Industry opportunities from the Cairns Convention Centre upgrade

The Cairns Convention Centre project is being built by locals for locals, with flow on benefits for the region.

Managing Contractor for the Cairns Convention Centre, Lendlease, is targeting an 85% local Cairns workforce for the project.

This $176 million investment in Cairns is expected to provide 570 full time jobs during construction.

Ensuring we Buy Queensland first

Our Buy Queensland policy aims to back Queensland by putting Queenslanders jobs front and centre. Under the policy, we are required to conduct a local benefits test to tenders for all significant procurement activities and major projects greater than $100 million.

The local benefits test was applied to the Cairns Convention Centre project to ensure that the managing contractor on the project maximised local jobs and flow-on benefits by prioritising capable suppliers that maintain a workforce within 125km of the project.  Where there is no suitable supplier in the 125km zone or one has not tendered, the test seeks to prioritise those regional and Queensland suppliers committed to maximising local jobs and flow-on benefits in the Cairns region.

The budget for the project also includes implementation of Buy Queensland Best Practice Principles which emphasise good working conditions, safe workplaces and training up the next generation of tradies and staff through apprenticeships and traineeships for Cairns workers and aspiring young Far North Queenslanders.

Opportunities

The Queensland Government is committed to doing business with suppliers who deliver genuine, quality, secure ongoing jobs with fair pay and safe working conditions for Queenslanders.

Engaging local industry and supporting local jobs is critical to achieving the project objectives of the $176 million Cairns Convention Centre refurbishment and expansion.

The Managing Contractor, Lendlease will continue to assess the Expressions of Interest related to these trades to examine, where possible, the ability to shape and resize trade packages to match local capability. As with the nature of construction, the number and scope of trade packages are subject to frequent modification based on the ever-changing project requirements.

The trade packages below are the final suite of trade packages on the project.

Expansion final clean

February 2023

Last updated: 

12 August 2022