2024 Cairns Regional Council election

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2024 Cairns Regional Council election
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Mayor
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
EDEN
UNI
IND
Candidate Amy Eden Terry JamesPaul Taylor
Party Team Eden Cairns Unity Independent
Popular vote25,78220,18719,532
Percentage30.70%24.04%23.26%
SwingIncrease2.svg 30.70Decrease2.svg 42.93Increase2.svg 23.26
TCP 56.64%43.36%
TCP swingIncrease2.svg 56.64%Decrease2.svg 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
PartyLeader%Seats+/–
Cairns Unity Terry James3−2
Independent N/A3+1
Team Eden Amy Eden 10
Independent LNP N/A1+1
Ind. Socialist Alliance Rob Pyne 10
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]

Contents

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 by Cairns Unity Team Eden Community First Independents Others
Mayor Cairns Unity Terry James Amy Eden Denis WallsWarren Binda
John Kel
Leah Potter
Paul Taylor
Division 1 Cairns Unity Brett Moller
Division 2 Ind. Socialist Alliance Nikki GiumelliKesa StriebyPatricia CourtenayJohn SchillingSteve Lippingwell (Ind. ALP)
Matthew Tickner (Ind. LNP)
Division 3 Independent Heidi HealyMarisa SedenCathy Zeiger
Division 4 Cairns Unity Jeremy NealTrevor TimCate MahoneyShane Cuthbert (Ind. Dem)
Division 5 Team Eden Nathan Lee LongEmma GellingJames Coll
Birgit Ariane Machnitzke		 Rob Pyne (Ind. Socialist Alliance)
Division 6 Cairns Unity Kristy VallelyShane TrimbyNicole SleemanAlan Benn
Division 7 Cairns Unity Matthew CalannaIan Moller-NielsenRenee LeesAnna Middleton
Division 8 Cairns Unity Rhonda CoghlanJo PiggottPhillip MusumeciHannah Boon (Ind. LNP)
Division 9 Independent Carine 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

Mayor

This section is an excerpt from 2024 Queensland mayoral elections § Cairns.[ edit ]
2024 Queensland mayoral elections: Cairns
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Team Eden Amy Eden 25,78230.70+30.70
Cairns Unity Terry James20,18724.04−42.93
Independent Paul Taylor19,53223.26+23.26
Community First Denis Walls10,74512.79+12.79
Independent John Kel3,8544.59+4.59
Independent Leah Potter2,7473.27+3.27
Independent Warren Binda1,1391.36+1.36
Turnout 88,65075.39+4.83
Two-candidate-preferred result
Team Eden Amy Eden 30,36456.64+56.64
Cairns Unity Terry James23,24243.36−37.89
Team Eden gain from Cairns Unity Swing N/A

Councillors

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2024 Queensland local elections § Cairns.[ edit ]
2024 Queensland local elections: Cairns
PartyVotes %SwingSeatsChange
  Cairns Unity 3Decrease2.svg 2
  Independent 3Increase2.svg 1
  Team Eden 1Steady2.svg
  Independent LNP 1Increase2.svg 1
  Independent Socialist Alliance 1Steady2.svg
  Community First 0Steady2.svg
  Independent Labor 0Steady2.svg
 Independent Democratic0Steady2.svg

Division 1

2024 Queensland local elections: Division 1
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Cairns Unity Brett Mollerunopposed
Cairns Unity hold Swing

Division 2

2024 Queensland local elections: Division 2
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent LNP Matthew Tickner3,13732.44
Independent John Schilling1,70217.60
Cairns Unity Nikki Giumelli1,54115.94
Independent Labor Steve Lippingwell1,53015.82
Team Eden Kesa Strieby1,16012.00
Community First Patricia Courtenay6006.20
Turnout 10,21273.48
Two-candidate-preferred result
Independent LNP gain from Ind. Socialist Alliance Swing

Division 3

2024 Queensland local elections: Division 3
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Cathy Zeiger6,46770.04
Cairns Unity Heidi Healy1,60417.37
Community First Marisa Seden1,16212.59
Turnout 9,59374.80
Independent hold Swing

Division 4

2024 Queensland local elections: Division 4
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Cairns Unity Jeremy Neal2,75032.28
Team Eden Trevor Tim2,59130.41
Independent Cate Mahoney58619.73
Independent DemocraticShane Cuthbert54518.35
Turnout 8,94974.18
Two-candidate-preferred result
Team Eden gain from Cairns Unity Swing

Division 5

2024 Queensland local elections: Division 5
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Ind. Socialist Alliance Rob Pyne 2,29630.01
Team Eden Emma Gelling1,88224.59
Cairns Unity Nathan Lee Long1,85124.19
Independent Birgit Ariane Machnitzke94812.39
Independent James Coll6758.82
Turnout 8,09763.93
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

2024 Queensland local elections: Division 6
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Cairns Unity Kristy Vallely3,98439.52
Team Eden Shane Trimby2,60925.88
Community First Nicole Sleeman1,98119.65
Independent Alan Benn1,50614.94
Turnout 10,46582.25
Two-candidate-preferred result
Cairns Unity hold Swing

Division 7

2024 Queensland local elections: Division 7
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Anna Middleton2,55429.08
Cairns Unity Matthew Calanna2,39527.27
Community First Renee Lees2,13024.25
Team Eden Ian Moller-Nielsen1,70319.39
Turnout 9,27373.82
Two-candidate-preferred result
Independent gain from Cairns Unity Swing

Division 8

2024 Queensland local elections: Division 8
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Cairns Unity Rhonda Coghlan3,15533.95
Team Eden Jo Piggott2,53227.25
Community First Phillip Musumeci1,96521.95
Independent LNP Hannah Boon1,64017.65
Turnout 9,94271.13
Two-candidate-preferred result
Cairns Unity hold Swing

Division 9

2024 Queensland local elections: Division 9
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Brett Olds8,02976.80
Community First Carine Visschers2,42523.20
Turnout 10,82279.45
Independent hold Swing
  • Incumbent councillor Brett Olds was elected as Independent LNP but left the LNP in September 2021

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References

  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.
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