Collaboration and cooperation

A Cairns 1st Council will

• maintain and strengthen partnerships with business bodies in our community  including the region’s Chambers of Commerce, Cairns Port Authority, Advance Cairns, Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ), Port Douglas and Daintree Tourism (PDDT) and other industry organisations.
• work with the board to independently review Advance Cairns to ensure that the council’s funding is maximized and the greatest possible benefit for the region is achievable from this organisation
• collaborate with business groups, the state government and local councils in the broader FNQ region to facilitate an economic development model which will develop industries on a regional level; ie, Regional Organisation of Councils, Townsville Enterprises, Cape York Peninsula Development Association and Gulf Savanna
• honour existing agreements and explore new opportunities to work with and partner business in other countries.

Tourist summit

Within 100 days of being elected we will:

• hold a tourism funding, promotion and management summit of regional industry participants around implementing a new tourist levy and other strategies to grow and support the industry.

‘Buy locally’

We are committed to a policy of buying and trading locally. We will:

• review all of Council’s supply contracts and seek comparable locally-based alternatives wherever they are available
• introduce weightings in assessments of tenders and offers of supply to value local businesses and businesses that employ local residents
• adopt a process of contracting pre-qualified suppliers to create efficiencies in minor purchasing contracts and tendering of smaller contracts and jobs
• work with local traders to create vibrant shopping “strips” in suburbs and towns – such as Edge Hill, Mossman, Babinda, Stratford and Gordonvale and help create local jobs.

Economic infrastructure

A Cairns 1st Council will prioritise maintenance and upgrading of the infrastructure of Cairns and our major towns, including the many services on which businesses depend.  We will:

• work  with traders in Cairns and the major towns to develop more equitable car parking arrangements to promote “short stop” shopping, including allowing the transfer of parking tokens across the CBD
• introduce better signage for off-street car parking particularly in Port Douglas
• review our road hierarchy and usage patterns to ensure they are beneficial to business and industry
• lobby and work closely with State and Federal Governments to ensure infrastructure such as roads, ports, rails and airports are maintained and expanded to support our growing economy.

Industry “clusters”

We recognise the success and strength of the industry clusters developed by the previous Cairns Regional Economic Development Corporation (CREDC), and will:

• consult with the various clusters about the issues facing their members and work with them to seek solutions and opportunities, including possible funding to support cluster development
• nominate a Councillor as representative to each cluster
• encourage other industry groupings in the region to form or join industry clusters as appropriate
• ensure Council staff actively participate in relevant clusters.

Tourism

We acknowledge the significant contribution that the tourism  industry plays in our economy and the potential for ongoing expansion of the industry.  A Cairns 1st Council will:

• implement a tourism levy in Cairns
• resolve the concerns of the Port Douglas Daintree Tourism Association that their council funding may be diverted or controlled elsewhere
• work with the tourism industry to ensure that the ongoing development of Daintree, Port Douglas and Cairns as a tourism destinations is sustainable and consistent with the qualities that attract tourists to the region in the first place:  the reef, rainforests, our tropical lifestyle, buildings and character
• support the potential of our tropical foods and cuisine to attract domestic and international tourists to the region and widely market local produce under a regional banner
• ensure the cost of providing tourist-related services and infrastructure is not unfairly borne by ratepayers, and that the development of these services is balanced with provision of services and infrastructure required by our community.

Agriculture

Agriculture, particularly sugar, sustained the region for many years, and remains a key sector of our economy which will become increasingly valuable as agriculture responds to climate change impacts and moves from dryer southern states.  A Cairns 1st Council will:

• continue the joint venture partnership between the cane industry, CSIRO and Douglas Shire to keep the industry strong and sustainable
• ensure ongoing support for the broader agricultural sector, including protection of agricultural lands, support for alternative crops and new practices and promotion of our regional produce
• work with industry groups to lobby State and Federal Governments to ensure a fair deal for our farmers.
  

Fishing and aquaculture

Cairns 1st recognises that the fishing industry is a major employer in our region and a significant part of our economy.  We also understand the importance of conserving fish stocks and the reef.  A Cairns 1st Council will:

• work with Ecofish, State and Federal Authorities and other stakeholders to negotiate outcomes that are sustainable for the industry and the environment, as well as the broader Cairns community.

Conventions and events

We will:

• continue and grow the support and promotion of Cairns and Port Douglas as a venue for local, inter-state, national and international conventions and events
• work with TTNQ, PDDT (Port Douglas and Daintree Tourism) and the business community to promote tourism and other opportunities in conjunction with conventions and events held in the region.

Building and engineering

A Cairns 1st Council will:

• support and promote the capacity of our building and engineering industries to provide services throughout Queensland, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region
• seek competitive and collaborative tenders through the various regional clusters
• ensure that assessment of tenders for Council projects takes into account local businesses.

Marine industries

We recognise the substantial gains made by the Cairns Port Authority and the super yacht cluster in promoting Cairns as a destination on global cruising circuits.  A Cairns 1st Council will:

• support the endeavours of these groups and commit to appropriate development of the Port area to enhance the experience of people visiting Cairns via boat.
  

Aviation

We will:

• capitalise on the capabilities of the newly built Aviation Skills Centre.
  

