| Colorcode: |
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| Leader: | Terry James |
| Founder: | Bob Manning |
| Foundation: | January 2012 |
| Ideology: | Localism |
| Seats1 Title: | Cairns Regional Council |
| Country: | Queensland |
The Cairns Unity Team, also known as Cairns Unity, the Unity Team or simply Unity, is an Australian political party that competes in local elections for Cairns Regional Council.
Until the 2024 election, Unity had a majority on council and held the mayoralty.[1]
Kevin Byrne, a former mayor who was defeated in 2008, had previously run his team under the name of "Cairns Unity Team".[2]
In January 2012, Bob Manning announced his intention to run for mayor of Cairns at the local government elections with a team of candidates under the name "Unity 2012". Manning considered the team to be apolitical.[2] He was elected mayor with 55.61% of the vote, and six Unity councillors were successful.[3]
Manning was re-elected in 2016, with Unity running in seven of nine wards.[4]
In 2020, Manning was elected to a third term with 81.25% of the vote after preferences. Six Unity councillors were elected, giving the party a majority on the council.[5]
Manning resigned as mayor in November 2023. Unity councillor 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.[6] [7]
| Election year | Mayoral candidate |
| % of overall vote |
| +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Bob Manning | 1 | ||||
| 2016 | Bob Manning | |||||
| 2020 | Bob Manning | 47,171 | 66.97 | |||
| 2024 | Terry James | 20,187 | 24.04 | 1 |
| Election year |
| % of overall vote |
| +/– | Council control (term) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 6 | Unity majority (2012−2024) | |||||
| 2016 | |||||||
| 2020 | 26,395 | ||||||
| 2024 | 3 | No overall control | |||||