MEDIA RELEASE

REGIONAL LEADERS BRING TROPICAL NORTH WARMTH TO CANBERRA

Tuesday 18th August 2015 for immediate release. Advance Chair Trent Twomey, Chief Executive Mark Matthews and Cairns Chamber of Commerce CEO Deb Hancock returned from Canberra and meetings with Federal politicians yesterday with a strong sense of optimism but clear of the need for hard work ahead to progress key regional priorities.

Meetings included Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss, Treasurer Joe Hockey, Defence Minister Kevin Andrews, Attorney General George Brandis, Health Minister , Senators Ian Macdonald, Matt Canavan and Glenn Lazarus, and Queensland MPs Ewen Jones, Warren Entsch, Mal Brough, and .

The key focus was around the Cairns bid for the Pacific Patrol Boat Project Replacement, a $600m build program with $1bn in ongoing maintenance and training over the next 30 years. Discussions also included the region’s ‘8+8’ key infrastructure and policy initiatives.

“The Pacific Patrol Boat bid for Cairns is a Queensland bid and a Northern bid that would support manufacturing in Northern Australia and provide sustained economic benefit to our region for many years to come. More work is needed to put the spotlight on our capability, not just in the marine industry, but also in the diverse capabilities in our region. ” says Cairns Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Deb Hancock.

Federal Government initiatives for Northern Australia development were also in focus, following the release of the Northern Australia White Paper in June, with particular discussion on the release of details for the ‘North Australia Infrastructure Facility’ that will provide concessional funding for key infrastructure developments in Northern Australia.

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“We received comment to say that ‘Cairns is doing ok’, referring to the strong tourism results this year. Tourism is an important sector of the economy, but it is not the only sector, and many others are hurting” says Advance Cairns Chair Trent Twomey.

The group were pleased with the support from our regional Members of Parliament from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, who had a clear understanding of key issues and had been advocating strongly for the region.

“It was a full day of meetings and we were pleased to have had the opportunity to be in front of so many senior political leaders. But there is a great deal of work ahead to keep our region front of mind and secure the commitments we seek for our region’s growth and prosperity” says Advance Cairns Chief Executive Mark Matthews.

Follow up meetings and discussions are key to success in advocacy for our region, and the group will plan to be in Canberra again soon. -ends-

For further information:

Mark Matthews Chief Executive Advance Cairns 0428 670081

Deb Hancock CEO Cairns Chamber of Commerce 0488 765144