Advocacy Priorities Policy

Regional Health Planning

In 2022 the federal government announced $13.2m for 20 additional Commonwealth Supported Places for James Cook University’s Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery program (see Education and Research). The commitment enables students to complete the full six-year degree in Cairns, thereby retaining local skills and expanding the region’s junior medical workforce. A further 80 CSPs have been allocated nationally for rural and remote students via competitive process.

Advance Cairns now seeks allocation of 40 of the 80 national CSPs for JCU medical. In addition, federal and state government support is sought for five strategies that have been identified to help alleviate the constant pressure on Cairns Hospital. These strategies include an FNQ palliative care hospice, community-based mental health initiatives, a chronic condition care facility, health research and education investment, and development of a regional health plan.

Tnq Tourism Recovery Fund

A $15m funding commitment was awarded to Tourism Tropical North Queensland in the March 2022 Federal Budget following strong advocacy from TTNQ and Advance Cairns. The funding will go towards delivering three priority programs: supporting new aviation routes with demand driving, trade and market re-engagement, and lifting the global profile of the Great Barrier Reef.

Following an extremely difficult few years for the region’s tourism industry, there have been some positive signs in the past 12 months with domestic expenditure reaching $4bn in the year ending September 2022 for the first time since borders closed in 2020. The figure marks a fifth consecutive quarterly record and is a 60.1% increase on pre-COVID figures for overnight visitor expenditure.

Pacific Engagement

A strong focus by the new Federal Government on a comprehensive foreign policy engagement with Australia's Pacific neighbours in line with a thawing of relations with our major trading partner, China, have elevated the importance of our geographic proximity to the Pacific. Cairns is well-placed to contribute significantly to these stronger ties which draw on our long-established networks and cultural ties with Pacific nations.

To drive implementation of Australia’s Pacific Engagement Strategy, Advance Cairns has three key recommendations: that, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the federal government establishes an operational headquarters of the Office of the Pacific in Cairns; that the federal government formally designates Cairns as Australia’s northern hub for delivering the federal government’s Step-Up to the Pacific Program; and that $1.5m is committed to develop a comprehensive strategy to identify and maximise opportunities for Cairns as part of the Step-Up to the Pacific agenda.

Land Use And Agriculture

Uncertainty surrounding land use and land tenure arrangements in agricultural development is impacting agricultural and environmental management investment, as many leaseholders and financial institutions require a more secure form of tenure. To reduce this uncertainty, Advance Cairns recommends that the state government establishes a framework for Strategic Agricultural Development Areas in Queensland, similar in nature to State Development Areas. In addition, the establishment of an Office of the Coordinator General in Far North Queensland is sought from the state government, to be based in Cairns to coordinate strategic regional land use planning and major development approvals.