General News
31 March, 2026
Looking towards future
ONE of the things I have noticed since becoming Mayor is that wherever you go in Cairns, people have a story about this place.
Someone will tell you about growing up here. About arriving decades ago and deciding never to leave. About the cyclones, the floods and the moments when the community pulled together.
Those stories are the reason Cairns has reached its 150th year.
They also remind us that every generation has a responsibility to shape what comes next.
As we celebrate this milestone and reach the halfway point of this council term, it feels like a good opportunity to reflect on the progress being made and the opportunities still ahead for our city.
Some of that work is highly visible in the community. Other parts happen quietly behind the scenes but are just as important to Cairns’ future.
Water security is one example.
This year, as Cairns celebrates 150 years, we also mark another milestone. Fifty years since the completion of Copperlode Falls Dam, the primary water source that has supported the growth of our city for half a century.
For 50 years that dam has quietly done its job, supplying water to a growing regional city without expansion or enlargement.
Now, as the Cairns water security project approaches practical completion later this year, Cairns is securing the next generation of water infrastructure needed for its future.
One of the achievements I am particularly proud of has been securing an additional $175 million in funding for this project, shared equally between the state and federal governments.
Housing is another challenge facing communities across Australia and Cairns is no different.
One important step forward has been securing a ‘priority development area’ for the city. This will help unlock housing supply and allow key areas to be fast tracked for development as our population continues to grow.
Strengthening food supply resilience for our region has also been a focus of advocacy. Following engagement with major retailers, including Woolworths and Coles, practical measures have been implemented in Cairns, including increased stock levels, improved ordering systems and the pre-positioning of shipping containers of essential goods ahead of the wet season.
Alongside that work, council has completed the ‘Cairns city precincts urban regeneration project’ with support from the federal government. That work has given us a clear plan and prioritised projects for the future of the CBD. The next step will be securing the investment needed to bring those city shaping ideas to life.
These are the kinds of long-term decisions that shape the future of a city.
But they also highlight something important about how local government work.
If you look at our council meetings, the overwhelming majority of decisions are unanimous.
Councillors work together to approve projects, maintain services and keep the machinery of local government operating for our community.
The day to day business of council largely runs well.
Council agendas mostly deal with operational matters. They focus on implementing projects, approving works and managing the organisation.
The bigger challenge in any council is strategic direction.
That work does not always appear as a resolution on the monthly agenda.
It happens through leadership, through setting priorities and through the collective direction provided by the elected body.
Part 2 in next week’s edition.
