Local aquarium plans heading to council for approval costing $35 million

Plans for the local aquarium will be considered by Cairns Councillors for approval.
The aquarium is to be built on the corners of Abbott, lake and Florence St which will give the CBD an long awaited facelift.

DESIGN: An artists impression of the proposed Cairns Aquarium

The aquarium project manager said that the team had put a large amount of time into the project and will no doubt be of world class standard.
When the Aquis Resort  was announced there were fears that the local project maybe jeopardised as the Aquis investor Mr Tony Fung also announced in his plans to include one of the worlds largest aquariums let's hope that Mr Fung will exclude his aquarium now that this local aquarium is going ahead - no more duplication.

The project when completed will give the CBD a new look and will benefit not only locals but visitors alike.
Locals schools will be able to include this in their school curriculum enabling students to study sea creatures that they would not normally see.

The architects, engineers and specialists consultants should be congratulated on the design of this project.

Further information can be obtained by

cairnsaquarium.com.au

Cairns Aquarium project manager Daniel Leipnik.

Council brings in big guns on Aquis proposal

CAIRNS Regional Council will spend $524,000 on outside help to decide whether the Aquis resort at Yorkeys Knob will go ahead.
The council will have the final say on Hong Kong-based developer Tony Fung’s plan to rezone 343ha of land at Yorkeys Knob to make way for the $4.2 billion mega resort (pictured).
But the council has recruited consultants APP to help to make its decision, with councillors voting unanimously in August to put a call for tenders to help assess the proposed development.
APP, which has provided its expertise on dozens of projects including the redevelopment of Cairns Hospital and Sydney’s International Airport, has been chosen to provide the council’s feedback to the State Government on the environmental impact statement.
The company will also assess the development application when it is submitted to the council for approval.
The State Government earlier this month released the final terms of reference for the EIS for the proposed resort.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney yesterday told Parliament casino resort developments were key to attracting investors and tourists to Queensland.
‘‘I would suggest that nowhere in the world is better placed to take advantage of that emerging tourism market than North Queensland,’’ he said.
‘‘The Great Barrier Reef, the rainforest, the climate and all the things that have attracted people to North Queensland for many years remain a major part of the attraction.
‘‘If they can be complemented with an integrated casino- resort type development, such as has been so successful in other parts of the world, North Queensland can become one of the great tourist destinations of the world.’’
Barron River MP Michael Trout said the Government’s decision to consider new licences outside of Brisbane was good news for the region.
‘‘This gives Aquis the ability to bid for this licence. We now have the legislation that we can have this sort of investment come to Queensland.’’
But CRC councillor Richie Bates called on the State Government to start investing in the infrastructure and services needed for the region to support the expected population boom if the project goes ahead.

Politicians sometimes make the most outlandish statement/s

The member for Cairns Gavin King was talking to talk-back host John McKenzie recently and was discussing the housing and accommodation situation in Cairns.
As most residents have said in the past we DON'T want to be another Gold Coast but it would appear that the member for Cairns could be looking at changing that by having high rise residential living in the CBD rather than having a sprawling residential housing on the southern area of Cairns.
One has to ask "where are these units going to be built?"
The flight path for landing approach on runway 33 virtually has a flight path over the city so are we going to play games and put lives at stake or better still just forget the idea which is a better solution for all and continue with the growth on the southern side of Cairns.
I have tracked the approach path for runway 33 below so you can see for yourself that there is no safe room for units going up within the CBD:

This is the virtual flight path for the approach to runway 33.

 I have also included an edited  discussion the Member for Cairns had said on that day: in which he says that "many hundreds of thousands" of people will be moving to Cairns over the next 6 months to 5 years or so, which led John McKenzie stating "really".
Why do politicians make these types of statements is beyond comprehension.
Listen to the edited conversation from the talk-back program.

Resort dreamers keep casino chips close to the chest - Interesting reading

October 5, 2013

Michael West

Business columnist

Enigmatic Chinese billionaire Tony Fung is proposing to build a ''mega resort and casino'' on the northern beaches of Cairns at Yorkeys Knob.
This Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort - with its nine luxury hotels, convention centre, two 2500-seat theatres, 18-hole golf course, sports stadium, high-end shopping, 20-hectare reef lagoon and mega aquarium - promises to be Australia's biggest casino, sorry, resort yet.
At a cost of $4.3 billion, it well and truly eclipses the $1.5 billion earmarked by Crown casino, sorry integrated resort, for Barangaroo in Sydney.
And it has even passed the first hurdle with Campbell Newman's government in Queensland by achieving ''co-ordinated project'' status, and ''streamlined approval''.

