Aquis environment impact statement approved
Aquis environment impact statement approved
Friday December 19 2014, 9:23am
The proposed Aquis mega-casino and resort at Yorkey’s Knob has cleared a critical hurdle on its way to becoming reality after its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was approved.
The independent Co-Ordinator General cleared the EIS on Thursday.
The EIS was one of the major sticking points in the Aquis approval process, with opponents arguing that building the giant $8.5 billion resort would cause major damage to surrounding wetland and water quality.
It’s good news for the mega-project’s founders, Hong Kong billionaire Tony Fung and his son Justin; especially with their proposed takeover of the Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns CBD having stalled.
Queensland deputy premier and Infrastructure Minister Jeff Seeney welcomed the approval, saying Aquis would be a boon to Cairns and Far North Queensland as a whole.
“The Queensland Government continues to work with Aquis to make this exciting proposal a reality and today’s approval of the project’s EIS is another step in that process,” he said.
“This proposed resort has the potential to create more than 20,000 new jobs for the Cairns region and provide a major boost for North Queensland and the state’s tourism and construction industry.
Gerry Ireland from Douglas Inc said the Aquis project could translate into massive benefits for Douglas shire but said all potential issues needed to be considered properly before it went ahead.
“Aquis is expected to add $2 billion to the Far North Queensland tourism economy - if we here in Douglas do absolutely nothing, perhaps we could expect to receive 10 per cent of that, which translates to another $200 million per year,” Mr Ireland said.
“If we are smart and run a good campaign to properly sell Douglas as a destination to the middle-class Chinese families that Aquis is targeting, obviously that number could be much higher.
“We do need to make sure that we think of what can happen in the future - let’s say in 10 years there is another severe financial crisis, what would it mean to have all those extra beds sitting empty? These are issues that need to be addressed properly before a decision is made.”
