2024 Cairns Regional Council election explained

Country:Queensland
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2020 Cairns Regional Council election
Previous Year:2020
Next Election:2028 Cairns Regional Council election
Next Year:2028
Election Date:16 March 2024
Module:
Election Name:Mayor
Embed:yes
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Image1: EDEN
Candidate1:Amy Eden
Party1:Team Eden
Colour1:D92F8A
Popular Vote1:25,782
Percentage1:30.70%
Swing1: 30.70
Candidate2:Terry James
Party2:Cairns Unity
Colour2:1C5370
Popular Vote2:20,187
Percentage2:24.04%
Swing2: 42.93
Image3: IND
Candidate3:Paul Taylor
Party3:Independent politician
Popular Vote3:19,532
Percentage3:23.26%
Swing3: 23.26
1Blank:TCP
2Blank:TCP swing
1Data1:56.64%
2Data1: 56.64%
1Data2:43.36%
2Data2: 37.89
Mayor
Posttitle:Subsequent Mayor
Before Election:Terry James
Before Party:Cairns Unity
After Election:Amy Eden
After Party:Team Eden
Module:
Embed:yes
Ongoing:no
Election Name:Councillors
Seats For Election:All 10 members on the Regional Council (including the mayor)
Majority Seats:6
Party1:Cairns Unity
Leader1:Terry James
Colour1:
  1. 1C5370
Seats1:3
Last Election1:5
Party2:Independent politician
Leader2:N/A
Seats2:3
Last Election2:2
Party3:Team Eden
Leader3:Amy Eden
Colour3:
  1. D92F8A
Seats3:1
Last Election3:1
Party4:Independent LNP
Leader4:N/A
Colour4:
  1. 1456F1
Seats4:1
Last Election4:0
Party5:Ind. Socialist Alliance
Leader5:Rob Pyne
Colour5:
  1. 990000
Seats5:1
Last Election5:1

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

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

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

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

WardHeld byCairns UnityTeam EdenCommunity FirstIndependentsOthers
MayorCairns UnityTerry JamesAmy EdenDenis WallsWarren Binda
John Kel
Leah Potter
Paul Taylor
Division 1Cairns UnityBrett Moller
Division 2Nikki GiumelliKesa StriebyPatricia CourtenayJohn SchillingSteve Lippingwell (Ind. ALP)
Matthew Tickner (Ind. LNP)
Division 3IndependentHeidi HealyMarisa SedenCathy Zeiger
Division 4Cairns UnityJeremy NealTrevor TimCate MahoneyShane Cuthbert (Ind. Dem)
Division 5Team EdenNathan Lee Long Emma GellingJames Coll
Birgit Ariane Machnitzke
Rob Pyne (Ind. Socialist Alliance)
Division 6Cairns UnityKristy VallelyShane TrimbyNicole SleemanAlan Benn
Division 7Cairns UnityMatthew CalannaIan Moller-NielsenRenee LeesAnna Middleton
Division 8Cairns UnityRhonda CoghlanJo PiggottPhillip MusumeciHannah Boon (Ind. LNP)
IndependentCarine VisschersBrett Olds

Cairns Unity

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

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

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

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

Councillors

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2024 local government elections . 22 March 2024 . Electoral Commission of Queensland.
  2. News: Queensland local government election results show several incumbent mayors face 'kicking' from voters . ABC News. 17 March 2024 .
  3. Web site: Cairns Regional Mayor . July 2019 . Electoral Commission of Queensland.
  4. Web site: 2020 Local Government Elections . Electoral Commission of Queensland . https://web.archive.org/web/20240111234038/https://results1.elections.qld.gov.au/lga2020 . 11 January 2024.
  5. Web site: Cairns election: Coronavirus work cannot wait for Mayor Bob Manning . Cairns Post . 29 March 2020.
  6. Web site: Vocal councillor quits LNP over Covid to be anti-vax 'poster boy' . Cairns Post.
  7. Web site: Cairns MP challenges councillor over vaccination status . 10 November 2021 . ABC News.
  8. Web site: Cairns Mayor Bob Manning will not run in 2024, but questions remain over whether he will go the distance . Cairns Post.
  9. Web site: Council elections less than eleven months away as prospective candidates continue low profiles . Cairns Post.
  10. Web site: Who is Cairns' likely mayor Amy Eden? . Cairns Post.
  11. Web site: Mayor resigns on medical advice . Cairns Local News.
  12. Web site: Cairns Unity Team's Jeremy Neal appointed as Division 4 councillor . Cairns Post.
  13. Web site: Cairns Regional Council group backs Katters' radical crime idea . Cairns Post.
  14. Web site: Our Priorities . Team Eden . 6 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240406125957/https://teameden.com.au/our-priorities/ . 6 April 2024.
  15. Web site: Queensland could have 24 new mayors including the 'weather girl' who played a witch . The Courier Mail.
  16. Web site: Cairns mayoral candidate Amy Eden accused of plagiarising Toowoomba councillor's social media post . Cairns Post.
  17. Web site: 'I do a lot of good': Former criminal Shane Cuthbert runs for Cairns council . A Current Affair.
  18. Web site: 6 News: Are they a member of a party? (2024 Queensland local elections) . 6 News Australia . https://web.archive.org/web/20240406051024/https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bsuo8W0ARMrsMq2Kic9IpRKdBS1wLZmXEXI5nQgcjfo/edit#gid=0 . 6 April 2024.
  19. Web site: Cairns council candidate Shane Cuthbert appears in videos with Nazi flag, admits it's 'not a good look' . ABC News.
  20. Web site: Unity 2024 announces election candidates . Cairns Local News.
  21. Web site: Departing Cairns councillor Max O'Halloran defends young staffer after 'bullying' incident . Cairns Post.
  22. Web site: Former Member for Cairns Rob Pyne faces tough fight to claim Division Five . The Chronicle.
  23. Web site: Mayoral candidate Amy Eden loses team member and Division 7 council candidate Sam Byrd . Cairns Post.
  24. Web site: Community First to contest developers in Cairns Council . Green Left . 30 November 2023.
  25. Web site: Community first for team . Cairns Local News . 14 November 2023.
  26. Web site: Former police deputy commissioner known for 'vagina whisperer' comment running for Cairns mayor . Guardian Australia . 25 January 2024.
  27. Web site: Councillor Rob Pyne makes U-turn on decision to retire, announces a 2024 run for Division 5 . Cairns Post.