Stakeholders in the Far North of the State have voiced their collective concern over Queensland Government initiatives being progressed without adequate or in some cases any consultation, such as the recent proposal to add Cape York to the World Heritage List (WHL).

Advance Cairns, the region’s peak economic development agency, has expressed its disappointment at the State Government, and says it and other bodies were disconcerted that the first they knew of the proposed fast tracking of this proposal was when reading in The Cairns Post that the Minister was lobbying for the early inclusion of the Cape in the WHL.

“Advance Cairns was very concerned when it came to our attention that within the one week there was both a Federal listing of a large part of the Coral Sea, and a request from the Queensland Government to fast track the listing of the entire Cape York as a World Heritage Area without the slightest warning or request for consultation,” Advance Cairns CEO Ross Contarino said.

“These are major determinations for our region. The most significant concern at this time is not whether these proposals are right or not, it is more about the fact that the opinions of those who will be most impacted have not been considered in their formulation,” Mr Contarino said.

“Since this was announced we have spoken to many bodies representing those who may be affected, including the Cook Shire, ROC Cape York, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, the Cairns Chamber of Commerce and the Cape York Partnerships group, and they all share our concerns”.

Mr. Contarino went on to say that none of these bodies yet had concluded views, but that they wanted to understand more about what was proposed so they could identify and comment on the issues which might arise.

“We are strongly in favour of workable sustainable policies and practices being developed and implemented in the region” he said, “but we need to ensure that the needs of and issues relevant to our locals are identified and taken into account in that process. We understand that the State had earlier set up advisory committees on this issue, but to us it makes no sense to do that and then seek to entrench a position before receiving advice from those groups.”

Cairns Chamber of Commerce president Jeremy Blockey has joined the call for consultation saying it was imperative that the business community have input into processes such as Wild Rivers and the heritage listing to ensure the continued viability of the region.

“By working together, we can have the best of both worlds, which allows us to preserve our natural assets and create employment for the region,” Mr Blockey said.

Advance Cairns will take its concerns to the State Government today (Wednesday, June 3) when a delegation of directors, led by Mr Contarino and Chairman Russell Beer, meet with seven State Ministers as part of a two-day lobbying mission to Brisbane.