How this ''streamlined'' process compares with the NSW government's ''unsolicited proposals'' process that delivered the green light for James Packer's Barangaroo project we are not sure. Both processes seem quite streamlined.
Both are designed to lure Chinese tourists to Australia, rather than leave this great nation to rot as a 21st century backwater.
The Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort, with its 750 gaming tables, 1500 pokies, 3750 hotels rooms, 1200 apartments and 130 villas, is far bigger than even Crown's Mecca-on-Yarra itself.
The social benefits of a mega-resort on the Great Barrier Reef are obvious - the fish will love it - but we were keen to evaluate its economic credentials by seeing the Preliminary Economic Impact Assessment for the project prepared by KPMG.
Alas, the office of the Queensland Co-ordinator-General could not help. "The report was commissioned by Aquis. You will have to talk to them about obtaining a copy."
Tracking down Aquis was no mean feat. Following the Crown modus operandi and its streamlined Barangaroo process, the Aquis development had been gloriously splashed across the nearest Murdoch tabloid to kick things off. This time it was The Courier Mail and the Cairns Post as opposed to The Daily Telegraph. But the trail went a tad cold after that, stopping dead with the Queensland Co-ordinator-General and the Aquis Facebook page.
A contact in Cairns suggested the $4.3 billion investment would be made by 4JS Group, a company associated with the Hong Kong tycoon Fung and which had pastoral holdings out near the Undara lava tubes behind the Atherton Tableland.
But a phone number was hard to come by. Neither Aquis nor 4JS were listed on the directory at the building specified as the address on the Aquis website.
Our intrepid contact in Cairns duly followed the signs to a locked door with no business name and this sign said: "By appointment only. Please call Fiona on … All Deliveries, please phone Fiona …"
Fiona answered! She suggested we call Crook Publicity (true story). However, Crook operatives were unable to furnish a copy of the elusive KPMG report, or anything beyond the majestic headline numbers on Facebook.
Aquis, the Queensland government, Crook publicity and News Corp are running a tight ship on this one. Crook does Clive Palmer's publicity, too, and has done a Titanic job.
Let's face it, the last thing you need when you are getting a casino up to speed is the disruption of a public consultation process. All those naysayers carping on about the social ills of electronic entertainment merely stand in the way of job creation.
As laid down by the David Murray panel, commissioned to report on Sydney's second casino, sorry, resort, what the nation desperately needs is competition in the sector.
Fear not, competition is coming. Indeed, when it comes to casinos, it is a case of ''show me and I'll raise you one resort''.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate reckons his region can do with another five casinos. Tate is a visionary, too. He met his Las Vegas counterpart in the US to forge a partnership between the two cities. South-east Queensland could learn a lot from the City of Lights. "They have 40 million tourists coming in, we have 10 million," he said. "They have 122 casinos, we have one."
Other businesses would benefit from a new ''cultural precinct''. Indeed, it soon emerged that Tom's own businesses in one of the precincts might be among these.
"Five per cent of people come to Las Vegas for the gambling," he said. "The balance comes … [for] the attractions, the conventions and all the things that excite families." Good old families. They are always around when you need them.
According to a story in the Gold Coast Bulletin, there were at least two international investors already interested in Tom's resorts.
"Two cashed-up international investors have emerged in the race for the exclusive development rights of Wavebreak Island, rivalling Sembawang's $4.9 billion super-resort proposal."
Tate's enlightened plans for a new cultural precinct are likely to enrage the latte-sipping elites of Sydney and Melbourne who believe they have a mortgage on arts and culture in this country - not to mention the anti-electronic entertainment crusaders who would oppose the family-friendly cultural precincts.
Too bad. Roll out the resorts from Cairns to Carnarvon. The mega-resort at Yorkeys Knob may put the squeeze on the existing casino at Cairns, Casinos Austria's Reef Casino, but Reef could do with a spot of competition for the Papua New Guinea high-roller dollar.
Besides, Australian government aid grants to PNG, not to mention oil and gas royalties, could be streamlined more expeditiously straight back into the Australian economy with a new casino, sorry … resort.

  Read more:
 http://www.smh.com.au/business/resort-dreamers-keep-casino-chips-close-to-the-chest-20131004-2uzl1.html#ixzz2h0Xl0Vbj

Worrying thought - why are they tracking this project so fast?

