Community
2 September, 2024
Securing water supplies
QUEENSLAND Labor Senator Nita Green is confident she can wrangle the final $87.5 million needed to fully finance the Cairns water security project stage one at Gordonvale.
She told the launch of the $472m project on Tuesday “if there is an opportunity for the federal government to make a further contribution, I’m sure that we will do that”.
Ms Green said she would be calling on her colleagues in Canberra to match the $195m committed by the Queensland Government.
“Have you met me? I’m very good at campaigning,” she said.
“I’ll head down to Canberra and make that case. I can be incredibly persuasive.
“We are working through our processes that we need to, now that the state has made an additional contribution.
“I’ll be heading down to Canberra over the next couple of months and talking to people about how important this project is and ensuring that there is a balance between the three governments of the contribution that we are making”.
The project is jointly funded by the council and the Australian and Queensland governments.
The project will secure the region’s future water supply and includes a new water intake at the Mulgrave River, a new water treatment plant and water reservoirs at Gordonvale and supporting infrastructure to connect to the existing water network.
The project is expected to support more than 1600 jobs during construction and support the region’s population growth.
In December 2023, the council awarded the design and construction contract to John Holland Queensland after a rigorous 12-month procurement process.
Cairns Mayor Amy Eden said the project “had strong community and business support, as well as unanimous support across all levels of government”.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the start of construction today with our state and federal government partners and leaders from our local community,” she said.
“This is a vital project for the Cairns community and I am buoyed by the support across the board to get to this point.
“Cairns is a beautiful part of the world and we understand why more people are moving here and visiting here, which is adding more pressure to the water system.
“We know that every drop of water counts, especially when every drop is underpinned by significant capital investment.”
Premier Steven Miles said water security “matters to the people of Cairns, so I am delivering a $195m investment in this critical project”.
“The local MPs here have lobbied hard for this project, so it’s great to see work officially underway,” he said.
“This project means the community can rest assured they will have good, stable water supply long into the future.”
Federal Cities Minister Jenny McAllister said the project would help future-proof the region, “not only supporting jobs during the construction, but ensuring families, businesses and farmers can access sustainable, consistent and reliable drinking water”.
Queensland Water Minister Glenn Butcher said it “isn’t just a water security boost – it is a cost-of-living boost, because our funding is helping (the) council keep rates and water bills as low as possible”.
Mulgrave MP Curtis Pitt said it was not “just an infrastructure project – it’s a cost-of-living project. This $195m is $195m the council doesn’t have to stump up on its own, which is driving down rates and water bills thanks to the Queensland Government.”
Tourism and Sport Minister and Cairns MP Michael Healy said water security would future-proof Cairns.
“This announcement will secure the water needs for the future growth of our city and region,” he said.
“We know cost of living is a challenge. We’re doing everything we can to work with council to keep their rates as low as possible.”
Barron River MP, Craig Crawford said: “Water is life. “We’ve always backed the importance of this project. Cairns residents and local industries need water security.”
