Celebrating 25 Years of Regional NRM
The 9th National Natural Resource Management Knowledge Conference, held September 8–12 in Cairns, marked a significant milestone, 25 years since Australia adopted the regional natural&...

The Cairns Post celebrated International Womens Day by highlighting who they believed to be the regions 30 most influential women in FNQ. Development in the Tropics team member Professor Hurriyet Babacan was one of those selected.
Hurriyet has had a distinguished career of the last 25 years with a proven track record of achievement in senior leadership and strategic management roles. Professor Babacan has been recognised for her work through a number of awards including the Order of Australia 2014 (AM) for outstanding contribution, as academic and author, and for furthering multicultural community, education, and social policy development; Bi-Centenary Medal awarded by the Prime Minister, 2002 and the Multicultural Services Award by the Premier of Queensland. Hurriyet was the Queensland State Finalist in the Telstra Businesswomen’s Award in the for Community and Public Service category in 2003. Professor Babacan’s name has been listed in the Australian Women’s Archives as recognition of women leaders who have contributed to Australia.
Other influential women in the FNQ listed by the Cairns post include Yidinji elder Professor Heneritta Marrie, Australian Soccer star Mary Fowler, Advance Cairns CEO Jacinta Reddan, ABC Far North breakfast presenter Charlie McKillop, Queensland Police Detective Superintendent Sonia Smith, CQU associate vice president Jodie Duignan-George and Cairns Regional Council CEO Mica Martin.
The 9th National Natural Resource Management Knowledge Conference, held September 8–12 in Cairns, marked a significant milestone, 25 years since Australia adopted the regional natural&...
The Tropical North Queensland Drought Resilience Hub's Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise Program (SATSIE), in collaboration with the North Australian Indigeno...
A special visit for students from AFL Cape York House for Girls (AFLCYHG) to the Local Indigenous Food Enterprise Services (LIFES) garden was facilitated through The Tropical North Quee...
James Cook University (JCU) 2025 cohort of Master of Global Development (MGD) students visited Mossman recently to observe and engage with a community in transition from sugar to a mode...
Four members of the Far North Queensland (FNQ) Connect team embarked on an eventful journey around Cairns city - but this was no ordinary outing. The colleagues were taking part in Spi...
During a recent visit to Waibene (Thursday Island), Jen McHugh toured the community centre Buai Mudh, meaning Family House, and met with board members of the Mura Kosker Sorority who op...
James Cook University (JCU) researchers from Cairns and Townsville joined an in-person forum at the JCU's Bada-Jali campus on September 23 and 24 for a university-wide plan to progress ...
The Whitsundays provided a valuable platform for producers, industry and community to share knowledge, compare practice, and explore new approaches that support resilience to a more var...
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