Cairns council elections: Your guide to who is running in 2024
With election day nearing Cairns council candidates are making their last pitches to ratepayers. Here’s all the division 1 and 2 candidates, who they are and what they stand for.
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With election day nearing Cairns council candidates are making their last pitches to ratepayers, with everything from crime to public transport, parks and housing development up for debate.
For Division 1 residents – which covers the southern part of Edmonton, Fitzroy Island, East Trinity, Gordonvale, Mirriwinni, Babinda, Bramston Beach and Eubanangee – there is only one candidate contending for your vote.
Deputy mayor and incumbent Brett Moller will be re-elected unopposed.
However Division 1 ratepayers still need to show up to the polling booths to cast their pick for mayor.
For people in Edmonton, Bentley Park and the southern part of Mount Sheridan, you have more choice with six candidates vying for your vote.
Get up to speed on what they stand for below.
Division 1
Brett Moller (Unity)
The deputy mayor’s return is assured with no challenger emerging in Division 1.
But despite being a walk-up start at this local government election Mr Moller has vowed not to take the opportunity for granted.
“I’m humbled and honoured to serve my community,” Mr Moller said.
“I’ve always said that an incumbent councillor doesn’t win an election three months before he’s elected.”
“Division 1 is the largest and most diverse. The next four years will be important in planning for that growth.
“We need to have a balanced approach between growth and trunk infrastructure.”
Mr Moller drew criticism during the campaign for his “zero tolerance” stance on youth crime, comparing Cairns to New York during mayor Rudy Giuliani’s tenure.
But the fourth generation Far North Queenslander said council can play a key role in deterring anti-social behaviour.
“Our crime policy is to continue with the rollout of CCTV surveillance and security patrols out into the suburbs and identified hot spots and address anti-social behaviour and nip it in the bud,” he said.
“Crime is a state responsibility. We want to make sure that the police are properly resourced and we assist them where required.”
Division 2
Patricia Courtenay (Community First)
Patricia Courtenay, an Indigenous woman who’s lived in Edmonton for the last six years, says her vision for the southern corridor division is “a well-connected, safe and vibrant community”.
Public transport is a key platform on which the Community First member is running on.
Ms Courtenay said there needed to be a “direct and fast connection” between the city and the southern suburbs.
“The length of time to travel by bus takes far too long,” she said.
“Council has a responsibility to provide residents with an adequate public transport system. Much of the infrastructure is in place with very little to be done to bring forward the rapid bus system.”
Ms Courtenay also believes council should foster local arts and music, as well as cultural diversity, by providing community spaces and events.
Nikki Giumelli (Unity)
Cutting down crime and providing resources, infrastructure and advocacy for the city’s burgeoning southside are the priorities in Division 2 for businesswoman Nikki Giumelli.
The Unity candidate, who, along with her partner, sold their Bad Fishing Jet Boating and Cairns Boat Hire businesses last year, said residents in her division had grown tired of juvenile delinquency in the region.
“I’ve done a lot of doorknocking and grassroots campaigning,” Ms Giumelli said.
“It’s a consistent theme that people are concerned about crime. It may be seen as a state issue but the role of council is still important.
“There are some really interesting things we can do in terms of technology and security cameras but it also comes back to advocacy and communication.”
Enhancing existing recreational facilities should be a priority, Ms Giumelli said.
“The Edmonton swimming pool is something that consistently comes up,” she said. “It’s probably a really good time to revisit that, if you’ve got a growth corridor, look at the costs and opportunities.
“We need to make sure that we consistently get the resources to match that growth and that the quality of living for residents is improved over time.
“We need to be advocating to state and federal levels to that those feelings at community level around crime and safety management are heard and there are different provisions to engage youth that may be heading down that track.”
Matthew Tickner
Matthew Tickner is the Cairns Chamber of Commerce vice president who’s running for the southern corridor division on three platforms: service delivery, cost-of-living and youth crime.
