Students will study all their degree there, rather than having to Townsville for the first three years

The university announces a 40 strong first year intake at the Cairns campus, with 20 being newly funded places. JCU says it has “a strong case” for “a share” of the 80 new medical places the Commonwealth is providing nationally.

This is a big win for JCU and it partly delivers on its push to expand medicine across FNQ. Last year the university lobbied for 80 more medicine places to create a full med school degree in Mackay, as well as Cairns (CMM November 15 2021).

“Cairns and the Far North deserve high-quality local health care, and young people here deserve opportunities to study for rewarding professional careers,” Dean of Medicine and Dentistry Richard Murray says.

and the other winner is: This is pretty much the argument that Charles Darwin U, VC Scott Bowman makes for medical school there. Plus, “it’s quite strange and remarkable that the NT, which is six times the size of the UK and has unique and pressing medical challenges, is the only state or territory with no Commonwealth-funded medical places in the country,” (CMM August 9).

Professor Bowman wants 40 med school places to start next year – he probably won’t get that many but surely he will get enough to start.