An elected Dutton Coalition Government will get Far North Queensland back on track, with significant investment in local infrastructure, better healthcare and developing regional skills and training.
The Coalition has today announced we will increase the training of local GPs for the Cairns community by delivering 25 new medical Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) for James Cook University (JCU) at its Cairns campus.
This will ensure we train locally the next generation of GPs and address chronic health workforce shortages in Far North Queensland. This is part of our commitment to increase the total number of medical CSPs across Australia by 350 over the next 4 years.
It’s never been harder or more expensive to see a doctor in Cairns. In just three years under Labor, the bulk billing rate in Leichhardt has dropped by more than 8 per cent.
We are committed to turning this around by building the pipeline of local doctors, investing more in Medicare, and expanding access to bulk-billed services to restore bulk billing to the levels it was under us.
As part of the Coalition’s commitment to healthcare in Cairns, we will also invest more than $6 million to upgrade the local headspace so more Cairns youth are able to access support when they need it. This announcement comes on top of our commitment to restore Medicare mental health funding, after Labor ripped away affordable mental health support from more than 372,000 Australians.
We will also invest $33.8 million into infrastructure upgrades to support Cairns Regional Council’s development of the Mount Peter Southern Growth Corridor, an area which is projected to have an extra 42,500 people in the near future.
This commitment includes over $27 million for the Cooper Road upgrade and over $6.7 million for the Greypeaks Drive extension. It will be delivered in partnership with the Cairns Regional Council.
A Dutton Coalition Government will build the workforce we need to tackle Australia’s housing and construction challenges head-on. Today we announce that we will establish a new Australian Technical College in Cairns by committing up to $19 million to Tec-NQ to expand its footprint to build a new school. As previously announced, the Coalition will invest $260 million to deliver 12 Australian Technical Colleges across our first term.
Our Australian Technical Colleges will ensure young people in Cairns and surrounding regions have the opportunity to get a head start on in-demand skills.
Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Peter Dutton MP, in a visit to Cairns today with LNP candidate for Leichhardt, Mr Jeremy Neal, said only the LNP has a plan to invest in the future of Far North Queensland.
“For too long, the needs of Far North Queensland have been ignored by Labor – whether it’s better roads and infrastructure, healthcare or skills. For a region like this to reach its potential, all levels of government must work together to ensure residents in the region are not left behind.”
LNP candidate for Leichhardt, Mr Jeremy Neal, said “Peter Dutton and the LNP team have heard the concerns of Far North Queenslanders. Unlike Labor, we will act on these concerns and ensure a better future for the region.”
LNP candidate for Kennedy, Mrs Annette Swaine said “This project is one of the Cairns Regional Council, and the community’s, priorities. This investment will ensure that FNQ has the quality roads and infrastructure that it needs to get ahead and support future housing development.”
Mayor of Cairns Regional Council, Ms Amy Eden, welcomed the LNP’s investment in the Mount Peter Southern Growth Corridor.
“Like many councils across the nation, Cairns faces a major funding gap between the cost of the infrastructure needed to deliver new housing. On behalf of Council and the people of Cairns, I thank the LNP for this significant commitment to securing the future growth of Cairns.”
Vice Chancellor and President of James Cook University, Professor Simon Biggs, said the LNP’s commitments will address the significant, unmet need for GPs in Cairns and surrounding areas.
“Providing an additional 25 Commonwealth-funded places for Medicine will support the University to address this skills shortage in Cairns, which increases equity and reduces disadvantage.
“Importantly many of our Medicine graduates chose to be GPs in rural settings so more Commonwealth-funded places will further bolster the medical workforce in Cairns and help continue our outstanding record delivering for regional Queensland.”
These commitments we announce today are all part of the Coalition’s positive plan to get Far North Queensland and Australia back on track.