Water security project tops Cairns, Far North’s federal budget wishlist

The Cairns region is at risk of a drinking water shortage within just two years if another multimillion-dollar pledge isn’t made in the next federal budget, which lands on Tuesday.

Copperlode Falls Dam and water intake, on the edge of Lake Morris, is the main drinking supply for Cairns and surrounds. The council is seeking an extra $236m from the state and federal governments to fund the critical project. Picture: Brendan Radke

The Cairns region is at risk of a drinking water shortage within just two years if another multimillion-dollar pledge isn’t made in the next federal budget, which lands on Tuesday.

Cairns Regional Council is seeking an extra $128.5m from the commonwealth and the same amount from the Queensland government when the state budget is delivered next month.

Both governments have previously made a joint commitment of $215m.

The project’s revised price tag of almost half a billion dollars has added to budget pressures, Advance Cairns chief executive Jacinta Reddan said.

“But it doesn’t take away or diminish from the fact that these are vital projects for the region,” she said.

“Water is really at the heart of a thriving community.

“Everyone looks back at what happened in the wake of Cyclone Jasper and the impact on our water supply the very near impact on the hospital system.”

Advance Cairns CEO Jacinta Reddan has presented the 2024-25 budget submission to the federal government. Picture: Brendan Radke

Cairns mayor Amy Eden said the project was council’s top priority.

“Without increased funding, it will be our community that bears the cost through increased rates and charges at a time when they can least afford it given many are already experiencing significant cost-of-living pressures,” she said.

“It’s a project that has the unanimous backing of council and is also supported by our local federal and state members, as well as key stakeholders.”

Advance Cairns’ top priorities in its 2024-25 federal budget submission also include a $30m upgrade to the Kennedy Developmental Road, which Ms Reddan described as a key alternative to the beleaguered Bruce Highway.

“It can make sure that we reduce freight costs and drive regional economic development … ensure that vital link remains open throughout extreme weather events,” Ms Reddan said.

“There’s only a small section of that road that requires sealing so that’s $30m that we believe would be very well spent.”

Advance Cairns is requesting the federal government spend $30m on sealing the final section of the Kennedy Developmental Road.

An extra 110 commonwealth-supported places over the next two years to train local doctors and a pledge to put an already committed $20m towards investigating Kuranda Range Road alternatives are other key requests.

Ms Reddan said all projects were vital for the region’s growing local population and the tourism industry.

“We believe that the growth population forecast for Cairns and the region are woefully undercooked, that the Queensland statistician is using numbers on the low end of the spectrum,” she said.

“Cairns, at any given time across the region, has 50 to 55,000 visitors who also drink our water, travel on our roads and use our hospital system.”

“When governments are making assessments based on population, they absolutely need to look at robust population growth but also daily visitor impacts as well as the anticipated growth of visitors over the next 20 to 30 years.”

The Advance Cairns budget submission also requests $500,000 per annum funding for COUCH Wellness Centre over the next five years as well as a commitment to establish an Office of the Pacific presence in Cairns, among other items.

Originally published as Water security project tops Cairns, Far North’s federal budget wishlist