Joint media release with Assistant Minister for Northern Australia Michelle Landry, Minister for Youth and Sport Richard Colbeck, Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson, and Senator for Queensland Susan McDonald.

Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia Keith Pitt has demonstrated ongoing Government support for projects in Townsville after inspecting construction work at the North Queensland Cowboys NRL club.

The North Queensland Cowboys’ Community, Training and High-Performance Centre is a key project for the region and has been supported by a $20 million loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF), and a $15 million grant from the Commonwealth Government.

Minister Pitt said NAIF has backed five major projects in Townsville with loans worth more than $230 million, helping to stimulate the north Queensland economy and support more than 1,300 jobs.

“NAIF continues to support jobs and economic development in north Queensland, and right across northern Australia, as our economy goes through the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Minister Pitt said.

“By injecting almost a quarter of billion into the local Townsville economy, our NAIF program continues to support jobs, development, and opportunities for the people of Townsville and the surrounding areas.

“It is great to see work starting on the Cowboys’ Community, Training and High-Performance Centre, which will be a crucial venue for local and visiting sporting teams when it opens early next year."

Assistant Minister for Northern Australia Michelle Landry said the Cowboys project would attract further visitors to Townsville, for sport and for research.

“The Centre will be a hub for sports medicine, sports science and research, and it’s great to see James Cook University will host a sports science facility in the new Centre,” Assistant Minister Landry said.

“The project will deliver more than 200 jobs during construction and 58 ongoing jobs once the Centre is operating.”

Minister for Youth and Sport Richard Colbeck said the North Queensland Cowboys’ Community, Training and High-Performance Centre provided a solid foundation for the future of sport in Townsville. 

"The Commonwealth Government is proud to have contributed to a project that will attract major sporting organisations to train and hold events in regional Queensland,” he said.

Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson said it was very exciting to see the progress that had been made.

“I was only here a couple of months ago and it’s amazing to see the difference in such a short period of time,” Mr Thompson said.

“Every single person who’s working on this development is someone whose job is being supported by our plan to get the economy back on track after COVID-19.

“This project will also drive prosperity and employment well into the future with an estimated $7.2m contribution to gross regional product in the first year alone.”

Townsville-based Senator, Susan McDonald, said the centre would put Townsville in the frame as a leader in sports medicine research.

“Sport is big business and to have a modern sports performance facility alongside the new stadium will have long-lasting benefits for Townsville’s economy and its education sector,” she said.

“It’s the dream of many young kids in North Queensland to play for the Cowboys or the Fire, and this training facility gives them the same access to cutting-edge sports science as city kids.

“Hopefully the biggest benefit of this centre will be bringing NRL and WNBL premierships back to our city.”

In addition to funding the Cowboys project, other developments in Townsville supported by NAIF are:

• James Cook University, loans to the Technology Innovation Complex (up to $98m) and new student accommodation ($46m)
• Mater Hospital ($19.75m)
• Townsville Airport redevelopment ($50m)

NAIF is also considering loans for the CopperString 2.0 power project in the Townsville region.

NAIF has approved loans worth $2.3 billion to a range of infrastructure projects across northern Australia, with close to a billion dollars of these investments in Queensland projects.

Media contacts:

Minister Pitt's office 02 6277 7180

Minister Landry's office 02 6277 4283

Minister Colbeck's office 02 6277 7720

Mr Thompson's office 02 6277 4418

Senator McDonald's office 02 6277 3635