Federal election 2022: LNP’s water security pledge impact on Cairns stadium dream
A groundbreaking federal pledge has set the scene for more big announcements in Cairns – and a rectangular stadium dream is now front and centre.
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UPDATE: A politically pointed campaign to stop the city’s taps running dry has paid off with Cairns now $107.5m closer to shoring up its water supply.
The Coalition has unveiled the biggest election commitment for Leichhardt so far with a guarantee to fund half of the $215m cost for the Cairns water security project.
It has been a bristly crusade for months, with Cairns Regional Council lobbing endless claims of neglect and funding favouritism.
It may have been antagonistic, but it worked.
“I wasn’t prepared to stand idly by and watch our city run out of water in a few years’ time,” Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said.
“I now call on the Queensland government to match this funding without any further delays.”
The Coalition pledge is only part of the picture.
Bipartisan assurances from Labor are required before the federal spend can be guaranteed – and even then, the state government still has to come to the table.
Katter’s Australian Party has made a pledge but Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese did not respond to questions on Wednesday on Labor’s stance.
However, it is understood a visit from Mr Albanese to Cairns is imminent.
The council has taken a water-first approach to all of its election campaigning, with infrastructure like a rectangular stadium and a second Kuranda Range crossing playing second fiddle until now.
It sent about 68,000 letters to households across the region and launched major print, digital, TV and radio advertising efforts to prosecute the case.
Acting Mayor Terry James said the region needed another $107.5m from federal Labor, matched by the state government – but there was now scope to discuss other issues.
“Once we get this one out of the way, then we’ll start looking at the other projects,” he said.
Mr Entsch baulked at the idea the council would only chase one project at a time.
He said the council needed to agree on a site and lock down costs if it was serious about getting funds for a rectangular stadium.
“There’s absolutely no reason why we can’t have a stadium, which makes a hell of a lot of sense,” he said.
“You don’t tick them off one after the other.”
Some of that hostility over the pointedness of the council’s campaign was still evident in the Leichhardt MP, but he said he was “putting politics aside”.
The plan involves building new infrastructure on the Mulgrave River to deliver water into the main network.
Construction needs to begin in 2024 or the city could face water shortages as soon as 2026.
EARLIER: A huge $107.5m election commitment to build the Cairns water security project has been made – but a bipartisan guarantee is still going wanting.
It was the announcement the city had been waiting for after months of concerted campaigning and a tireless mantra that this was the region’s biggest priority.
Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch and Senator Susan McDonald have secured an LNP election commitment to cover half of the $215m cost to build the project.
It is the first step towards getting a bipartisan assurance that the greater Cairns region will not face a potential water crisis by 2027.
“This project is absolutely critical for our city and the liveability of its residents,” Mr Entsch said.
“I wasn’t prepared to stand idly by and watch our city run out of water in a few years’ time.
“I was absolutely determined to deliver this project for our community, irrespective of the politically motivated campaign behind it.
“I now call on the Queensland Government to match this funding without any further delays.”
Mr Entsch and Sen McDonald announced the commitment at Tunnel Hill Reservoir in Brinsmead on Wednesday, flanked representatives from the council, the Cairns Chamber of Commerce and Advance Cairns.
Both sides of federal politics have copped heat over the long wait for funding guarantees.
Outrage was sparked in February when the federal government made a $600m pledge match the state government’s initial investment in the Paradise Dam project in Wide Bay Burnett.
It brought the total investment to $1.2bn, while Cairns sat waiting for a measly $215m.
Another $615m had gone to Townsville’s Haughton Pipeline, and Rookwood Weir in Central Queensland had notched up $366m from the two political tiers.
This new pledge will be cause for celebration among the council’s top brass – but there is still more to do.
Labor has not made any commitment to date, and the state government is yet to come to the table with its $107.5m.
The fallout for ratepayers will be considerable if the project does not get across the line.
The council’s executive project officer Nick Massasso delivered a call to arms in July last year, warning residents they would have to fork out an extra $3000 in rates if state and federal governments did not join the party.
“We’re asking you all to get behind this particular project as our city’s number one priority, and show all levels of government that it really is time to start turning the funding tap on for Cairns,” he said at the time.
The plan involves building new infrastructure on the Mulgrave River to deliver water into the main network.
The council currently draws water from two key sources – the majority (more than 80 per cent) from Copperlode Falls Dam on Lake Morris, and a smaller, run-of-river supply from Behana Creek.
More to come.
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Originally published as Federal election 2022: LNP’s water security pledge impact on Cairns stadium dream
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