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2024 Cairns Regional Council election

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2024 Cairns Regional Council election

← 2020 16 March 2024 2028 →
Mayor
  First party Second party Third party
 
EDEN
UNI
IND
Candidate Amy Eden Terry James Paul Taylor
Party Team Eden Cairns Unity Independent
Popular vote 25,782 20,187 19,532
Percentage 30.70% 24.04% 23.26%
Swing Increase 30.70 Decrease 42.93 Increase 23.26
TCP 56.64% 43.36%
TCP swing Increase 56.64% Decrease 37.89

Mayor before election

Terry James
Cairns Unity

Subsequent Mayor

Amy Eden
Team Eden

Councillors

All 10 members on the Regional Council (including the mayor)
6 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader Vote % Seats +/–
Cairns Unity Terry James 3 −2
Independent N/A 3 +1
Team Eden Amy Eden 1 0
Independent LNP N/A 1 +1
Ind. Socialist Alliance Rob Pyne 1 0
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

The 2024 Cairns Regional Council election was held on 16 March 2024 to elect a mayor and nine councillors to the Cairns Region. The election was held as part of the statewide local elections in Queensland, Australia.[1]

The Cairns Unity Team, which had held a majority on council since 2012, was defeated. Incumbent mayor Terry James was defeated by first-term councillor Amy Eden, who became the second woman to hold the role, after Val Schier.[2][3]

Background

[edit]

At the 2020 election, Unity won a third consecutive election with six councillors elected. Incumbent mayor Bob Manning was re-elected with 81.25% of the vote after preferences.[4][5]

Division 9 councillor Brett Olds, who was elected as Independent LNP, resigned from the Liberal National Party in September 2021 in opposition to the federal Morrison government's COVID-19 vaccination restrictions.[6][7]

On 6 December 2022, Manning announced his intention not to seek re-election at the end of his third term.[8] Deputy mayor Terry James confirmed his intention to run and lead Unity.[9]

In July 2023, Division 5 councillor Amy Eden defected from Unity to form Team Eden, announcing her decision to contest the mayoralty.[10]

Bob Manning announced his resignation, effective immediately, on 17 November 2023. Terry James was appointed as his replacement until the 2024 election, while Jeremy Neal (also a Unity member) was appointed to replace James in Division 4.[11][12]

Campaign

[edit]

During the campaign, James expressed support for the law and order policies of Katter's Australian Party, although stated that Cairns Unity "do[es]n't endorse any party" at a state level.[13]

Team Eden stated their priorities were creating a "renewed" Cairns with a "commitment to transparency, accountability, and engagement".[14] In February 2024, During the campaign, Eden was accused of plagiarising a Facebook post from Toowoomba councillor Rebecca Vonhoff.[15] She later admitted to using passages of Vonhoff's post, and apologised.[16]

In November 2023, ABC News reported that Division 4 candidate Shane Cuthbert, a former criminal and member of the unregistered Democratic Party of Queensland, had appeared in multiple online videos with a Nazi flag in 2019.[17][18] Cuthbert stated that it was "not a good look" and he had filmed the videos in a "shop that sold a bunch of old, cool stuff," and thought "the background of the store and the colours and things like that [looked cool]".[19]

Candidates

[edit]

A total of 39 candidates ran for election. Incumbents are shown in bold text.

Ward Held by Cairns Unity Team Eden Community First Independents Others
Mayor Cairns Unity Terry James Amy Eden Denis Walls Warren Binda
John Kel
Leah Potter
Paul Taylor
Division 1 Cairns Unity Brett Moller
Division 2 Ind. Socialist Alliance Nikki Giumelli Kesa Strieby Patricia Courtenay John Schilling Steve Lippingwell (Ind. ALP)
Matthew Tickner (Ind. LNP)
Division 3 Independent Heidi Healy Marisa Seden Cathy Zeiger
Division 4 Cairns Unity Jeremy Neal Trevor Tim Cate Mahoney Shane Cuthbert (Ind. Dem)
Division 5 Team Eden Nathan Lee Long Emma Gelling James Coll
Birgit Ariane Machnitzke
Rob Pyne (Ind. SA)
Division 6 Cairns Unity Kristy Vallely Shane Trimby Nicole Sleeman Alan Benn
Division 7 Cairns Unity Matthew Calanna Ian Moller-Nielsen Renee Lees Anna Middleton
Division 8 Cairns Unity Rhonda Coghlan Jo Piggott Phillip Musumeci Hannah Boon (Ind. LNP)
Division 9 Independent Carine Visschers Brett Olds

