In just 20 years, Cairns has transformed itself from a regional sugar town to a vibrant international tourist destination. Cairns is one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations, second only to Sydney. With its seaport, international airport and vibrant CBD, Cairns is also the hub for those visiting other parts of Far North Queensland. Surrounded by natural attractions including the Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage listed rainforests plus an idyllic climate, annually some three million people include Cairns on their holiday or business itinerary.
“As a large, but remote regional city, our major challenge is to provide all the services expected by our residents and tourists,” said City of Cairns, Chief Executive Officer, David Farmer. “With our next closest major urban centre being Townsville, four hours drive away, we have to make things happen ourselves. We have a strong ‘can do’ culture – after all it was a group of local people who had the vision and drive for Cairns to become an international airport.”
Cairns City Council services a population of almost 124,000 people. Add to this between 25,000 to 40,000 visitors each night, sees Council providing the infrastructure and services expected in any major regional City.
“However, our remote location is often forgotten by the other spheres of government as we carry out this role,” David Farmer said.
With tourism a larger contributor to the local economy than the combination of the region’s three other major industries – agriculture, fishing and mining – Council continues to allocate a large proportion of its resources to ensure the City remains an attractive, vibrant tourist destination for domestic and international visitors.
“Any downturn in tourism will have a major impact on the local economy,” David Farmer said. “With tourism numbers currently soft due to international tensions, a subsequent increase in domestic visitors will help but the loss of higher spending and longer average stays by international tourists is a major concern.
“It is therefore vital that we present a number of areas in the City at a very high level to ensure Cairns remains a popular destination. Clean, safe and pleasant facilities demand quality landscaping, state of the art leisure facilities and good security. Council spends in excess of $1 million per year on security. This includes closed circuit monitoring, security patrols and increased lighting.
“The multi million dollar Esplanade Redevelopment has seen the three spheres of Government and the Cairns Port Authority combining their resources to deliver a fantastic, new waterfront for the City. Although the other spheres of Government have assisted with funding major projects, the ongoing maintenance and life cycle costs of these facilities must be met by Council.”
David Farmer said that under the current grants distribution formula, Cairns is very much disadvantaged compared to other major regional centres.
“Ballarat and Bendigo, both much closer to their capital city, receive around $80 per capita,” he said. “In spite of our more remote location, we only receive $22 per capita. This translates into almost a $5 million difference per annum.”
