Save the Port of Cairns
- Target:
- Friends of the Port of Cairns
- Region:
- Australia
- Website:
- www.facebook.com
Dear Supporters of the Cairns Shipping Development Project,
Thank you for signing the recent Petition sponsored by the Friends of the Port of Cairns (Cairns Port Development Inc.). It was submitted to the Co-ordinator General on the 1st June 2015.
We would like to inform you that we have had written confirmation that the Queensland Government Coordinator General has extended the Cairns Shipping Development Project to the 31st March 2016. Your strong support has assisted us to deliver a successful outcome for the residents of Cairns and Far North Queensland. Thank you.
Now before us we have the Sustainable Ports Development Bill, another roadblock to the future development of our Port. The Bill excludes the Ports of Cairns and Mourilyan as priority ports and this includes all capital works dredging. We face the precarious position of only having an EIS extended to the 31st March 2016 to secure a current capital works project and should this project lapse there will be no capital works dredging of the shipping channels. We are in the hands of a Ports Minister and Treasurer who have firmly opposed the extent of capital works dredging the shipping channel needs to optimise economic opportunities for our region now and in the future.
Shortly, we will ask you to sign a new petition requesting an amendment to the Sustainable Ports Bill so it includes the Ports of Cairns and Mourilyan as priority ports. This is the best way to secure our Ports growth for the future generations of Far North Queenslanders.
Kind regards
The Friends of the Port of Cairns (Cairns Shipping Development Inc.)
Support the Sea Port of Cairns, Australia. Our port, our city, our future.
Let the politicians and their advisers know we support the Cairns Shipping Development Project that can sustainably open up one of Australia's most beautiful ports to more cruise shipping and vessels that service our region.
We love the Great Barrier Reef, our stunning beaches, the Atherton Tablelands, Port Douglas, Daintree, Innisfail and want to share it with others.
The Port of Cairns, developed over 100 years, underpins jobs, businesses and investments. Support the Cairns Shipping Development project by submitting a petition to the Queensland State Government Coordinator General.
Dear Coordinator General of the State of Queensland,
Further development of the Port of Cairns is critical to Cairns’ future. A number of Cairns’ industries have declined or ceased; the remaining industries, in particular tourism, underpin jobs, business and investment for the FNQ region.
Many current cruise ships and most new ones are too large to navigate the Trinity Inlet Channel and dock at Cairns cruise terminal. As well, the existing channel is inefficient for existing and potential future cargo vessels. Deepening the channel will also assist the future efficiency of Cairns’ Naval Base.
To deny Cairns the opportunity to dredge its channel will be a major setback for the city. The economic impact and demand studies in the EIS indicate that over the forecast period, the city will fore-go of the order of $1.35B in NPV earnings.
The DRAFT Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS) for the Project presents scientific support for off-shore disposal of dredge spoil. But the Federal Minister of the Environment has precluded this option.
Without considering any public submissions, the State Government decided not to proceed with the project.
Ports North’s draft EIS recommends placing all capital spoil off-shore, and presents options for spoil placement on-shore that are portrayed as uneconomical. However, the draft EIS does not include several different options that could be economic. Some specialists have suggested different options for on-shore placement that could potentially pay for all the associated costs of on-shore placement.
We request that the Co-ordinator General recommend to the Government that a more comprehensive study be undertaken of placement options in consultation with the Cairns community with a view to developing lower cost and environmentally acceptable solutions to enable the project to proceed.
Yours sincerely,
Friend of the Port of Cairns
https://www.facebook.com/PortofCairns
The Save the Port of Cairns petition to Friends of the Port of Cairns was written by Principal Petitioner: Ronald Allan Crew on behalf of the Friends of the Port of Cairns, 51 Kamerunga Road, Stratford, QLD 4870. and is in the category Employment at GoPetition.