Newly-appointed director Jaime Gane says she is excited to bring a Cape York voice to the Regional Development Australia Tropical North board. Photo: Supplied.
Incoming Weipa Town Authority (WTA) chair Jaime Gane will ensure the voice of Cape York’s development ambitions are heard after being introduced as one of three new directors on the Regional Development Australia (RDA) Tropical North board.
Ms Gane will serve on the board alongside Cairns Regional Council chief executive officer Mica Martin and Queensland Government adviser and former Cairns councillor Richie Bates.
Ms Gane said she was excited to contribute a rural and regional voice into the otherwise Cairns-dominated board.
“I’m very interested to meet everyone and get into it,” she said.
“I think it’s always valuable to have insight from people that aren’t in Cairns as well when you’re representing something that covers such a large area.”
Having grown up and raised a family in Weipa, as well as being a small tourism business owner, Ms Gane will bring extensive insight into the challenges of living on Cape York to the table, but said she also saw an opportunity for sustainable growth and development in the region.
Although it is her first appointment to the board, Ms Gane said it was not the first time she had worked with RDA Tropical North.
“WTA has done some work with RDA Tropical North in the past, and they’ve always been very helpful with our community, so I’m really excited to be involved in the conversation around policies and such,” Ms Gane said.
RDA Tropical North chair Professor Hurriyet Babacan welcomed the new directors, who were chosen from an overwhelming “quantity of high-calibre applications”.
“Each director brings diverse skills and networks to our independent organisation, which has a strong history of advocating for projects to grow and diversify the Far North’s economy,” she said.
“RDA Tropical North celebrates its fifteenth year in 2024, and it is fitting that we have an expanded board to broker regional development solutions that will create jobs and grow the Far North Queensland economy.”
