The Cairns Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, centred on the regional city of Cairns. It was established in 2008 by the amalgamation of the City of Cairns and the Shire of Douglas. However, following public protest and a referendum in 2013, on 1 January 2014, the Shire of Douglas was de-amalgamated from the Cairns Region and re-established as a separate local government authority.
Cairns Region | |||||||||||||
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Location within Queensland, 2013, prior to de-amalgamation of Shire of Douglas | |||||||||||||
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| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Queensland | ||||||||||||
| Region | Far North Queensland | ||||||||||||
| Established | 2008 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Cairns City | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • Mayor | Amy Eden | ||||||||||||
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| • Federal divisions |
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| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 1,689 km2 (652 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 166,943 (2021 census) (38th) | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 98.841/km2 (256.00/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Website | Cairns Region | ||||||||||||
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The Cairns Regional Council's 2023–24 operating budget is A$433.5 million.
In the 2021 census, the Cairns Region had a population of 166,943 people.
History
First Nations
Yidinji (also known as Yidinj, Yidiny, and Idindji) is an Australian Aboriginal language and a traditional Indigenous country.[citation needed] Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of Cairns Region and Tablelands Region, in such localities as Cairns City (CBD), Gordonvale, and the Mulgrave River, and the southern part of the Atherton Tableland including Atherton and Kairi.
Tjapukai (also known as Djabuganydji, Djabugay, and Djabuganydji) is the traditional Aboriginal country and language north of the Barron River in the Cairns Region, with the traditional group extending west towards Mareeba and north towards Douglas Shire and Port Douglas.[citation needed]
Post colonisation
The origins of local government in Far North Queensland lie in the Local Government Act 1878, under which 74 Divisions (local government areas) were created, including the Cairns Division.
The Douglas Division was created on 3 June 1880 by excising part of Cairns Division.
Under the Local Authorities Act 1902 Cairns Division was redesignated as the Shire of Cairns and Douglas Division was redesignated as the Shire of Douglas on 31 March 1903.
The Borough of Cairns was proclaimed on 28 May 1885 under the Local Government Act 1878, and was created by excising part of the Cairns Division. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, it became a Town on 31 March 1903, and was proclaimed a City on 12 October 1923. For most of its existence Cairns City covered only the central business district and inner suburbs.
On 20 December 1919, Barron Shire was abolished, and part of its area was transferred to Cairns Shire. On 16 November 1940, Cairns Shire was renamed Mulgrave Shire.
On 21 November 1991, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Cairns area be rationalised, and that the Shire be dissolved and amalgamated with the City of Cairns. The Local Government (Cairns, Douglas, Mareeba and Mulgrave) Regulation 1994 was gazetted on 16 December 1994. On 22 March 1995, Mulgrave Shire was abolished and became part of the City of Cairns.
In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Cairns amalgamate with the Shire of Douglas, and that the new Cairns Regional Council be undivided with 10 councilors and a mayor. On 15 March 2008, Cairns City and Douglas Shire ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councilors and a mayor to the replacement Regional Council.
In 2012, a proposal was made to de-amalgamate the Shire of Douglas from the Cairns Region. On 9 March 2013, the citizens of the former Douglas shire voted in a referendum to de-amalgamate. The shire was re-established on 1 January 2014.
Towns and localities
The Cairns Region includes the following settlements:
| Cairns Central area:
| Northern Mulgrave area:
| Southern Mulgrave area:
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1 – shared with Cassowary Coast Region
2 – shared with Cassowary Coast Region and Tablelands Region
Libraries
The Cairns Regional Council operate public libraries at Babinda, Cairns City, Earlville, Edmonton, Gordonvale, Manunda, Smithfield and Stratford.
Demographics
The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008.
