General News
3 December, 2024
Water funds top of list
IF the federal government doesn’t invest an additional $87.5 million into the $472 million Cairns water security stage 1 (CWSS1) in the 2025-26 budget, Cairns Regional Council intends to make it an election issue.
Mayor Amy Eden said as the council’s number one advocacy priority, securing the funding was not just about infrastructure, it was about protecting local ratepayers from the burden of rising costs and securing Cairns’ drinking water supply into the next decade.
“A matched commitment of $195m (which the state government has already pledged) from the federal government would deliver combined cost of living savings – in the form of future council rates and/or charges avoided – of $6048 per household or $403 per year over 15 years,” she said.
“In the absence of an increased funding allocation being made to CWSS1 in either the federal mid-year economic and fiscal outlook 2024-25 or the 2025-26 federal budget, (the) council will continue to advocate for the increased federal funding outlined in this letter as its number 1 advocacy priority in the lead in to the next federal election,” Cr Eden said in a letter to Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
Last week a delegation of Far Northern leaders, involving Cr Eden as well as Advance Cairns representatives Jacinta Reddan and Nick Trompf, Patricia O’Neill from the chamber of commerce and Tourism Tropical North Queensland’s Mark Olsen attended more than 35 meetings over three days with ministers and representatives on both sides of politics to advance priorities for the region.
Cr Eden said it was clear that cost of living was a key federal concern, with all levels of government facing budget challenges.
“For (the) council, the delegation was another opportunity to continue to press the case for additional federal funding for (the) council’s and indeed the region’s number 1 advocacy priority – the Cairns Water Security Stage 1 Project (CWSS1),” she said.
Cr Matthew Tickner (Div. 2) told a council meeting earlier this month that the project had commenced onsite and was travelling well, “albeit still heading towards a large shortfall in funding and a significant spike in council debt”.
“This is before we consider the $11-12m each year this treatment plant will cost to operate,” he said. “For every dollar of revenue raised in Queensland through taxes, rates, etc, local councils are on average only getting three cents of each dollar, 17 cents go to the states and whopping 80 cents goes to the federal government.”
