Labor pledges $50m to build new CQ University in heart of city

A $50m pledge has been guaranteed to build a new CQ University campus in the heart of the Cairns.

LABOR has made a $50m pledge to build a new CQ University campus in Cairns should they be successful in the upcoming federal election.

The facility, to be built on the long vacant block on the corner of Grafton and Hartley Streets, is expected to create 330 construction jobs and allow thousands of wide-eyed students to study in the CBD, providing a $41m windfall for the Cairns economy alone.

The university is projecting the new campus will pump $500m into the wider Far North by 2030, doubling its student intake from 2000 to 4000.

CQU Professor and President Nick Klomp at the site of the proposed $50m campus, on the corner of Hartley and Grafton Street. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

Labor’S Leichhardt candidate Elida Faith said the investment would allow young people to “get an education close to home” while creating employment in the construction phase.

“Once open, the campus will draw more people into our CBD, which will have huge flow-on benefits for local businesses across the city, allowing them to employ even more workers,” she said.

“It’s an incredible announcement for our Cairns community and the entire Far North.”

Shadow education minister Tanya Plibersek said the “world famous lifestyle” of Cairns should have “the education and jobs to match.”

The new campus would see CQU expand course offerings to educate more health and manufacturing workers “so they can train and stay in the local area.”

“We don’t want Cairns locals having to move away to get the education they need for the job of their dreams,” she said.

An artist’s impression of the proposed CQUniversity Cairns Campus site.

Labor senator Nita Green said one of the most important aspects of the new facility was how it addressed the skills shortage in critical areas such as allied health services.

She said the investment would bring even more secure careers to Cairns and beyond.

“This is not just about building another campus, but all the key skills addresses,” she said.

The CQU Cairns campus has more than 130 staff – growing by more than 20 per cent annually – with the new project to inject more than $500m into the region over the next 10 years in the form of jobs, local procurement and student expenditure.

It is expected to generate $50.2m a year for Cairns post-construction, and $70.4m annually from 2030 onwards.

The campuses have been developed without any government support to this point.

Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers will unveil a regional recovery plan as part of a landmark speech in Cairns onWednesday.

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Originally published as Labor pledges $50m to build new CQ University in heart of city