Advocacy wins in 2022

Advance Cairns led the way for an exceptionally fruitful year for Tropical North Queensland that was headlined by more than a billion dollars in commitments from the State and Federal Governments throughout 2022.

Strong advocacy centred around the Forging a Brighter Future priorities manifesto saw bipartisan federal support for major funding including $50m towards a CQUniversity Cairns CBD campus and 20 additional Commonwealth Supported Places at James Cook University to enable medical students to complete the full six-year degree in Cairns. A further $210m for Kuranda Range Road upgrades was committed by the federal ALP in its first Federal Budget in October, while the State and Federal Governments each committed $107.5m for Council's Cairns Water Security - Stage 1 project and $150m towards the Cairns Marine Precinct. Advance Cairns CEO Jacinta Reddan said the funding was a significant win for the region, describing the projects as “transformational” for Far North Queensland.

“These projects deepen the breadth of the economy, create jobs and skills growth, improve logistics and supply chain, support the delivery of critical medical services and paint a bright, sustainable future for the region. We are pleased to see strong advocacy from Advance Cairns, TTNQ, and other regional stakeholders come to fruition through support for marine, health, tourism, and road infrastructure,” said Ms Reddan. In light of the election of a new Federal Government and with a State Election next year, Advance Cairns is undertaking a wholesale review of its priorities in early 2023.