The only census in which the Cairns Region included the Douglas Shire was conducted in 2011.
| Year | Total Region | Cairns (C) | Mulgrave (S) | Douglas (S) |
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| 1933 | 25,197 | 11,993 | 10,303 | 2,901 |
| 1947 | 29,622 | 16,644 | 10,485 | 2,493 |
| 1954 | 37,597 | 21,020 | 13,477 | 3,100 |
| 1961 | 42,985 | 25,204 | 14,427 | 3,354 |
| 1966 | 45,927 | 26,696 | 15,312 | 3,919 |
| 1971 | 51,345 | 30,288 | 16,985 | 4,072 |
| 1976 | 62,628 | 34,857 | 23,025 | 4,746 |
| 1981 | 76,388 | 39,096 | 31,335 | 5,957 |
| 1986 | 91,688 | 42,227 | 41,711 | 7,750 |
| 1991 | 116,584 | 49,361 | 54,783 | 12,440 |
| 1996 | 129,698 | 116,718 | 12,980 | |
| 2001 | 133,903 | 119,937 | 13,966 | |
| 2006 | 150,484 | 136,460 | 14,024 | |
| 2011 | 167,355 | 156,169 | 11,186 | |
| 2016 | 156,901 | |||
| 2021 | 166,943 | |||
In the 2016 census, the Cairns Region had a population of 156,901 people.
In the 2021 census, the Cairns Region had a population of 166,943 people.
Council
Cairns Regional Council | |
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| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Mayor | Amy Eden, Team Eden |
Deputy Mayor | Brett Olds, Independent |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 10 elected representatives, including a Mayor and 9 councillors |
Political groups |
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| Elections | |
Last election | 16 March 2024 |
Next election | 25 March 2028 |
On 1 January 2014, Julia Leu ceased to be a Councillor upon the de-amalgamation of the Shire of Douglas.
On 31 January 2015, Rob Pyne was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland and resigned as a Councillor. Cathy Zeiger was appointed on 12 March 2015 to replace Rob Pyne by a panel comprising Mayor Bob Manning and former Councillors Fran Lindsay and Jeff Pezzutti.
Bob Manning announced his retirement as mayor on 17 November 2023. Councillor Terry James was elected as mayor on 22 November 2023.
Current composition
The current council, elected in 2024, is:
| Ward | Councillor | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Amy Eden | Team Eden | |
| Division 1 | Brett Moller | Cairns Unity | |
| Division 2 | Matthew Tickner | Independent LNP | |
| Division 3 | Cathy Zeiger | Independent | |
| Division 4 | Trevor Tim | Team Eden | |
| Division 5 | Rob Pyne | Independent Socialist | |
| Division 6 | Kristy Vallely | Cairns Unity | |
| Division 7 | Anna Middleton | Independent | |
| Division 8 | Rhonda Coghlan | Cairns Unity | |
| Division 9 | Brett Olds | Independent One Nation | |
Mayors
Past councillors
2008−present
| Year | Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4 | Division 5 | Division 6 | Division 7 | Division 8 | Division 9 | Division 10 | ||||||||||
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| Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | |||||||||||
| 2008 | Paul Gregory (Ind.) | Nancy Lanskey (Ind.) | Rob Pyne (Ind. Labor) | Kristen Lesina (Ind.) | Alan Blake (Ind.) | Linda Cooper (Ind.) | Diane Forsyth (Ind.) | Margaret Cochrane (Ind.) | Sno Bonneau (Ind.) | Julia Leu (Ind.) | ||||||||||
| 2012 | Steve Brain (Ind.) | John Schilling (Unity) | Terry James (Unity) | Richie Bates (Unity/Ind.) | Max O'Halloran (Unity) | Jessie Richardson (Unity) | Greg Fennell (Unity) | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | 9 wards (2014−present) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Cathy Zeiger (Ind.) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Brett Moller (Unity) | Brett Olds (Ind. LNP/Ind.) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Rob Pyne (Ind. Socialist/ Ind. Socialist Alliance) | Amy Eden (Unity/Team Eden) | Kristy Vallely (Unity) | Rhonda Coghlan (Unity) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024a | Jeremy Neal (Unity) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Matthew Tickner (Ind. LNP) | Trevor Tim (Team Eden) | Rob Pyne (Ind. Socialist Alliance) | Anna Middleton (Ind.) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024b | ||||||||||||||||||||
Election results
2024
| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | ||
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| Cairns Unity | 3 | 2 | |||||
| Independent | 3 | 1 | |||||
| Team Eden | 1 | ||||||
| Independent LNP | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Independent Socialist Alliance | 1 | ||||||
| Community First | 0 | ||||||
| Independent Labor | 0 | ||||||
| Independent Democratic | 0 | ||||||
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