Council push for bipartisan support of Mount Peter trunk infrastructure

Cairns Regional Council leveraging support of the Coalition has now leaned on Labor to support construction of critically needed trunk infrastructure within the south Cairns growth corridor.

An aerial view of where the new home building is ready to begin near Mt Peter, south of Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke

Cairns Regional Council leveraging support of the Coalition has now leaned on Labor to support construction of critically needed trunk infrastructure within the south Cairns growth corridor.

On Saturday during a visit to Cairns, federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton, pledged $33.8m towards Cairns Regional Council’s trunk infrastructure within the Mount Peter housing development project.

A $150m federal funding goal has been set to accelerate housing supply at Mount Peter but to date no pre-election promises have been made by the government.

Leichhardt candidate Jeremy Neal, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Mayor Amy Eden visited a new home construction site at Mount Sheridan on Saturday. Picture: Richard Dobson / Newswire

Delivery of water and sewer services has been the subject of ongoing tension between council and developers.

Council has been accused of applying the brakes on growth by locking up the last remaining greenfield land parcels by blocking both Fortress Group and Kroymans Developments from creating subdivisions.

Both companies have appealed council knockbacks through the courts.

Mayor Amy Eden said federal cash was needed to fill a budget black hole created by a gap in the cost of trunk infrastructure and what developers contribute toward the set up of new suburbs.

Leveraging the big issues of the 2025 election campaign including the cost of living and the housing crisis Ms Eden said council’s project to unlock the Southern Growth Corridor addresses both.

“Federal support will deliver thousands of new homes while also providing cost of living relief for our residents,” she said.

“Council can’t fund the $450m worth of housing infrastructure that our city needs alone.”

The Cairns Regional Council is yet to approve some housing development on old sugar cane land around the Mt Peter housing estate. Picture: Brendan Radke

Far North Queensland regional manager for Master Builders Queensland, Sharon Vella, said unlocking land supply through targeted infrastructure investment was vital to addressing the housing shortfall in our region.

“The Mount Peter Southern Growth Corridor represents a significant opportunity to deliver much-needed homes at scale, but this potential cannot be realised without urgent funding support from all levels of government,” she said.

“We stand with council in calling on the federal government to commit to the critical infrastructure Cairns needs to enable sustainable growth and ensure the region’s future liveability.”

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Originally published as Council push for bipartisan support of Mount Peter trunk infrastructure