Cairns Unity

[edit]

Cairns Unity announced its candidates on 1 September 2023.[20] Division 7 councillor Max O'Halloran chose not to seek re-election.[21]

Team Eden

[edit]

Team Eden announced candidates for six out of nine wards, with Emma Gelling contesting in Division 5, held by Amy Eden.[22]

Restaurateur Sam Byrd was Team Eden's candidate for Division 7 until August 2023, when he withdrew citing conflict with commitments in his private life.[23]

Community First

[edit]

Community First was formed in November 2023 by members of the Greens and Socialist Alliance. The group stated they supported measures to end "conflicts of interest and dodgy deals" on council.[24]

The group was led by mayoral candidate Denis Wall, a Greens member and former university teacher.[25]

Others

[edit]

Paul Taylor, a former Queensland deputy police commissioner who resigned after referring to his friend as a "vagina whisperer" at a policing conference in 2022, contested the mayoralty as an independent candidate.[26]

Division 2 councillor Rob Pyne, who joined Socialist Alliance following the 2020 election, initially planned to retire but later chose to contest Division 5.[27]

Results

[edit]

Mayor

[edit]
2024 Queensland mayoral elections: Cairns
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Team Eden Amy Eden 25,782 30.70 +30.70
Cairns Unity Terry James 20,187 24.04 −42.93
Independent Paul Taylor 19,532 23.26 +23.26
Community First Denis Walls 10,745 12.79 +12.79
Independent John Kel 3,854 4.59 +4.59
Independent Leah Potter 2,747 3.27 +3.27
Independent Warren Binda 1,139 1.36 +1.36
Turnout 88,650 75.39 +4.83
Two-candidate-preferred result
Team Eden Amy Eden 30,364 56.64 +56.64
Cairns Unity Terry James 23,242 43.36 −37.89
Team Eden gain from Cairns Unity Swing N/A

Councillors

[edit]
2024 Queensland local elections: Cairns
Party Votes % Swing Seats Change
  Cairns Unity 3 Decrease 2
  Independent 3 Increase 1
  Team Eden 1 Steady
  Independent LNP 1 Increase 1
  Independent Socialist Alliance 1 Steady
  Community First 0 Steady
  Independent Labor 0 Steady
  Independent Democratic 0 Steady

Division 1

[edit]
2024 Queensland local elections: Division 1
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Cairns Unity Brett Moller unopposed
Cairns Unity hold Swing

Division 2

[edit]
2024 Queensland local elections: Division 2
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent LNP Matthew Tickner 3,137 32.44
Independent John Schilling 1,702 17.60
Cairns Unity Nikki Giumelli 1,541 15.94
Independent Labor Steve Lippingwell 1,530 15.82
Team Eden Kesa Strieby 1,160 12.00
Community First Patricia Courtenay 600 6.20
Turnout 10,212 73.48
Two-candidate-preferred result
Independent LNP gain from Ind. Socialist Alliance Swing

Division 3

[edit]
2024 Queensland local elections: Division 3
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Cathy Zeiger 6,467 70.04
Cairns Unity Heidi Healy 1,604 17.37
Community First Marisa Seden 1,162 12.59
Turnout 9,593 74.80
Independent hold Swing

Division 4

[edit]
2024 Queensland local elections: Division 4
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Cairns Unity Jeremy Neal 2,750 32.28
Team Eden Trevor Tim 2,591 30.41
Independent Cate Mahoney 586 19.73
Independent Democratic Shane Cuthbert 545 18.35
Turnout 8,949 74.18
Two-candidate-preferred result
Team Eden gain from Cairns Unity Swing

Division 5

[edit]
2024 Queensland local elections: Division 5
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ind. Socialist Alliance Rob Pyne 2,296 30.01
Team Eden Emma Gelling 1,882 24.59
Cairns Unity Nathan Lee Long 1,851 24.19
Independent Birgit Ariane Machnitzke 948 12.39
Independent James Coll 675 8.82
Turnout 8,097 63.93
Two-candidate-preferred result
Ind. Socialist Alliance gain from Team Eden Swing
  • Incumbent councillor Amy Eden (Independent, later Team Eden) ran for mayor and therefore did not recontest

