Developing northern Australia Conference agenda for Cairns revealed

The north presents as many economic and social opportunities as it does challenges. But policy makers need to focus on one bridge believed to be a possible catalyst for prosperity.

The boardwalk at Talaroo Hot Springs in Queensland. Northern Australia tourism could be boosted by $1bn with key investments, a conference in Cairns in July will hear.

Northern Australia’s east-west connectivity will be a major focus of an upcoming conference set to host more than 400 delegates including leading decision makers and policy influencers.

The Developing Northern Australia Conference will sit at the Convention Centre for three days from July 22, with the event “strategically” lured to Cairns, in line with the beginning of a new federal parliament term, TTNQ chief executive Mark Olsen said.

“It was our thinking and the mayor’s leadership that said ‘after the federal election, we need to be bringing the key decision makers to Cairns to demonstrate our influence and the role that we’re going to play in the Pacific, across Southeast Asia and right across northern Australia’,” Mr Olsen said.

Mayor Amy Eden said she would be engaging in discussions for Cairns to “harness the opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Mayor Amy Eden said she would be engaging in discussions for Cairns to “harness the opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region Photo by Brian Cassey

She said conversations about the Office of the Pacific moving from Canberra to Cairns, would be bolstered by the introduction of Papua New Guinea into the NRL, and the “opportunities” around sports diplomacy ahead of the Olympics.

“What that means for Pacific nations using Cairns as a training hub and how we can foster and leverage trade opportunities and education opportunities... we’re a really great city,” she said.

But Mr Olsen said he hoped the think tank would reshape the thinking from a “north-south” vision to northern Australia’s east-west links.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen wants policy heads to think “east-west” at the Developing Northern Australia Conference. Picture: Brendan Radke

He said tourism was “massively undercooked” across the top end and said using the Savannah Way as a virtual policy navigator, decision makers could easily identify how investment in the tourism asset could act as a blueprint to improve roads, health and digital infrastructure in the country’s most remote communities.

“We estimate in today’s dollars, we’re missing a billion dollars of visitor expenditure from the Great Dividing Range-west, along the Savannah Way just compared to other outback destinations, not even compared to the cities.

Asked what would be a single investment solution that would catalyse inland Queensland opportunities, Mr Olsen said the Gilbert River Bridge, along the Gulf Developmental Rd, isolating north west communities for months at a time during floods.

The Gilbert River bridge is part of the solution to the “missing billion dollars” in outback Australia tourism. Photo Steve Pohlner

RDA Tropical North chair Hurriyet Babacan said the conference agenda would focus on the three priority areas of human capital, enabling infrastructure and economic development, and diversification.

“(This event) is an investment in the relationship with Cairns and Far North more broadly,” she said.

Professor Alan Dale from the Cooperative Research Centre for developing Northern Australia and Regional Development Australia Tropical North chairwoman Hurriyet Babacan will both feature in the Developing Northern Australia Conference. Picture: Brendan Radke

“I encourage local businesses and industry to join the conference for an unparalleled understanding of issues such as decarbonised investment and nature-positive development in northern Australia as well as networking opportunities with the leaders who drive the strategy and direction of our nation’s top end.”

To attend, register now at northaust.org.au.

Originally published as Developing northern Australia Conference agenda for Cairns revealed