It's a week when the Federal and Queensland governments have committed $600 million each to the State Government's failed Paradise Dam project in the Wide Bay-Burnett region.
I, the Deputy Mayor and the CEO met with Hon Curtis Pitt MP and Mr Michael Healy MP today on this, and I told them that the slow progress by the State on our water security project, in this matter is not fair on the city.
The Queensland Government needs to re-prioritise its funding of the Cairns Water Security– Stage 1 Project with a greater urgency.
There must be a sense of urgency when we are talking about something as critical as fresh drinking water. Last time I checked, access to drinking water was a basic human right.
We need to get serious about this.
In the interim, projects like Paradise Dam ($1.2B State and Federal funding), the Haughton Pipeline projects to Ross River and the Burdekin ($410M in State funding) are given approvals.
The whole reason Cairns has a water problem today is because of decades long underinvestment by successive State and Federal governments.
Let's not forget here, that only recently both State and Federal Governments decided not to support Nullinga Dam. There was no alternative brought forward.
Council's proposal, the Cairns Water Security – Stage 1 project, is the solution to our immediate water needs. It is comprehensively planned and well developed.
It's a core part of the Cairns Water Security Strategy adopted by Council in 2015 and we've been progressively working towards it ever since.
The State was actively involved in the development of that strategy.
If they want to talk about business cases, let's look at Townsville where the State is investing $420 million right now to support water security. The Townsville Haughton Stage 2 project had a business case that failed and yet it's still proceeding with $195 million of State funding.
The Townsville projects will provide for a water security guarantee of 60-80 years.
So the State is happy to tip in over $400 million to secure Townsville's water needs out to the end of the century, put another $600 million into Paradise Dam to fix a problem of their own making, but nothing for Cairns when our problem is right here right now, and we're only asking for fraction of what's been committed in other regions.
This Council was elected 10 years ago to get things done and that's what we have been doing and will continue to do.
And the time for the State and Federal governments to back us, is now.
Background info:
- Cairns Regional Council has lodged formal budget submissions seeking a $107.5 million commitment from both the Queensland and Federal Governments towards the $215 million Cairns Water Security – Stage 1 Project.
- Council has received a one page letter in response from Queensland Water Minister Glenn Butcher indicating the Queensland Government will not consider providing any funding until the completion of a detailed business case, and even then, only if Council can demonstrate why it can't borrow to pay for the project itself (and pass the cost onto ratepayers).
- The Cairns Water Security Stage 1 project will secure Cairns' immediate water needs and involves sourcing water from a strategic reserve in the Mulgrave River.
