $11m for Everlina Bridge and Hope Vale Airstrip upgrades at Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council; More than $18m for the Northern Peninsula Airport runway; Close to $8m for Kowanyama Aerodrome; $2m for the Mapoon Airstrip; $7.5m for the Boigu Island Airport, and; About $700,000 for fuel storage tanks at Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council.
State Disaster Recovery Minister Ann Leahy said all Queenslanders deserved to feel safe from severe weather, no matter where they lived.
“Some of our most remote communities can be isolated for weeks following an extreme weather event,” Minister Leahy said.
“These upgrades will make it easier for authorities to respond in an emergency.”
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