Positive Announcement by the Premier for the Kurrimine Beach Boat Ramp

The Kurrimine Beach community, together with Member for Hill Mr Shane Knuth and Cassowary Coast Regional Council has been advocating for several years for a much-needed upgrade of the Kurrimine Beach Boat Ramp.

On 11 May 2023 during the regional sitting of Queensland Parliament in Cairns, Mr Knuth put a question without notice about the Kurrimine Beach Boat Ramp to the Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk, Premier and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Mr Knuth’s question was - There has been four years of extensive consultation for a new modern boat ramp at Kurrimine Beach to reduce safety concerns and meet increased demand. With the design completed and council agreeing to fund the foreshore development, will the Premier commit funds in the upcoming budget to finally construct the Kurrimine Beach boat ramp?

The Premier provided the following response - I am absolutely delighted to get this question from the member for Hill, a very strong advocate for his local community. What he is stating sounds very plausible and very reasonable. I am quite sure that in our upcoming state budget we will see a contribution towards that boat ramp (www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-assembly/hansard).

Mayor Nolan acknowledged the efforts of community and elected representatives, “Hearing the Premier’s response to Mr Knuth’s question was great news after years of concerted efforts by Council, Mr Knuth and the community to address the issues of the existing Kurrimine Beach boating facilities.

“Council looks forward to understanding the details of the State’s commitment with the Queensland Government’s budget scheduled for release on 13 June 2023.” 

Division 3 Councillor Trudy Tschui said, “We are hoping that this announcement will enable us to move forward in partnership with the State Government for the provision of modern boating facilities which will address a range of issues including congestion during busy periods, safety, structural and environmental.”

Mr Knuth said, “I am very pleased by the Premier’s response to my question in Parliament it has been a long drawn-out process.

“I thank the Premier and Minister Bailey for this commitment to our community. I also acknowledge the work of Council and the Kurrimine Beach community,” said Mr Knuth. 

The Kurrimine Beach Boat Ramp is identified as a priority project in the Cassowary Coast Regional Council 2023 Advocacy Plan and is also identified in the Cassowary Coast Draft Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy.

The Draft Strategy identifies vulnerabilities and risks associated with the Kurrimine Beachfront area including the boat ramp location. Proposed Adaptation Actions include community infrastructure planning and management of park, road and utility assets. Other actions include ongoing environment management which a well-designed boat ramp can support.

“Council seeks to listen to and advocate for our community, leveraging partnerships with all levels of government and community to deliver resilient infrastructure and support sustainable growth with the Kurrimine Beach Boat Ramp being one such example”, said Mayor Nolan.

For further information please contact Council at 1300 763 903 or email enquiries@cassowarycoast.qld.gov.au.

Image caption: Mr Knuth, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Tschui and community members celebrate the good news.