Capturing the benefits of Queensland’s renewable energy will be on the agenda tomorrow at Palm Cove, at Far North Queensland’s third Regional Community Forum for 2022.
Ahead of this week’s major energy announcement, Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said the forum would discuss ideas on sustaining the state’s power going forward.
“Regional Queensland is playing an important role in renewable energy, to reduce electricity bills and ease the cost of living,” the Prime Minister said.
“Members of the Far North Queensland Forum can be a part of this, helping to unlock investment in good clean energy jobs, better services and helping to protect our excellent way of life in the region. from Queensland.
“During this third round of forums for 2022, forum members will visit sites that will help support new regional investments and boost future energy security.”
Regional services, economic diversification and affordable housing will also be discussed at Palm Cove tomorrow.
“The Regional Forums aim to strengthen our government’s partnership with the Queensland region and provide greater opportunity to influence government decision-making,” the premier said.
“The Forum’s action plans that meet the social and economic priorities of the Far North will be tabled tomorrow.
“I thank the forum members for all the work they have done between forums and for the valuable contribution they will make tomorrow in this third round of forums.”
Minister for Seniors and Disabled Services and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Craig Crawford and Minister for Tourism, Innovation and Sport and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Olympic and Paralympic Games, Sport and Engagement, Stirling Hinchliffe, will join members of the Far North Queensland Forum at Palm Cove, with Minister Crawford chairing the forum.
Deputy Minister for Tourism Industry Development and MP for Cairns Michael Healy, MP for Cook Cynthia Lui and Speaker of the House Curtis Pitt will also attend the forum.
Healy said tomorrow’s forum will begin with a site visit to Ergon Energy’s $6 million world-class Microgrids and Isolated Systems Test Facility (MIST). .
“Members of the Regional Community Forum will be invited to visit a regional energy asset, followed by an information session by Energy Queensland,” he said.
“The day will also include panel discussions on economic diversification and regional service delivery, as well as a workshop on the Far North Queensland Regional Growth Framework, which impacts housing access and its affordability.”
Ms Lui said recent forum discussions had covered similar topics, in addition to Path to Treaty.
“Far North Queensland is uniquely positioned to be home to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, so reconciliation is imperative, and our First Nations people are at the forefront of the discussions. on the economic priorities of our region,” she said.
“Discussions from all rounds of the forum have laid the foundation for the development of the Far North Queensland Forum Action Plan.”
Mr. Pitt said that over the past two months, forum members had finalized their forum action plan with working groups to launch some of the initiatives.
“It was a productive time for forum members who launched exciting projects outlined in their forum action plan,” he said.
“The third forum for 2022 will allow the working groups to take stock of their progress in delivering the plan in partnership with the Queensland Government.”
The Far North Queensland forum is one of seven taking place tomorrow at regional centers across Queensland, with others taking place in Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday, Wide Bay-Burnett-Fraser Coast, Central Queensland, Darling Downs-South West, North-North Western Queensland and Western Queensland.
Regional Community Forums are part of the Government of Queensland’s Advancing Queensland’s Regions strategy, supported by the Office for Rural and Regional Queensland.
