Cairns positioned as Australia’s northern gateway to the Pacific

• Findings highlight Cairns’ pivotal role in Pacific partnerships
• Consultation identifies opportunities in trade, education, and cultural exchange
• Regional collaboration to drive long-term engagement and development

Cairns’ role as Australia’s northern gateway to the Asia-Pacific has been reinforced by new findings that identify how the city can deepen its engagement with Pacific Island nations.

An executive summary noted at today’s Cairns Regional Council Ordinary Meeting highlights that Cairns’ geographic proximity and long-standing Pacific relationships uniquely position the city to lead a place-based approach to Pacific development, cooperation and resilience.

It also emphasises the city’s infrastructure and diverse industry sectors, such as aviation, maritime, agriculture, education, defence, health, and tourism, as key drivers of regional significance.

Cairns’ Pacific role reinforced

Key opportunities include expanding education and cultural exchanges, enhancing regional logistics, and fostering stronger partnerships in development cooperation. These priorities align with Council’s Corporate Plan 2025–2030 ( PDF, 4.43 MB ), which identifies leveraging Cairns’ proximity and connections to Asia-Pacific neighbours as a strategic focus.

Mayor Amy Eden said the findings reinforced Cairns’ position as a gateway to the Pacific, particularly following her recent visit to Papua New Guinea to attend 50-year independence celebrations in Lae, Cairns’ sister city.

“This work confirms what we’ve long known, that Cairns is more than just a regional city. We are a natural partner for our Pacific neighbours. My recent visit to Papua New Guinea reaffirmed the value of face-to-face engagement, where discussions around trade, education, and cultural partnerships highlighted just how closely our futures are tied,” Cr Eden said.

“By working alongside government, industry, and community partners, Cairns can play an important role supporting Australia’s Pacific engagement ensuring it is not only strategic, but meaningful and enduring.”

Regional and national collaboration

The summary, produced in consultation with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), outlines opportunities to strengthen Cairns’ role in the Pacific and is supported by key regional partners including Tradelinked, Regional Development Australia Tropical North, and Advance Cairns.

Over a three-week consultation process, more than 60 stakeholders were engaged across private sector, NGOs, government, academia, and international organisations, with strong representation from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.

ASPI's Deputy Director of National Security Program, Raelene Lockhorst, said "by coordinating what already exists - from maritime and aviation capabilities to education and cultural exchange - Cairns can unlock new pathways for sustainable Pacific growth".

“Closer to Port Moresby than Brisbane, Cairns is more than a northern outpost - it’s Australia’s trusted gateway to the Pacific.”

President of Tradelinked Cairns-PNG-Pacific, Tony Sheehan, said:

“Tradelinked was established to connect Cairns, PNG and the Pacific through business-to-business networks. These findings reinforce Cairns’ role as a hub for sustainable commerce and partnerships across the region.”

Interim CEO of Regional Development Australia Tropical North, Lainie Poon, said collaboration across sectors was critical to success.

“By pooling expertise across all levels of government, business, and community, we ensure that our actions are impactful and aligned with both regional and Pacific priorities. As mentioned in our Cairns’ role as a connector between Australia and the Pacific cannot be overstated,” Mrs Poon said.

Advance Cairns CEO, Jacinta Reddan, said the summary aligns strongly with the organisation’s 10-year strategic plan Roadmap 2035.

“This important summary underpins Far North Queensland’s geographic, economic, and cultural strengths to drive growth with a strategic pivot towards the Asia-Pacific,” Ms Reddan said.

Next steps

Council will continue to work with stakeholders to advance the recommendations in the executive summary, with outcomes informing future opportunities in trade, education, logistics, and cultural partnerships.

You can read the full report, Cairns: The Northern Gateway to the Pacific ( PDF, 14.65 MB ), here.