Division 6

[edit]
2024 Queensland local elections: Division 6
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Cairns Unity Kristy Vallely 3,984 39.52
Team Eden Shane Trimby 2,609 25.88
Community First Nicole Sleeman 1,981 19.65
Independent Alan Benn 1,506 14.94
Turnout 10,465 82.25
Two-candidate-preferred result
Cairns Unity hold Swing

Division 7

[edit]
2024 Queensland local elections: Division 7
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Anna Middleton 2,554 29.08
Cairns Unity Matthew Calanna 2,395 27.27
Community First Renee Lees 2,130 24.25
Team Eden Ian Moller-Nielsen 1,703 19.39
Turnout 9,273 73.82
Two-candidate-preferred result
Independent gain from Cairns Unity Swing

Division 8

[edit]
2024 Queensland local elections: Division 8
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Cairns Unity Rhonda Coghlan 3,155 33.95
Team Eden Jo Piggott 2,532 27.25
Community First Phillip Musumeci 1,965 21.95
Independent LNP Hannah Boon 1,640 17.65
Turnout 9,942 71.13
Two-candidate-preferred result
Cairns Unity hold Swing

Division 9

[edit]
2024 Queensland local elections: Division 9
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Brett Olds 8,029 76.80
Community First Carine Visschers 2,425 23.20
Turnout 10,822 79.45
Independent hold Swing
  • Incumbent councillor Brett Olds was elected as Independent LNP but left the LNP in September 2021

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2024 local government elections". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 22 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Queensland local government election results show several incumbent mayors face 'kicking' from voters". ABC News. 17 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Cairns Regional Mayor". Electoral Commission of Queensland. July 2019.
  4. ^ "2020 Local Government Elections". Electoral Commission of Queensland. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Cairns election: Coronavirus work cannot wait for Mayor Bob Manning". Cairns Post. 29 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Vocal councillor quits LNP over Covid to be anti-vax 'poster boy'". Cairns Post.
  7. ^ "Cairns MP challenges councillor over vaccination status". ABC News. 10 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Cairns Mayor Bob Manning will not run in 2024, but questions remain over whether he will go the distance". Cairns Post.
  9. ^ "Council elections less than eleven months away as prospective candidates continue low profiles". Cairns Post.
  10. ^ "Who is Cairns' likely mayor Amy Eden?". Cairns Post.
  11. ^ "Mayor resigns on medical advice". Cairns Local News.
  12. ^ "Cairns Unity Team's Jeremy Neal appointed as Division 4 councillor". Cairns Post.
  13. ^ "Cairns Regional Council group backs Katters' radical crime idea". Cairns Post.
  14. ^ "Our Priorities". Team Eden. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Queensland could have 24 new mayors including the 'weather girl' who played a witch". The Courier Mail.
  16. ^ "Cairns mayoral candidate Amy Eden accused of plagiarising Toowoomba councillor's social media post". Cairns Post.
  17. ^ "'I do a lot of good': Former criminal Shane Cuthbert runs for Cairns council". A Current Affair.
  18. ^ "6 News: Are they a member of a party? (2024 Queensland local elections)". 6 News Australia. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Cairns council candidate Shane Cuthbert appears in videos with Nazi flag, admits it's 'not a good look'". ABC News.
  20. ^ "Unity 2024 announces election candidates". Cairns Local News.
  21. ^ "Departing Cairns councillor Max O'Halloran defends young staffer after 'bullying' incident". Cairns Post.
  22. ^ "Former Member for Cairns Rob Pyne faces tough fight to claim Division Five". The Chronicle.
  23. ^ "Mayoral candidate Amy Eden loses team member and Division 7 council candidate Sam Byrd". Cairns Post.
  24. ^ "Community First to contest developers in Cairns Council". Green Left. 30 November 2023.
  25. ^ "Community first for team". Cairns Local News. 14 November 2023.
  26. ^ "Former police deputy commissioner known for 'vagina whisperer' comment running for Cairns mayor". Guardian Australia. 25 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Councillor Rob Pyne makes U-turn on decision to retire, announces a 2024 run for Division 5". Cairns Post.