Kamerunga Villas is a community that means so much to me. When I first visited after Tropical Cyclone Jasper, the devastation was heartbreaking. Floodwaters had torn through the area, and 130 homes were left without power right before Christmas 2023.
Families and elderly residents were living in unbearable conditions during the hottest months of the year. Some were paying up to $60 a day for fuel just to keep food from spoiling in their fridges. Many had no cooling, no light, and no certainty about when life would return to normal.
It was impossible to stand by and do nothing. Duriny my campaign, Kamerunga Villas back on the grid became one of my first priorities.
For almost two years, residents relied on temporary generator power funded through the Australian and Queensland Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). While this kept the community going, it was never meant to be a long-term solution.
Working closely with Minister Leahy, Cairns Regional Council, and Yurika, we fast-track the complex electrical infrastructure repairs needed to restore reliable power. It wasn’t easy — this was a large, technical project that required careful planning and funding approvals — but we knew how important it was to deliver.
And finally, after 22 long months, that day has arrived. There was not a dry eye in sight as we met with local media to make the announcement.
Kamerunga Villas is officially back on Ergon power and this marks the end of a truly challenging chapter for this remarkable community.
To everyone at Kamerunga Villas, especially Mark, thank you. Your patience, your perseverance, and your faith through all of this have been nothing short of inspiring. You’ve shown what community strength really looks like.
I want to share something Mark wrote that made me tear up:
I remember that on the first days that she was elected and we talked by phone, she was in Brisbane at her swearing in as a baby new politician that she was already before ministers, departments making Kamerunga Villas a priority.
True to her word, she has followed through with the determination she showed from the first day she was elected and I can say clearly, we would not be in the situation we are in without her excellent contribution.
It is very exciting to be in returning to what the average person in Cairns enjoys every day. Reliable and secure power supply that we can trust.”
The committee and the community at Kamerunga Villas would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Ms James for the support you have given us to enable such an important outcome for the community I represent.
This means so much for me. This win is for us all.
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