General News
30 July, 2025
Making the suburbs safer
A $200,000 expansion of Cairns Regional Council’s CCTV has been revealed with four areas earmarked for the network.
They are:
Gordonvale business precinct along Norman St and Gordon St in the vicinity of Norman Park
Edmonton Bruce Highway business strip from Mill Rd to Coates St
Edge Hill business precinct surrounding the Pease St/Collins Ave roundabout
Manunda Anderson St business precinct.
The council has applied for $100,000 under the Queensland Government’s Secure Communities Partnerships Program – Local Councils Small Business (SCPPLC) grant.
The aim of the grant is to support Queensland councils to deliver local projects that create safer public commercial precincts and business strips, creating a more confident and secure small business community.
A council report tabled at Wednesday’s fortnightly meeting said using Queensland Police Service (QPS) data and in conjunction with local police officers, council officers considered locations that were suitable for the expansion of CCTV.
“Locations chosen are business precincts with a significant level of incidents that also had zero or minimal existing CCTV surveillance in place,” it said.
“It is important to note that the project inclusions feature latest model, multi-lens, multidirectional, zoom capable CCTV cameras of the highest quality in accordance with (the) council’s existing specifications.
“The scope of the project ensures the council’s commitment to expanded suburban CCTV coverage and promises to have positive impacts for businesses and customers at the selected locations.”
Cr Matthew Tickner (Division 2) told Wednesday’s council meeting that it was “a good opportunity” to provide CCTV in areas that were without, including Gordonvale, Edmonton, Edge Hill and Manunda.
He said he hoped the government would fund the application for the additional coverage.
Cr Tickner said that Edmonton was “a significant area” in need, particularly around the council library and Ravizza Park.
Cr Brett Moller (Div. 1) said Member for Mulgrave Terry James was well aware of the need for CCTV in the Gordonvale CBD, particularly to cover a blindspot at Norman Park.
Cr Anna Middleton (Div. 7) said she was “quite pleased” that Edge Hill and Manunda’s Anderson St was in the application and would lobby for Piccone’s Shopping Village in Pease St, Manoora, to be included in the next round.
