State funded projects
At a state level, Advance Cairns undertakes a variety of projects funded by the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI).
ThinkTNQ
ThinkTNQ is funded by the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation. It is designed to support and promote economic development in Tropical North Queensland through its website www.thinktnq.com.au.
The website provides
- A snapshot of the four Tropical North Queensland Local Government Areas for those living or coming to live in our region
- A platform for new projects
- A suite of projects for those looking to invest
- Facilitates regional connectivity
- Relevant research for those who want to know more about the economic footprint of the Local Government Areas
- A publishing platform for those who wish to post their research
- Information on the four Local Government Areas of Tropical North Queensland
- Regional, research, information and statistics
- A register of local business ready projects
- The opportunity for investors to register their interest in a project
Austropex – Australian Tropical Expertise
The second project, ‘Fostering Business Development forExport Readiness’, builds on the significant work that Advance Cairns has carried out in the Tropical Expertise sector for the past two years.
The project will take the Tropical Expertise market to the next phase by facilitating focus group development and business readiness for current and potential members of Austropex so they have the capacity to promote their availability for tropical expertise work in domestic and international export markets.
A range of training and development opportunities will be provided, such as workshops on how to prepare a domestic tender, capability statement and CV.
The project will have long-term benefits for the companies involved by opening up opportunities to new export markets, which in turn will increase businesses’ ability to expand their operations and create new jobs within their organisations.
Marine Service Business Matching
In addition to a variety of annually-contracted, State-funded projects Advance Cairns undertakes, the organisation carries out a range of State-funded projects granted throughout the year. The most recent addition to its project portfolio is the Marine Services Business Matching project, which aims to establish and build sustainable business relationships with national and international customers for the region’s marine industry.
The economic development agency has partnered with the city’s three major slipways and shipyards to expand their client base and assist in the promotion of their marine services expertise to the Pacific and South East Asian regions.
The $90,000 Marine Services Business Matching project, funded by the State Government, is designed to mitigate the impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Cairns’ marine services industry by promoting its capabilities to national and international markets, identify potential opportunities and match them to the region’s capabilities.
A steering committee of representatives of local marine service providers, the state government and Advance Cairns will ensure the project deliverables are met. They include:
- Researching and compiling a database of marine industry contacts;
- Identify business matching opportunities;
- Develop marketing collateral to promote the region’s marine services capabilities to the Pacific and South East Asia regions; and
- Coordinate three trade missions and an international trade show.
The first major print collateral component of the project is now complete.
It is called ‘Cairns Ship Repair Services – Industry Capability Profile’
Cairns Prospectus
Advance Cairns recently completed an investment attraction project, funded by DEEDI, designed to strengthen trade links between the Far North and Papua New Guinea. The project required Advance Cairns to research, develop and publish a Cairns Prospectus (in electronic and hard copy) to be distributed to PNG businesses looking to do business with the Far North.
A final version of ‘The Cairns Prospectus – A Regional Profile’ has been produced, while an abridged version was distributed in PNG by Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser on a Trade Queensland trade mission to the Pacific nation in March 2010.