Locally funded projects
Locally, the organisation is jointly funded by the Cairns Regional Council, the Cairns Airport, and it’s Patrons’ Program to carry out a raft of projects in collaboration with the activities of some of the region’s leading business groups and research institutions, such as the Cairns Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, James Cook University and the Far North Queensland Region of Councils (FNQROC).
A formal agreement with the FNQROC has produced a key project for Advance Cairns, which involved the appointment of a Regional Development Officer in July 2009. The RDO position was established to:
- Address the economic needs of councils from Cardwell to Cooktown by developing and championing robust economic linkages between Cairns and the surrounding council areas
- Provide linkages between and liaise with the Cassowary, Tablelands and Cook shire regional councils, as well as local government bodies in Yarrabah and Wujal Wujal
- Work across the region on a range of economic projects prioritised by FNQROC, including lobbying for improved road networks across TNQ, identifying opportunities and costs that arise from the carbon reduction trading scheme for a range of the region’s industry sectors, seeking funding for high-priority infrastructure projects, and developing economic development models for regional councils.
Some of the RDO-led activities currently underway include the faciliation of the Regional Development Practitioners Network (RDPN), and ongoing involvement with the Tablelands Retirement and Aged Care Action Group (TRACFAG).
The RDPN is an informal group of people working in the field of regional development in Far North Queensland. Members come from all levels of government, private enterprise and non government organisations and are involved in environmental, economic, social or cultural development.
The network exists to facilitate:
- Synergies in regional development practice and delivery across the four pillars (economic, social, cultural and environmental )
- The support and development of individuals and organisations
- Regional cohesion
- Representation and communication.
Membership is open to anyone who believes they have something to offer to the network or something they can gain from engagement. The network meets quarterly with each meeting providing an opportunity for networking, professional development and the discussion of a current issue/topic. Members also communicate electronically sharing information, events and ideas.
The network is convened by a small group of members with the Advance Cairns Regional Development Officer acting as the secretariat.
Our motto is “bringing regional development practitioners together to build the region”
Click here to download members contact details.
The Tablelands Retirement and Aged Care Action Group (TRACFAG) was formed in July 2009 in response to community demand for alternative accommodation options for Tablelands residents. It is a community-based group consisting of as representatives of Advance Cairns, Tablelands Regional Council and Tablelands Futures Corporation as well as local representatives of seniors associations.
The group has recently undertaken work to identify the accommodation needs and desires of older Australians living on the Atherton Tablelands including a comprehensive survey of Tablelands residents. The report of this research , published in June 2010 outlines both the process undertaken and the information collected and is part of a larger strategy designed to address the social issues and economic opportunities surrounding a gap between the current levels of supply and demand for retirement and aged care accommodation in the region.
Click here to download the report.
A short newsletter to inform the community about TRACFAG and the results of the survey is also available – click here
In an unprecedented alignment of effort, elected representatives of the three tiers of government have joined with industry, business, environment, education, and community interests to form and support the Sustainable TNQ initiative.
The initiative, funded through the generosity of the wind-up of the former Far North Queensland Consultative Committee, aims to establish a locally-driven process and framework, based on sustainable development principles, for engaging community, government and industry in the development of a long-term regional vision and action plan to 2025 which:
- Provides the region with a sustainable economic competitive advantage by diversifying the economy based on clean, green and smart principles;
- Reduces regional impact on the environment and protects and improves natural assets;
- Establishes indicators for measuring our sustainability performance;
- Obtains better efficiencies from government resources in the region; and
- Identifies, aligns and connects regional sustainability initiatives, with reference to and in support of government planning.
Sustainable TNQ is a collaboration of existing organisations, hosted by TNQ’s peak economic development agency Advance Cairns, with a focus on creating a socially, environmentally, culturally and economically sustainable future for our region.
