Chamber Committed to Supporting Businesses

CityLife BUSINESS
Cairns Chamber of Commerce
Chamber Committed to Supporting Businesses

Patricia O’Neill
: (07) 4031 1838
: info@cairnschamber.com.au
Chief Executive Officer
Cairns Chamber of Commerce

The Cairns Chamber of Commerce is committed to supporting our local Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by informing, connecting, and most importantly, listening to the needs of our business community.
Right now, a key challenge is finding both skilled and unskilled workers. With unemployment at an all-time low of 2.8%, we’re all fishing in a pretty small talent pool. Issues like housing and wage parity continue to complicate the situation.
The Federal Government is currently reviewing Australia’s migration policy. To ensure our local businesses are heard, we collaborated with the Department of Home Affairs to host a forum where industry sectors such as Agriculture, Hospitality, and Aged Care, to name but a few, shared their thoughts on how this policy can better address regional workforce gaps. This was also an excellent platform for our business community to table the need for the Federal Government to address the complexities and costs involved when utilising the migration system to attract an overseas worker. Working closely with Cairns Regional Council, we will continue to advocate for the remaining funding required from the Federal Government to complete the Cairns Water Security project. Crime prevention and the protection of local businesses continue to be top priorities, ensuring Cairns stays a safe and vibrant place to live and work.
We were fortunate to attend the Tourism Events Queensland blueprint to the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane recently, where we gathered information around procurement opportunities for Cairns businesses to tap into, leading up to and after the 2032 Olympics.
Through the Growing Workforce Participation fund (funded by the Queensland Government), we have conducted numerous workshops and seminars focused on diversifying our workforce. Our recent session on Intercultural Engagement in the Workplace was a hit, offering deep insights into how we can better connect with colleagues enabling businesses to build a strong, diverse and inclusive workforce and better understand their customers.
The seminar on Bridging the Generation Gap was fascinating and opened everyone’s eyes as we delved into the five distinct generations that make up both our workforce and customer base. The focus was on how employers can transform their teams by adapting their leadership, communication, and engagement strategies to better connect with each generation. Local small business panellists shared valuable insights, offering real-life examples of the challenges they’ve faced and the successes they’ve achieved along the way.
As the host of the Cairns Regional Jobs Committee (RJC) which is funded and supported by the Queensland Government, we’re proud to have partnered with government on initiatives like the Meeting of the Minds, Careers Advisors Forum, and Parents & Pathways Seminar. These events help align education pathways with industry needs, giving both students and career changers a clearer direction.
Health Care and Social Services continues to be our region’s largest employer, and we are focused on showcasing the diverse career opportunities across this sector to school students and those considering a career change, through an industry immersion day. Following the success of our Maritime and Marine Careers Expo and Aviation Open Day, we’re excited to announce the #GOHealth Careers Expo in March 2025. If you’re interested in sponsorship, exhibiting or attending as a school, get in touch with us at rjc@cairnschamber.com.au to learn more.
In early September, the Cairns RJC teamed up with industry workforce and industry skills advisors from ACS to co-host a roundtable focused on the future of the workforce in the ICT, finance and business sectors. The event brought together local businesses and industry stakeholders who shared their insights, challenges and big ideas on workforce development and vocational training. The discussions covered everything from emerging trends and the evolving skills landscape to how training programs need to adapt to keep pace with future demands.
Currently we are gearing up for our highly anticipated Business Excellence Awards Gala Ball. Having received extremely high-quality submissions across all award categories, coupled with an incredible entertainment lineup, this year promises to be bigger and better than ever. Even if you haven’t entered, come along and enjoy the business community’s biggest networking event of the year! Have you booked your table yet? Many have and we are filling the room fast, so don’t miss out on this incredible night of nights. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!