BUSINESS FEATURE

I’m always excited to share with you what’s been going on around the region, and we've seen several developments over the last few weeks.

I recently visited the Mossman RSL-Sub branch with the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Matt Keogh. It was delightful to be able to spend some time with the branch members there and have a yarn about their experiences.  The purpose of the visit was to announce they have been awarded $50,466 in funding for restoration work on the Mossman war memorial outside Douglas Shire Council (pictured).  

The memorial is of course the focal point of commemorative ceremonies for residents of the Douglas Shire, and it's important that we protect it so that future generations can continue to pay respect to the fallen diggers.  I was also very impressed by their hand-made mosaic.  If you're passing through Mossman you really should find time to go and admire the handywork.

We’ve made huge strides with infrastructure across Leichhardt, most recently when Minister Catherine King joined me in Cairns to announce that expressions of interest are now open for the Maritime Common User Facility.  Working with the Queensland Government, we have committed a total of $387 million with expressions also open to private investors, to come to the table and join us to deliver for the region.

This is a project that was a cornerstone of my election campaign and it’s very exciting to see it progress to the next stage.  I have stated repeatedly what an important and significant piece of infrastructure the Common User Facility will be for the growth and future security of Cairns: it will bring jobs, trades, and families to the Far North and a huge potential for expansion of our great city.  

We anticipate a creation of 4,600 jobs supported by the Cairns maritime industry.  Those families will be able to work in Portsmith, build new homes in the Southern Corridor, and their children will be able to study further education at CQU or JCU. Its about diversifying our region, meaning more security, when Tourism takes a hit.

CQUniversity has also reached another milestone, as we saw Cairns Regional Council vote to approve the development application for the new CQU Campus, right in the middle of town, near the Convention Centre.  

The federal government committed $77.5 million towards the construction of this new educational hub, which when completed aims to deliver on-campus attendance, flexible and remote learning for more than 50 course offerings such as nursing, medical imaging, engineering, paramedics, physiotherapy, digital media and education.

This is part of a holistic and ambitious plan for our region - we've already announced the infrastructure funding for thousands of new homes to be unlocked in the Southern Access Corridor of Mount Peter; the Common User Facility will grow the maritime industry, supporting 4,600 new local jobs; and the recently announced expansion of the Cairns Western Arterial Road will enable greater numbers of commuters to reach their destination safely and on-time.

It's well known that students tend to work and stay in the towns they graduate in, and by investing in these pillars of our society we are also investing in future generations of families that live, work and thrive in Far North Queensland.