Cairns University Hospital: Premier and JCU fight over land buy

A bureaucratic bunfight has erupted over a priceless block of dirt that threatens to bog down the Cairns University Hospital development – and the Premier has come out swinging.

A BUREAUCRATIC bunfight has erupted over land, threatening to bog down the Cairns University Hospital development – and the Premier has come out swinging.

James Cook University beat the State Government to the punch and signed contracts to buy several valuable parcels of land after months of chain-dragging.

The properties, bounded by Sheridan, Grove, Charles and Diggers streets in the CBD, are now the cause of a political rift.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she is “sick of it being stuck in bureaucracy” and she is willing to pull the trigger on compulsory acquisition.

The Cairns Post revealed in early April that JCU had entered an agreement to purchase 12,331sq m of land, in a deal believed to be worth more than $10 million.

But the Premier signalled on Thursday that JCU had caused complications by pushing ahead on its own.

She declared she was sick of bureaucratic hold-ups and would authorise Deputy Premier Steven Miles to push forward on the project.

“Frankly that land acquisition is taking far too long, so today I am authorising the deputy premier to use whatever powers he has at his disposal to make this happen.

“I’m sick of it being stuck in bureaucracy, I’m going to just push that to the side and make this happen.

“Whatever it takes, we are going to get that land acquired because I need that expansion to happen, I am sick of it.”

Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch said Ms Palaszczuk’s remarks were “nothing short of bizarre” and her government had only committed $15m for land and $1.5m for a preliminary business study, while the federal government had provided $60m.

“She needs to get off her bloody high horse and work with JCU and the Cairns and Hinterland Health and Hospital Service (CHHHS), this chest-beating is not good for our community,” Mr Entsch said.

“The state government has been dragged kicking and screaming and to talk about compulsory acquisition when JCU has acquired most of the land at a very affordable price and is working well with CHHHS is just bizarre.”

Despite her claim to have invested $67.6m into the Cairns University Hospital, $51.1m of those funds are for previously announced upgrades to the existing hospital.

JCU Vice Chancellor Professor Sandra Harding said the University was committed to working with state and federal governments and the CHHHS to bring the project to fruition.

“The University has already taken steps to purchase land vital to the Precinct, to ensure the project can be realised,” she said.

“JCU always intended transferring land to the Queensland Government so the project can move forward.”

JCU lodged a new development application earlier this month to get to work on the first section of the land going.

A new application to Cairns Regional Council involves creating easements separating the site from the neighbouring Cock ‘n’ Bull and Tradies Bar pubs “to resolve land tenure and to enable JCU to move forward with site acquisition and master planning”.

Originally published as Cairns University Hospital: Premier and JCU fight over land buy