General News
15 August, 2026
Big tick for $10m centre
AN absent Cr Cathy Zeigler’s ears would have been burning on Wednesday morning, as fellow councillors sang her praises as they supported a contract to begin construction on the Cairns Community and Multicultural Centre at White Rock.
Describing her as a “pocket rocket”, Cr Brett Olds said she had been advocating for a centre in White Rock during her many years as a councillor for division three and it was unfortunate she could not be at the meeting this week.
He read out a statement to the chamber from Cr Zeigler, in which she said that, while she was disappointed a playground wasn’t included in the build and hoped it would come later, it was an exciting development of a long-awaited vision.
“Before I was a councillor, I ran early intervention programs for kids in White Rock and Southside. It was obvious back then that we needed a community centre,” she wrote.
“As Cairns is such a diverse region, it makes sense to combine the need for the community centre with a purpose-designed multicultural space, which has been also needed for such a long time, creating a facility that is truly for everyone.”
Cr Olds said she was also “stoked” about the commercial kitchen which opened the door to many multicultural cooking experiences.
Cr Anna Middleton said Cr Zeigler was a “very, very passionate councillor who, I suspect, will be standing outside the fences watching closely as this incredible project begins”.
Cr Kristy Vallely suggested she may even sit on her front porch with her binoculars.
Mayor Amy Eden said she had also been involved in the push for a multicultural centre as a councillor and as a social worker before that and said the construction marked the “culmination of years of planning, consultation and community advocacy”.
The centre will have a multipurpose hall, meeting spaces, commercial kitchen, foyer space for art and cultural displays and an outdoor gathering area.
A state government project to construct a new school sports field on adjacent land was also expected to be underway during the first few months of the centre’s construction and would complement the centre.
Hutchinson’s Builders were awarded the $8.1 million contract.
Cr Eden said, while it was a national company, it had also worked in Cairns for the past 20 years, employed local staff and was committed to using local services and subcontractors. It was also the most competitive tender. Council also approved an overall budget of $10.58m. The project is expected to be completed by February 2028.
Cr Eden said the purpose-built centre was a first in Queensland and it was particularly fitting that the announcement coincided with multicultural awareness month during which Cairns celebrated its cultures, traditions, and stories that had helped shape the city.
