COVID collaboration and co-ordination

COVID crisis sparks Team Cairns response

Collaboration and co-ordination were central to the Cairns response to the COVID-19 crisis, which saw the region produce a comprehensive local recovery plan to inform State and Federal governments.

As news emerged during January of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus, Cairns was one of the earliest impacted regions. In the preceding decade the Cairns tourism industry had benefitted from the Chinese New Year during late January and early February (traditionally poor tourism months in this region). But the emergence of COVID in 2020 immediately put paid to any New Year celebrations with flights from China shut down from February 2, costing this region’s economy many millions of dollars in tourism income. On March 11th the World Health Organisation declared the virus a pandemic. Two days later a wartime-style National Cabinet was formed in Australia to provide a more co-ordinated Federal/State response to the unfolding crisis. Within 10 days Queensland borders were closed, with dramatic impact on a range of industries headlined by tourism and hospitality and international education. At the same time, the Cairns Local Disaster Management Group had been stood up under the auspice of Cairns Regional Council. highlights

COVID-19 hit Cairns hard QLD borders closed amid pandemic Team spirit shone through in local response

Two committees were activated to lead response and recovery planning and implementation: The Economic Response and Recovery Sub-Committee (ERRSC); and The Human and Social Response and Recovery Sub-Committee (HSRRSC).

The following morning Advance Cairns convened more than 50 people from a diverse range of business and industry sectors at the Cairns Regional Council chambers (and virtually) to gather comprehensive information on the impact of COVID-19 – and what was needed to mitigate a potential economic catastrophe not seen since the Great Depression. This meeting pulled together a series of recommendations aimed at ensuring the survival of thousands of businesses and the jobs of their workers – including the pressing need for a national wage subsidy. (The group subsequently became known as the Cairns COVID-19 Industry and Business Reference Group.)

These recommendations were key in informing the newly established ERRSC

These recommendations were key in informing the newly established ERRSC (a tighter group chaired by the chief executive of CRC and of which Advance Cairns was also a member). This committee’s key role was to provide advice to a three-levels-of-government Local Leadership Committee comprising the Member for Leichhardt the Hon Warren Entsch, the Member for Cairns Michael Healy and the Mayor of Cairns, Cr Bob Manning. Throughout the unfolding crisis, a team spirit shone through with genuine collaboration across all stakeholders. The ERRSC met regularly and forwarded an evolving list of support measures to the Federal and State Governments initially to aid in business survival and increasingly to stimulate economic recovery through targeted investment. On July 23, the three leaders in Warren Entsch, Michael Healy and Bob Manning attended an Advance Cairns luncheon to update the business community. In August a formal local recovery plan, heavily informed by the economic and social committees, was released by council.