With the Cairns economy sluggish at the moment due to a slowdown in tourism and the construction sector, Cairns community leaders are lobbying hard for an expansion of the HMAS Cairns naval base, as reported in yesterday’s Cairns Post. An expansion of the naval base would undoubtedly be good news for Cairns, which is much more dependent than Brisbane or Townsville on industries that benefit from tourism, such as retail trade and accommodation and food services (i.e. restaurants, cafes) (see chart below).

As noted in the article, Cairns community leaders see the benefits to Townsville from having a large defence force base at Lavarack Barracks, which ensures a steady stream of income into the region. The heavy reliance of the Townsville economy on the public administration and safety sector, which includes defence, is striking (see chart below).