Labor’s jobs plan to retake North Queensland

Labor is making its first major move to retake North Queensland at the next federal election, as frontbencher Jim Chalmers reveals the first step of its regional recovery plan on jobs and skilled workers.

Labor is making its first major move to retake north Queensland, as Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers unveils a regional recovery plan focused on jobs and training skilled workers.

In a landmark speech, Mr Chalmers will say north Queensland will be a “bigger part … of economic success” in Australia in coming out of the pandemic, but is at risk of losing the skills and expertise needed to drive the recovery.

In Labor’s first big Queensland-specific policy announcement under Anthony Albanese, he will announce a $50 million plan for a new Central Queensland University campus in the Cairns CBD, doubling its student enrolments to 4000 by 2030.

Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers and Opposition leader Anthony Albanese. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The party is kicking into campaign mode, as it seeks to win back regional Queensland seats, in the wake of an electoral wipe out in 2019 which left Labor without any seats north of Noosa.

Both major parties have ramped up their faux election campaign this week, as they prepare for an election to be held before the end of May.

Speaking in Cairns on Wednesday, Mr Chalmers will say he has made 55 visits to 29 regional Queensland towns and cities since the last election,

“We don’t just want this town and your region to limp through the worst of the pandemic, we want you to stride out of it,” Mr Chalmers will say.

“We don’t want this part of the country to be a basket case, we want it to be a powerhouse.

“If we let the skills and expertise of the region erode, then you won’t be able to grab the economic opportunities that present themselves into the recovery and beyond.”

He will say an Albanese Government would invest $50 million to help CQU construct a new campus in the Cairns CBD, which would create 780 jobs over the long-term, directly and indirectly.

“The project is shovel ready and would provide an immediate boost to this economy,” Mr Chalmers will say.

“The new campus will provide improved opportunities for training and higher education which will address the significant skills gaps identified in the region around allied and mental health, engineering, and technology.

“Addressing this skills gap will be critical for the diversification of the regional economy and to ensure Cairns and Far North Queensland has the capacity to grab the opportunities available in the post Covid economy.”