Business View Oceania | February 2020

13 14 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA FEBRUARY 2020 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA FEBRUARY 2020 CA I RNS REGIONAL COUNC I L , QLD Cairns city is now the principal centre of the region, centrally located along the coastal strip with sub-regions to the north and south consisting predominantly of good quality agricultural land and areas of high ecological significance. The region is an important gateway to the nearby Atherton Tablelands, Daintree and Wet Tropics rainforest, and the outback Savannah region beyond the Great Dividing Range. Bob Manning has been Mayor of Cairns Regional Council for eight years and is running again in March for another four. Why? “Because I love it!” Manning admits. “Along with our geographical ties to the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics, we are also home to two of the longest living cultures in the world. The Australian indigenous people who have been here for 55 or 60 thousand years and the Torres Strait Island people – two very distinctive cultures. Those four main features really make us tick. We are new to the international tourist game (about 20 years), but we’ve grown dramatically in that time.” Indeed, tourism is the lifeblood of the Cairns economy with other industries centring around aviation, education (especially international), shipping, health services, professional services, mining, aquaculture, and agriculture. The GRP (Gross Regional Product) hovers around $10 billion for the city of Cairns, whereas the region is around the $16 billion mark. It’s a very active economy seeing significant growth over a number of years. Planning for the future, the Council, along with key stakeholders, developed the Cairns Shared 2050 Vision document which has been submitted to the federal and state governments – a very detailed report outlining the direction Cairns wants to take over the next 30 years. Manning notes, “That provides a foundation for us to enter into discussion with the federal and state governments, so the three levels of government can work together to generate this outcome. At the end of the day that’s the only way we’ll get anywhere.” Extremely involved in contemporary issues, the Council recently convened a Youth Climate Summit that brought 36 bright and impassioned www.ausmining.com.au +07 4041 1377 SUITE 22 / 29 GRAFTON STREET, CAIRNS QLD 4870 We understand the diverse needs of specific client operations and environments. A proud continuing Labour Hire supplier to Cairns Regional Council Mayor, Bob Manning Babinda Boulders - Wet Tropics Rainforest Tourism Tropical North Queensland - Great Barrier Reef Diving