The Queensland's Government fast tracking for the Aquis project raises some worrying concerns.
One has to ask why has the government seems to have given preference to this project and
the Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney states:

‘‘I welcome the release of the final terms of reference . . . which has been completed 76 per cent faster than the historical average,’’ he said.

Cairns contractors have never had anything like this handed to them so why Aquis?
Is it all about money? what about the everyday life of the local residents, what about the other resorts around Cairns, are going to suffer because of this mega structure.
The mega structure sounds and looks mind boggling and how many workers will be flown in from China?, I have heard that verbal agreements have been agreed to in regards to local workers but they can be broken and there is no concrete guarantee that the locals will get first bite of the cherry.
The benefits to the Queensland government are only estimates and no one can take them for factual numbers.
Keep in mind that we have a casino in Cairns and they have only made a moderate profit so is there room for two casinos - at this present time the answer is probably NO.

Is it true that some changes have already been made such as: the golf course, water park and lagoon being removed from the design.

We want to see local builders and contractors get a fair deal.
In fact the government should be assisting local businesses before we allow the take-over from overseas buyers.
Listed below is the report of what the government is doing and the speed at which it is being done.

From Saturday's Weekend Post Oct, 5, 2013:

THE Queensland Coordinator-General Barry Broe has fast-tracked the final terms of reference for the environmental impact statement for the proposed $4.2 billion Aquis mega-resort resort at Yorkeys Knob.
Getting closer: The $4b Aquis resort development.
Yesterday Mr Broe released the draft terms of reference after public consultation between August 12 and September 9. Critical issues identified through the 56 public submissions include flooding, water quality, drainage, water and sewerage utilities, and roads.
Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said Aquis Resort at the Great Barrier Reef Pty Ltd must now address the final terms of reference in its EIS to the satisfaction of the Coordinator-General.
‘‘I welcome the release of the final terms of reference . . . which has been completed 76 per cent faster than the historical average,’’ he said.

‘‘This is a saving of 152 business days. I stress that, while this streamlining of the assessment process is delivering results, it is not at the expense of a thorough EIS process.

‘‘The project has the potential to create 9300 direct, full-time jobs during peak construction and the indirect employment of 7300. Once operational, the project will create 10,000 jobs with around 16,700 indirect operational phase jobs.
‘‘Aquis aims to take tourism visitor expenditure in North Queensland from around $2.2 billion currently per annum to more than $5 billion per annum.’’
Mr Seeney praised the ‘‘efficiency and decisiveness of Mr Broe and his team’’.
‘‘Since taking up his position on April 3 last year, the Coordinator-General has streamlined processes to ensure the Government can deliver outcomes in a timely manner as we grow a four-pillar economy focusing on tourism, agriculture, resources and construction,’’ he said.nHong Kong billionaire Tony Fung plans 3750 hotel rooms in nine hotels, 1200 apartments, 135 villas, a casino, two theatres, a sports stadium, a golf course and more on a 343ha former cane farm site 7km north of Cairns Airport.

To Be or Not To Be - - - Yorkeys Knob will change for ever

Asqis Mega Strucure

As I write this article I must say that I am undecided and until  some of the question have been answered so I cannot say that I support the project.

The announcement of the proposed new Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort and Casino has created great interest with the people of Cairns for and against the proposal or remain undecided.

It will be sometime before soil is turned if given the OK and with Kerry Packer (Oct 3, 2013 news) looking at sites for his proposed casino in Brisbane and as the Treasurer stated on the TV news approx' 2 months ago there is only one gambling licence  available in Queensland so this could make things very interesting.

The 4.2 billion dollar project will change Yorkeys Knob forever and one has to ask “is Yorkeys Knob ready for a project of this magnitude and are the promises of the thousands of jobs a reality or will the owners fly in it's own people".

When one looks at the overall project is becomes mindboggling with suggestions that Mr Fung will:

(1). Increase the 2 lane road to four lanes from Captain Cook Highway to the 60kph at the entrance to Yorkeys Knob,

(2). Raise the road by a metre to alleviate the flooding,

(3). Construct a road from the proposed resort to the Caravonica roundabout where they will construct over and under passes which probably won't go ahead as the Captain Cook Highway belongs to the Dept of Main roads

Everyone really needs to sit back and ask questions to suit their ideals, we must be positive in deciding of :

1. does this project go ahead in it's present form.
   

2. should the project be downgraded.
   
   
3. with land values likely to increase will the residents be able to afford the sky- rocketing rates?.
   

