Cairns Unity Team outspending all other competitors ahead of council elections on March 16

Return airfares to Brisbane have been registered as “electoral expenditure” while another team isn’t sure it needs to declare the cost of NBL tickets after wearing campaign material to the event.

A mayoral candidate has listed return airfares to Brisbane as “electoral expenditure” while another council team isn’t sure it needs to declare the cost of NBL tickets after wearing campaign material to the event.

The Unity Team has, so far, been the leading campaign spender in the run-up to Cairns Regional Council elections scheduled for March 16, with almost $43,000 splashed.

Included in that total is $1750 for two lots of airfares and hotel accommodation.

Team leader Terry James said the travel expenses were for “a friend” who was helping with the Unity Team’s campaign.

Cairns’ mayor Terry James said airfare and accommodation costs listed as “electoral expenses” were for a friend who helped him with the Unity Team’s campaign. Picture: Brendan Radke

“(He helped with) strategic advice, social media, just generally everything,” Mr James said.

“When you divide our total spending ($43,000) by nine candidates, it really isn’t a lot of money at all. We don’t expect to spend much more.”

A group of Team Eden candidates were spotted wearing their campaign shirts at a Cairns Taipans game, sitting with team leader Amy Eden, on December 31.

According to the Electoral Commission of Queensland, electoral expenditure is incurred for a campaign purpose if it promotes a group of candidates for an election.

The ECQ has capped campaign spending for Cairns councillor candidates at $15,000; a mayoral candidate can spend up to $116,540.

Team Eden members at the Cairns Taipans basketball game on December 31, 2023. Picture: Kesa Strieby/Facebook

Team Eden is currently well under the cap – its total electoral spend, as registered with the ECQ, is about $25,000 – but the expense of the team’s tickets has not been registered.

“This was a family night out and (I) don’t believe it was electoral expenditure. In any case, we’ve got seven business days to declare and we’ll call ECQ tomorrow and check,” Ms Eden said.

“Team Eden is running a grassroots campaign. We are out in the community and we are there for the community.”

Candidates for Cairns Regional Council have collectively spent almost $100,000 with ten weeks left before polling day.

Denis Walls, a mayoral candidate who leads the Community First team, said his team was quietly achieving on a much smaller budget.

“Although the other teams are spending a lot more money than us you would be hard pressed to know it in terms of evidence of where the money has gone,” Mr Walls said.

“We won’t be spending anywhere near the money that Unity will be spending.

Independent candidate Paul Taylor has not yet listed electoral expenses with the ECQ. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Often you can achieve a better product for less resources.”

Mr Walls said that the campaign was still in an early phase and spending would spike toward the end of January.

“There’ll be quite significant expenditure to kick in, in a couple of weeks,” he said.

Independent candidate Paul Taylor has not yet declared any electoral expenditure.

“I haven’t done much before the new year for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I didn’t want to be in peoples faces around the holiday period, and because I didn’t think it was the right time to do any campaigning during the cyclone and flooding,” Mr Taylor said.

“I don’t anticipate having a big budget. My whole campaign is based on meeting people face-to-face, answering their questions.”

Originally published as Cairns Unity Team outspending all other competitors ahead of council elections on March 16