Port Hinchinbrook Progress a Silent Win in State Budget

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto with Cardwell locals and various business and community organisation members.

25 June 2025

Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto has cautiously welcomed today’s Queensland State Budget, saying while it wasn’t all glitz and glamour, the standout was undoubtedly the inclusion of Port Hinchinbrook.

Mr Dametto noted that while Port Hinchinbrook was mentioned, the budget papers were silent on monetary details, a move he understands given the confidential nature and the complexity of issues still being worked through with the troubled development.

“The inclusion of Port Hinchinbrook in the budget is both the most exciting and the vaguest item at the same time,” Mr Dametto said.

“We were hoping for a big-ticket commitment, and while a dollar figure has not been released, what matters is that the project is in there, and that’s a win.”

The budget line referring to Port Hinchinbrook states: “In the 2025–26 Queensland Budget, the government is: providing centrally held funding to enable delivery of options for the ongoing sustainable use of the Port

Hinchinbrook Marina Site.”

Mr Dametto said that while he would love to be celebrating a major funding announcement today, he understands that this will have to wait.

“We all want to see the Port Hinchinbrook re-development fulfilled, and this acknowledgement in the budget shows that the State Government and EDQ remain committed to working through the legal, environmental and logistical challenges to reach a lasting solution for Port Hinchinbrook,” he said.

“If the end result is to return Port Hinchinbrook to its former glory with a functioning marina and a reinvigorated local economy, I feel that the incoming government is more than willing to finalise this project properly once and for all.”

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