Trinity Inlet Dollars Must Stay in the Far North

by | Jul 17, 2012 | Media Releases

The LNP Government needs to be honest with Cairns residents and put up or shut up with its commitment to boost tourism in the city with its $40 million Trinity Inlet project, State Opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

Ms Palaszczuk said with a study now underway by the government to investigate cruise shipping access through the area into the Cairns Port, Cairns residents needed a guarantee from the Premier that the funds would stay in the Far North should the study fall over.

“This LNP Government has committed to providing this funding for the Trinity Inlet access investigation but the Premier needs to immediately tell the Far North where this $40 million will go if the investigation shows that improved access will not stack up,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“Will he give a guarantee that the multi millions committed to Cairns will go toward other projects if that scenario unfolds?

“Will he dedicate these funds to other Cairns projects that his government has knocked on the head over the past three months?

“Will he re-direct these funds to the $38 million Cairns CBD project that his government wiped from the books as soon as it came to power?

“The Premier, his government and his local MPs must start standing up for Cairns and the Far North region instead of simply rejecting shovel-ready projects like the CBD redevelopment.

“He needs to be honest with locals and give a commitment to keeping this $40 million in the region no matter what happens with the Trinity study.”

Shadow Treasurer and Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt said as the Shadow Cabinet met in Cairns today he was looking forward to highlighting to his Caucus colleagues how extensive the loss of funding for local projects had been under the new LNP government.

“In just three months, this government has ripped the heart out of funding for capital works in our region and the Premier needs to be up front and tell Far North Queenslanders what he intends to do with this $40 million,” Mr Pitt said.

“He needs to tell us if it will go the same way as the lost $38 million for the CBD project or the lost $57 million for the Cairns Entertainment Precinct.

“Or will he do the right thing and guarantee it stays in Cairns?”