To look at the various statements listed in the brochures we need to read, ask questions and answer all the relative details separately.


Unemployment in Cairns is a problem and will this project overcome these problems?


Let's look at the items in question:

1. Suggested general economic benefits to Queensland:
   

The 9,000 full time employment during construction is hard to visualise and one has to ask is this an understatement.


The 10,000 full time jobs once operational is a staggering figure and hard to fathom.


The other items of:


Total cumulative Gross State Product during construction


Annual gross Product $1.5 billion during construction, and


Annual Gross State Product $2 billion once operational


These figures could be questionable because until this project has commenced and  is completed and functioning no one really knows the total income keeping in mind that Cairns has a population of only 150,000 to 160,000 so  the figures as suggested would require of a lot of “fly-in” workers and visitors.

2. Revenue Benefits to the state of Queensland:
   

During construction:

Annual state payroll receipts increase by $14million and

Annual GST distributed back to Queensland also increase by $11 million.

Keeping in mind that the GST is a Federal Government policy so that could either increase or drop.

Once operational:

Annual state payroll tax receipts increase by $31 million;

Annual GST distributed back to Queensland also increases by $16 million;

and

Gaming taxes and charges increase revenue to Queensland by an estimated $95 - $280 million per annum

Now let's look at the resort etc:

1. 3,750 Hotel rooms across nine luxury hotel brands;
   

We have at the present time aprox 22 hotels/Taverns including resorts in and  around Cairns who have a approx' total of 5000+  rooms which are hard to fill year round, so why is there a need for an extra 9 hotels in one complex?

2. 1,180 managed apartments:
   

Most of these will be unaffordable to the average family in Cairns or will these be for workers.

3. 130 Managed villas:
   

with the number of hotels and resorts is there a need for extra villas.

4. An international class casino:
   

Cairns already has a casino so why another one, do we want to become another Les Vegas?

Financial hardship is rife in Cairns so why encourage people with another casino where their money goes into the pockets of overseas companies.

5. One of the world's largest aquaruims.
   

It has now been announced that the 2 local people are going ahed with the proposed aquarium with plans and application being forward to the council.

Again do we need duplication as we seem to be having with the announcement of the proposed Aquis.

6. 13,500m2 of high-end retail shopping

Do we need all this retail business when Cairns businesses are closing doors every week, we need to look after our local businesses before allowing a large overseas retail business to open here.

Of course the CEO of the Cairns Chamber of Commerce is drooling that this business may open here – what about looking after our own back yard first.

7. a 25,000 seat sports stadium

What is the cost going to be for locals to use this venue and will it be available for NRL and AFL matches and at what cost.

8. a 45,000m2 convention and exhibition centre

Cairns already has a convention centre so why duplicate.

8. A 20Ha reef lagoon

10. 2 x 2500 seat theatres

There are number of theatres around Cairns eg Grafton St, Cairns Central and Earlville and one is being considered for Smithfield.

11. A cultural heritage centre

We already have a cultural centre namely Tjapukai so why again duplicate it would seem that the government is allowing Cairns to be sold off to the foreign investors.

12. An 18 hole championship Golf Course

Golf Course

Again duplication as Yorkeys Knob already has a golf course, with anothers at Paradise Palms and Novatel.

Will the locals be able to afford the fees to play on this course and more importantly what will the consequences be for the existing golf courses?.

Water Park

It is also intended to build a Water Park on land between Dunne Road  and the entrance to Yorkeys.

One has to ask, it's a "FLOOD PLAIN" area and some years ago the government

were looking at building community housing on that land but it was  shelved because of the flooding that occurred in our wet season.

It has been suggested that Mr Fung is going to build a 4 lane road from the Captain Cook Highway ending at the 60k speed sign at the entrance to Yorkeys.

Also I was told by a staff member at the display centre in Cairns Central that a road also is going to be built from the resort to the Caravonica rounabout.

When I question this and stating that it is a bottleneck now at the Caravonica roundabout the staff member said “ we are going to build over and under passes.

Then a week later while attending a meeting 

I was informed by a government worker that this is NOT going to happen.

So what is the overal truth of the intending structure? Will it go ahead if the gambling is not issued as the treasurer stated on TV "that there is only one licence available in Queensland" and with Brisbane wanting another licence it is more logical that it will go to Brisbane and that being the case the intending investor will walk away from the project.

Even business people are not convinced that it will go ahead as there so many processes to go through and it is possible that there will be a stumbling block that will rise up and put a stop to it.