Posted on November 9, 2017
By Chris Calcino, Cairns Post
ONE Nation claims Labor’s dredge plan for Trinity Inlet is condemning Cairns to a future as Townsville’s poor cousin.
The party’s candidate for Cairns, Ian Hodge, has slammed the Cairns Shipping Development Project to remove one million cubic tonnes of dredge spoil, arguing it should be just the first stage of a much larger project.
He argued a reversion to the LNP’s original 4.4 million cubic metre plan was crucial to the region’s economic security.
“We have the largest population in Northern Australia with the largest crop-farming and tourism region,” he said.
“Let us not forget the pilots’ strike and the global financial crisis economic downturn, when the economy was supported by agriculture that is relying on port expansion for operating efficiency.”
Mr Hodge took aim at Labor’s claim that 80 per cent of cruise ships that currently come to Cairns enter through the port.
He said the claim ignored the fact that those 20 per cent of ships standing offshore were the largest vessels with the most passengers.
“In bad weather, many passengers will not take the tender boats into Yorkeys Knob, and our economy suffers,” he said.
Mr Hodge, who works as national sales and marketing manager for Dunlop Ltd in Papua New Guinea, said the State Government’s $120 million proposal was robbing Cairns of the opportunity to receive mega-class ships because they exceeded the 300m length limit.
The smallest of the class, the Voyager, is 311m long.
“The passenger capacity of cruise ships that can enter the port is 1750 passengers,” he said.
“The Voyager has 3000 passengers, and if we can’t give them access, the reports show we will lose $340 million of earnings to the Cairns economy over the next 25 years.”
Mr Hodge pointed out Port of Townsville was approved to remove 11 million cubic metres of dredge spoil at a cost of $1.64 billion, reclaiming another 152ha.
“Is this planned to replace services at Cairns Seaport?” he asked.
Source: Cairns Post
