State Cabinet to meet in Rockhampton next week

State Cabinet will meet in Rockhampton on Monday as part of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s initiative to govern from Central Queensland next week.

The Premier said the Government was committed to governing for all Queenslanders, and Cabinet meetings in regional areas was another demonstration of the Government’s commitment to listen and deliver for communities across the State.

“My Ministers and I are looking forward to return to Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast where we held a Community Cabinet meeting in 2015 and where our Working Queensland Cabinet Committee met last year ahead of the Budget,” she said.

“We will be meeting with residents directly, as well as local community groups and businesses.”

Ms Palaszczuk said she would govern from central Queensland for the week, with the Cabinet meeting on Monday, followed by meetings in Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Premier will be in Gladstone on Thursday and Friday.

Member for Rockhampton and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Economic Development Bill Byrne welcomed Cabinet meeting in Rockhampton.

“We know how important it is to work with Queenslanders across the State. The Premier and I were in western Queensland last week to meet with primary producers, tourism operators and local Mayors about the opportunities to create jobs and prosperity for our State,” he said.

“I believe the Cabinet meeting will further focus on the substantial investment we are making to create jobs and build infrastructure in regional Queensland.”

Member for Keppel Brittany Lauga said the Cabinet meeting and the opportunities for the local community to meet with Ministers would reinforce the importance of our region to the State’s economic performance.

“Rockhampton is an important contributor to agriculture, tourism and tertiary education. We have had to contend with the impacts of severe drought and the downturn in mining. However, we are bouncing back and I want to ensure we maximise access to the Government’s programs for job generation and infrastructure development.”

The Premier said the Government’s visit would be timely with the programs to promote employment and infrastructure in regional Queensland open for applications.

Local councils outside south-east Queensland, including Rockhampton and Livingstone councils, have been invited to submit projects under the Government’s $200 million Works for Queensland program.

The next $70 million round of the Government’s Building Our Regions program opens for applications on 30 January, when Cabinet meets in Rockhampton.

The offer of up to $20,000 incentive for regional employers who take-on a young Queenslander is available under the Government’s $100 million Back to Work program until 28 February.

In the 2016-17 State Budget, the Palaszczuk Government committed in the Fitzroy region, which includes Rockhampton, the Capricorn Coast and Gladstone, to invest $823 million for infrastructure that will support 2500 jobs and $531 million for the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service as well as $19 million for maintenance and capital works projects for the region’s schools.

Media contact: Kirby Anderson (Premier's office) 0417 263 791