Recently, he has been vocal about community concerns over a youth drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre slated for Edmonton and drawing on his background in infrastructure engineering, the cost blowout of the city’s proposed water security project.
“One of the most important roles of a local representative is to be an effective community advocate,” he said.
“It’s time Division 2 gets a representative who understand the system and is willing to take up the fight from the inside to achieve real outcomes for the community.”
Mr Tickner has had ties to the federal LNP as both the Liechhardt branch chairman and Warren Entsch’s past campaign manager.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that crime isn’t a local councillor’s issue,” he said.
“The council is the ground level for many initiatives, built infrastructure and advocacy that help reduce idle youths and fight back against the crime and safety crisis our city is facing.”
Kesa Strieby (Team Eden)
2022 Cairns Woman of the Year Kesa Strieby announced she would run for council under the Team Eden banner in August last year.
She is the president of the Cairns and Region Multicultural Association and a driving figure behind a new multicultural community centre currently under construction in White Rock.
Although she lives in Division 5, Ms Strieby is running for Division 2 as she says the southern suburbs have been the focus of her previous work.
“Division 2 is the growth corridor for Cairns with many young families, multicultural communities, and social and cultural needs,” she said.
“I want to work collaboratively with everyone to elevate the area further.”
Among her priorities are more footpaths, sports infrastructure and traffic safety, as well as a review of the Sugarworld masterplan and support for local neighbourhood watch groups.
Ms Strieby’s party, Team Eden, has promised to offer ratepayers a $1000 first home buyers rates relief is Amy Eden’s bid for mayor is successful.
Steve Lippingwell
Easing pressure on Cairns residents through a rates freeze and reinstating free green waste are two of Cairns school teacher Steve Lippingwell’s aims if he wins Division Two.
“Cairns residents are facing a cost of living crisis and Council needs to carry its share,” Mr Lippingwell said.
“Cairns Regional Council upped rates by a whopping 5.9 per cent this year, almost double Townsville’s rise of 3 per cent.”
“During the campaign I will be proposing cost-saving measures to stop spiraling rates for working families.
“I will also make it a priority to reinstate green waste dump vouchers leading up to cyclone season – to help keep our community safer in a natural disaster.”
The candidate lodged a petition with the state government calling for greater community engagement around a proposed Cairns youth detention facility last year.
“Any site in Edmonton is unsuitable ... it would be in close proximity to homes, schools, aged care, and the central business hub,” Mr Lippingwell said.
“Edmonton has one of the highest crime rates in Queensland ... building a youth detention facility in a high crime suburb, where attempts to abscond may be assisted by other offenders, is poor planning.”
Mr Lippingwell has written legal studies text books for the NSW and Queensland curriculums.
Additionally, he is lobbying for solar lighting in Cairns parks to reduce anti-social behavior.
Mr Lippingwell has party affiliation as an ALP member but has mainatined his campaign for council was independent.
John Schilling
The former Unity councillor is back on the campaign trail after losing to former Member for Cairns Rob Pyne in 2020.
“I never wanted to leave,” Mr Schilling said. “We had the Covid election where we couldn’t stand next to people. It was unlike anything I’d seen before in my life.”
The Mac Constructions owner said he’s chosen to run as an independent in the hopes of better representing his Division.
“My family wasn’t keen for me to run with them again,” Mr Schilling said of the Unity team. “Plus, I had already made up my mind before they selected the team.
“(Former mayor) Bob (Manning) had issues with his health and I think the community should have known about those things sooner. No-one expected a hand over prior to the election (to Terry James).”
Reinvesting in the southside through upgrades to the Edmonton pool and libraries are key projects Mr Schilling would like to advance.
“A lot of work got spent on the Esplanade after 2020 and the money got taken from Edmonton, including the pool,” he said.
“We need to start controlling the budget. We’ve had big rate increases, an increase in staff. Someone’s not looking after the money.”
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