Advance Cairns

Directions Website Contact the organization

Advance Cairns Advance Cairns is the peak regional economic development and advocacy organisation for Tropical North

As the Committee for Tropical North Queensland, our vision is for a self-sustaining, resilient and prosperous Tropical North Queensland community.

🎉 Celebrating 30 years of the Cairns Convention CentreWith its distinctive roofline and stunning interior, the Cairns Co...
18/10/2026

🎉 Celebrating 30 years of the Cairns Convention Centre
With its distinctive roofline and stunning interior, the Cairns Convention Centre has become an iconic part of our city’s skyline and a landmark for the region.

From hosting world-class, five-star conferences to bringing the Taipans’ Orange Army together in the Snake Pit, the centre is much more than an economic driver. It’s a place for celebration, collaboration and connection.

Advance Cairns congratulates general manager Janet Hamilton and her fantastic team on this significant milestone. We’re proud of our longstanding advocacy for the centre and were delighted to raise a glass to its success at a special celebration in the beautiful Trinity Room.

Here’s to 30 years of achievement and another 30 years of putting Cairns on the map! 🥂

Caption: Advance Cairns CEO Jennifer Spilsbury, Cairns Convention Centre general manager Janet Hamilton and Advance Cairns director and Cairns Regional Council CEO Ken Gouldthorp.

Primed for Army's next-gen fleet 💪With the capacity to support vessels and barges up to 100m in length this $12m super b...
13/10/2026

Primed for Army's next-gen fleet 💪
With the capacity to support vessels and barges up to 100m in length this $12m super barge ramp on Smiths Creek would be able to play a major role in Defence’s Land 8710 program with its ability to take every vehicle in the Army’s inventory up to and including the Abrams main battle tanks.

The investment that has been made in Cairns’ marine precinct in infrastructure, workforce and training over decades is going to reap big benefits for the Far North in the future.

Read more about what makes Cairns the major Defence maintenance and sustainment hub of Northern Australia in the comments.

Matt Smith MP Ports North Norship Tropical Reef Shipyard Austal Pat Conroy MP Richard Marles MP

Disaster to delight: Let’s celebrate! 🎉🥂Far North Queensland will head into this year’s wet season with a huge weight of...
09/10/2026

Disaster to delight: Let’s celebrate! 🎉🥂
Far North Queensland will head into this year’s wet season with a huge weight off its shoulders.
It cannot be overstated how important it is that the Federal Government has overturned its proposed 50:50 Disaster Recovery Funding split with the State Government.

We were proud to support the LGAQ, all our regional councils and major advocacy organisations during our recent visit to Canberra spreading the message that the funding change would be catastrophic for the Far North.

Disaster recovery funding isn’t about electorates, councils or governments – it’s about people and their right to be safe and supported.
Congratulations and thank you to the Federal Government for listening. 🙏

29/09/2026

OPV X 2!
Always excited for breaking news like this! Thanks Matt Smith MP for your tireless advocacy and for bringing Pat Conroy MP to town for the announcement.

Member Spotlight: Norship strengthening the Pacific For Chief Executive Officer Olav Groot, Norship is about more than s...
22/09/2026

Member Spotlight: Norship strengthening the Pacific

For Chief Executive Officer Olav Groot, Norship is about more than ships - it’s about people, capability and the incredible lifestyle of Far North Queensland.

A marine engineer by trade, Olav has been with Norship in Cairns for 11 years and says the people are what he loves most about the business. With about 200 staff, Norship is an important part of Cairns’ established marine industry specialising in repair, maintenance, ship building and fleet support.

Olav believes Cairns can play a much greater role in Australia’s Defence and national security strategy, particularly as the focus turns to building resilience and industrial capability across Northern Australia.

“Strengthen the North and you strengthen the Pacific.”

With Cairns’ established workforce, infrastructure and decades of shipbuilding expertise, Olav believes the region has a strong foundation to build on.

He also sees opportunities through the Land 8710 program and the development of the Cairns Common User Facility.

As Olav says: “It takes a long time to develop a viable marine precinct; it doesn’t happen overnight.”

That’s why investing in the industry, skills and infrastructure we already have is so important.

A big thank you to Olav for sharing the Norship story and continuing to contribute to the strength and capability of our region.



Our Member Spotlight series celebrates the people and businesses helping drive our region forward.

Taking the Far North’s message to Canberra 💪Our message to Canberra this week was clear - the Far North has what it take...
18/09/2026

Taking the Far North’s message to Canberra 💪
Our message to Canberra this week was clear - the Far North has what it takes to become a major Defence maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and sustainment hub for Northern Australia.

