Page 29 - Tropic Magazine Issue 25

TROPIC • ECONOMY

16 Cairns Manufacturing Hub
This State Government-led
initiative has flown under the
radar, but there’s a good story to
tell. The Cairns Hub is located at
the TAFE campus in Cairns, with a
focus on boosting and supporting
sectors such as marine, aviation
and food manufacturing. Local
manufacturers in the greater Cairns
region can tap into $4.5 million in
funding for technology adoption,
skills and training, and business
development. Manufacturing is a
surprisingly vibrant contributor
to our regional economy, with the
sector pumping almost $790 million
into the Queensland economy in
2017-18 and employing around 6400
people. News of the Hub’s success
is hard to come by, however. If the
Hub is achieving good results, the
Government shouldn’t be afraid to
12 Progress on the 14 Yes, tourists will spruik it.
Wangetti Trail come back
Tasmania has shown how lucrative Our desire to travel, explore and take
the mountain biking scene can be, a break will outlast and overcome
but now it’s our turn. The Wangetti the impact of coronavirus. We know
Trail, a vision of local legend Glen international visitation is some way
Jacobs, will be a 94km boon for off – no-one can predict how long it
the region, attracting visitors to will take to resume and recover – so
a dual use walking and mountain in the meantime we’ve got to grab
biking track from Port Douglas our fair share of domestic tourists
to Palm Cove. Winding through instead, as well as explore our own
World Heritage-listed coastal and backyard with holidays at home. Our
hinterland scenery, the Wangetti tourism infrastructure and army
Trail will be a significant asset to the of operators are strong enough to
region. Tenders went out in June for bounce back. Early signs since the re-
$9 million worth of works to build a opening of the Queensland border on
31km stretch of the track from Palm July 10 are positive for the industry,
Cove to Wangetti. Forecasts suggest with more to come as aviation
the trail will create up to 150 jobs and activity ramps up.
inject up to $300 million into the
regional economy in future years. 15 City Deal for Cairns 17 We live in paradise
Pedal power, indeed. The project is on Who knows where this Federal We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep
track for a late-2022 opening. Government policy is at in the fog saying it here at Tropic: We really
of COVID-19? Designed to get all are blessed to live in paradise.
13 Cairns Hospital upgrades three levels of government on the More vibrant than other regional
There’s a push to upgrade Cairns same page, the City Deal program is centres (have you been to Townsville
Hospital to level 6 tertiary status, the mechanism Townsville utilised recently?) and less congested than
enabling it to become Cairns to fund its rectangular stadium, capital cities, we’ve also got good
University Hospital. This would among other projects. Cairns wants schools, affordable housing, an
mean a range of additional services to be next in line, so the push for our international airport, diverse food
and surgical capacity, more training own City Deal is still on the agenda. and bar scene and a hospital that
spots for medical students and A little-known council report on continues to improve and upgrade
more employment opportunities the City Deal subject, published its services. Add in our beautiful
for health professionals. There’s just in October last year, wanted the natural environment, from the Reef
one sticking point to realising the agreement signed in the second and beaches to rainforests, and
vision, however: more funding from quarter of this year. Coronavirus you’d agree that our liveability here
the State Government is required. In rendered that hopeful timeline is second to none. Despite the many
a fortuitous fluke of timing, there’s redundant. Reigniting the push challenges posed by COVID-19,
a state election happening this for a Cairns City Deal will be sometimes we need to kick back
October. Let’s hope it’s high on the important to our economic recovery and remind ourselves how great this
priority list of both major parties. going forward. place called home truly is.

29 • tropicnow.com.au