Education and training and a knowledge-based economy

Cairns 1st recognises the many attractions of Cairns to overseas students: environment, cultural heritage, climate, lifestyle and proximity to Cape York and the Asia-Pacific region.  We recognize the opportunities there are to grow the education and training industry and will:

• explore ways to work with and support the industry “cluster,” Study Cairns, and work with all sectors of the education and training sector to maximise expansion opportunities
• recognise that growing a “knowledge-based” economy is significant in a region that is vulnerable in its reliance on tourism and agriculture
• investigate the initiative of designating Cairns as a learning city  and commit to placing innovation and learning at the core of regional development.

Regional economic planning

We will:

1. look at ways that a new Cairns Regional Plan can build on the existing plans of the former Cairns City and Douglas Shire councils and be strengthened to encourage sustainable industry development
2. recognize the recommendations of the extensive planning being undertaken in the FNQ2025 planning processes
3. support the investment of Natural Heritage Trust funds through the Wet Tropics Natural Resource Management Plan.

Smart State

We will:

1. work closely with the State government and its Smart State initiatives to attract businesses and support research and innovation.

Expansion

A Cairns 1st Council will:

1. assist our established and new businesses to market themselves more broadly through the region and take advantage of opportunities in the Asia-Pacific Region.

New agricultural opportunities

As our traditional agricultural sectors face difficult and turbulent markets, opportunities arise for our community to embrace new opportunities; particularly in relation to the impact of climate change in drying up agriculture in southern states.  A Cairns 1st Council will:

1. assist the agricultural community to identify new market opportunities for existing crops
2. ensure that agricultural lands are not lost to urbanization and are well-placed to take advantage of the opportunities available as agriculture ‘moves north’
3. facilitate the trialing and marketing of these new products; for example, development of the tropical foods markets , growing of hemp for paper and fabrics, tropical hardwoods, bamboo and the use of cane for ethanol and manufacturing of alternative to plastic bags.

Eco-industries

Cairns 1st supports the bio-industry with its focus on maintaining our environment and sustainably using our plentiful resource. We will:

1. support the Australian Tropical Forest Institute (ATFI) and the development of associated bio-research opportunities whilst protecting the intellectual property rights of the Indigenous owners of the knowledge
2. pursue and support opportunities to build local expertise in renewable energy technologies.

Film & television

A Cairns 1st Council will:

1. work with the film and television industry sector to attract funds for the additional infrastructure required to firmly establish towns and communities in the region as desired locations for the film and television industry.

Information technology

The marketing of information technology expertise in our region has met with some success.  Cairns 1st will:

1. support the development of Information Technology industries and their role in diversifying our economy and providing jobs opportunities.

Value adding opportunities

There are many additional economic opportunities that can be gained in association with our existing industries

1. actively pursue opportunities for the development of processing and manufacturing industries based around our agricultural products and raw materials
2. raise awareness in the business community of services that can be bought locally, such as the design and printing of promotional materials for the tourism industry.

Cultural tourism

We will:

1. acknowledge the potential of cultural tourism to create jobs
2. work with Indigenous businesses, groups and networks to grow Indigenous involvement in tourist products and activities 
3. highlight heritage buildings and areas with plaques and interpretive signage, and develop heritage trails in areas across the region
4. support the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority allocation of tour operator permits to Indigenous traditional owners.

Creative arts

Cairns region has strong - and sometimes under-recognised - visual and performing arts communities.  Cairns 1st believes that the arts can contribute significantly to our economy, particularly given the diversity of artistic expression in our community.  We acknowledge the work done by the Tropical Creative industry cluster and Arts Nexus and we will:

1. investigate a new arts festival to be held in Cairns at a time that does not clash with Festival Cairns, the Port Douglas Festivale or the Amateurs
2. encourage a greater presence of the artistic community – both visual and performing  arts and live music - in Cairns and the major towns to bring more people and activity into CBD’s
3. partner and support groups like UMI arts, the peak Indigenous arts group, to create opportunities for exhibitions and other activities that can generate economic gain for Indigenous artists throughout the region
4. work with the business community to develop partnerships between the arts and business communities.

The triple bottom line

and the fourth pillar of sustainability

1. Underpinning all our policies is the belief that not all decisions should be made on the basis of the greatest or immediate economic gain.  Economic development in our city must also demonstrate benefits for the community and the environment. 
3. We also acknowledge the role of what is called the fourth pillar of sustainability - culture - in our planning and economic development.

More job options for our community

1. Cairns 1st believes that plentiful, varied and rewarding job opportunities are the key to our region’s prosperity  We will:
2. work with all sectors of our community to develop strategies to provide more job options, particularly for those people who are disadvantaged in our employment market
3. target strategies to increase Indigenous employment rates, and offer support to the Chambers of Commerce for their initiatives in this area.

Small business

1. Small business is the basis of a thriving economy.  We will:
2. hold focus groups with small business to identify key ways in which they can be assisted by Council
3. recognize the importance of small “seed” funding to fuel community ideas/dreams to grow businesses and community
4. explore with the Department of Tourism, Industry and Regional Development any gaps in getting small businesses off the ground
5. canvas options to make it easier for people to operate home-based businesses, whilst managing the impacts of these on neighbours.

Community hubs

We will:

1. foster the growth of community hubs and neighbourhood-based economic growth; eg, work with Mossman, Gordonvale and Edge Hill traders.

Social capital

The skills, attitudes, networks and connections of the volunteer and community sectors are key builders of social capital and social well-being, which underpin the prosperity of our community.
We will:

1. look at ways to support and work with the volunteer and community sectors to enable them to continue their vital work.