With more than 4600 marine industry workers, HMAS Cairns, the Cairns Marine Precinct, the emerging Common User Facility, Cairns Airport, education and training expertise, our region has the workforce, infrastructure and strategic location to support Defence and our allies across the Indo-Pacific.

We’re continuing to advocate for Cairns to play a role in the Land 8710 program, including the potential to homeport new amphibious and littoral vessels and Offshore Patrol Vessels.
Through great infrastructure investment in our region, we’re looking to sweat the assets and plan for the future.
The Far North is ready. ⚡

Thanks to Leichhardt MP Matt Smith and his team for keeping up this fight and helping us navigate the halls of Parliament!

Pat Conroy MP
Catherine King
Cairns Airport
Ports North
JCU: James Cook University, Australia
CQUniversity Australia
TAFE Queensland

Turning up the heat 🔥The weather was cold but the reception warm in Canberra for Advance Cairns’ trip to Parliament.Over...
16/09/2026

Turning up the heat 🔥
The weather was cold but the reception warm in Canberra for Advance Cairns’ trip to Parliament.
Over two days Advance Cairns CEO Jennifer Spilsbury, Chair Luke Bird and Government Relations Manager Inge Hansen met with various ministers, shadow ministers and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade heads.
Thank you to our friends at Cairns Chamber of Commerce CEO Patricia O’Neill and President Roderic Rees for joining us for important discussions.
Main points included the Far North’s push to become a major Defence maintenance and sustainment hub for Northern Australia, infrastructure planning, Working Holiday Maker visa, education and training and skills.
There are heaps of great things happening in our region and we’re excited for what’s coming.

Building a strong construction industry 💪Targeted tradie programs, inspiring students early and highlighting a wide rang...
09/09/2026

Building a strong construction industry 💪
Targeted tradie programs, inspiring students early and highlighting a wide range of career options are all part of Construction Skills Queensland's investment plan for the year ahead.
The Far North’s construction industry is worth more than $3 billion and the CSQ team is working hard to ensure the skills are available to do the job right.

CEO Jennifer Spilsbury attended CSQ’s 2026-27 Training Plan Launch at the Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadron where she met up with the Far North’s engagement manager Amanda Stock and interim CEO Carla Crawford.
Fantastic to hear FNQ’s workforce is one of the most diverse with high female and First Nations participation and to see an all-female panel discussion!

Congratulations to CSQ for rolling up the sleeves and supporting skills training in our region in the face of population growth, the energy transition and the ever-looming Olympic Games.
The construction industry is another example of just how diverse the Far North’s economy is.

Member Spotlight: Education powers data service ⚡Leo Ward admits he’s built a business model around only doing things ot...
05/09/2026

Member Spotlight: Education powers data service ⚡
Leo Ward admits he’s built a business model around only doing things others don’t want to touch.
It’s as much about positioning for the Power & Data Support Services managing director as it is about drawing on 53 years of hard-earned experience in the electrical industry to build something best practice.

Leo first fell for the Far North in 1971 when he visited from Brisbane. He eventually made the move in the late-1980s carving out a name for himself working on electrical contracting and design on big-ticket projects such as The Pier, Novotel Palm Cove, Trilogy, Daikyo’s Paradise Palms Golf Club and the Mirage in Port Douglas with the flamboyant and slightly “weird” Christopher and Pixie Skase!

But in 2003 he made the decision to build something different, moving away from the building industry to providing power and reliability to clients from Cairns to the Torres Strait and Mt Isa.
Leo eventually moved operations to Donaldson Street where about 20 staff focus on implementing multifaceted backup power solutions when losing power (even for a minute) is not an option. Incredibly, they go through 60 tonnes of batteries a year.
As a member of the Electrical Safety Board of Queensland Leo walks the talk when it comes to investing in the future in a profession that is from “the powerpoint in the house to the power station”.

There are eight apprentices on the books with education and training a priority for staff – he subsidises a mandatory three training courses a year per employee.
It’s a big investment in time and money but Leo says it’s vital in an industry that’s constantly evolving, and simply, because he wants his people to raise the bar for themselves.
Now that’s a powerful ethos. 🔌

* Our Member Spotlight series celebrates the people and businesses helping drive our region forward.

Address

Level 1, Ports North Building, Cnr Grafton And Hartley Streets
Cairns, QLD
4870

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Advance Cairns posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Advance Cairns:

Shortcuts

Share

Category