Anthony Albanese, Minister for Infrastructure and Local Government, and Jan McLucas, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, have announced the Rudd Government will offer nearly $2 million for the new Emergency Management Community Centre in Cairns.

Senator McLucas made the announcement with the Member for Leichhardt, Jim Turnour, and the Deputy Mayor of Cairns Regional Council, Margaret Cochrane.

A first of its kind in Queensland, the Woree Multipurpose Community Centre would meet strict building codes rating it against Category 5 cyclones.

Far North Queensland is highly vulnerable to natural disasters such as cyclones, storm surges, floods and landslides.

The project will provide a purpose-built venue for education, training and disaster coordination for Cairns and wider North Queensland, including Cape York.

The computer room at the Centre will allow authorities to relocate the flood alert system and install a back-up server for its computer system.

This federal funding is part of our $800 million Community Infrastructure Program - the largest one-off investment in local infrastructure in Australia's history.

Through the Rudd Government's Economic Stimulus Plan, we are investing in major projects like this to support local jobs and economies during the global recession.

Throughout the year, the Community Centre will be available for use by school groups to instruct students about disaster preparedness, and by volunteer community groups, such as the Red Cross and the SES.

The centre will be a single-storey building containing a kitchen, toilets, foyer area, storeroom, computer server room, generator, office space and meeting rooms.

The project funding will also provide for the building fit-out, computer equipment, communications equipment, a back-up generator, landscaping and security.

This funding builds on nearly $900,000 that the Rudd Labor Government has already delivered for local projects in the Cairns Regional Council area this year. It brings Rudd Government investment in Cairns community infrastructure to $2.9 million this year.

Nearly 70 per cent of the stimulus package is infrastructure with construction projects already underway. More than 3,000 projects are being funded through the Government's Community Infrastructure Program across Australia to support local jobs.