New water laboratory in Cairns officially opens

A new state of the art water laboratory officially opened today in Cairns, partly funded with a $1.5 million contribution from the Palaszczuk Government.

Member for Cairns Michael Healy, representing Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe at the official opening, said the Cairns Regional Council Laboratory Service would provide crucial water testing services for Far North Queensland.

“The new laboratory was made possible with more than $1.5 million from the 2017-19 Local Grants and Subsidies Program (LGGSP) in a further sign of the government’s commitment to Cairns and the Far North,” he said.

“It replaces the old laboratory building which has been in operation since 1994, enabling continued water quality testing across the Far North to ensure everyone’s health and safety

“The residents of Cairns and the Far North can rest easy in the knowledge that the water they drink, and the water used on the garden or the water in council pools and lagoons is being properly tested.

“The old lab has provided a great service, but with new technology this laboratory will provide cutting edge testing into the future.”

Cairns Mayor Bob Manning thanked the Queensland Government for the funding to assist Council in replacing the old laboratory.

“This critical piece of infrastructure will be an invaluable facility to provide an expansion of our testing services for both the public and private sectors from different sources right across the Far North region,” he said.

“Council has invested more than $6.5 million in this project which has also provided 240 jobs during its construction phase, with 20 people employed full-time at the laboratory. We can achieve a lot when two levels of government work cooperatively together.”

The LGGSP is designed to support councils to meet the needs of their community by providing funding for the delivery of priority capital infrastructure projects.

For more information: www.dlgrma.qld.gov.au/lggsp

Media contact: Martin Philip 0427 919 548