Qld local council elections 2024: Live results, updates & latest news
Would-be Queensland mayors and councillors are still waiting on preference counts. LATEST NEWS
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Queensland is still to learn of their new mayors and councillors following the 2024 elections.
A total of 1191 candidates are running for a council seat across the state’s 77 local governments, with 231 people putting their hand up to run for the job of mayor in their local councils.
Counting is continuing in the Queensland council elections but only after a day of drama at the polling booths.
Live results: Gold Coast | Toowoomba | Brisbane | Mackay | Cairns | Townsville | Rockhampton | Sunshine Coast | Bundaberg
Wednesday 10am: Townsville mayor decided
Jenny Hill has officially conceded in the election for Townsville Mayor, with Troy Thompson securing about 46 per cent of the vote.
Ms Hill, who has been mayor for 12 years and a councillor for 23 years, said at the last vote she was trailing by a little more than 2500 and there were still postal votes to be counted, but she added “there’s no likelihood of bridging that gap”.
“Rather than delay this any further, I want to provide some certainty for the city.”
Monday 7am: Gold Coast close call looms
Candidate Jenna Schroeder has unexpectedly taken the lead in the race for Gold Coast council’s Division 7 as final vote counting looms.
Ms Schroeder now leads in the northern Gold Coast seat, more than a week after the election, with the results still too close to call.
On the official first preference count, Ms Schroeder has 3196 votes, or 23.95 per cent, followed closely by Joe Wilkinson on 3085, or 23.12 per cent.
Incumbent councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden, who has been suspended from office since August 2023 after being charged with the murder of his stepfather, trails in third place on 20.59 per cent.
Sunday 2pm: ECQ comes under fire
The Electoral Commission Queensland is being accused of another council election bungle with residents claiming they did not receive postal votes kits in time – an error that could see them slapped with $154 fines.
Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath last week announced ECQ would be the subject of an external review to ensure any problems were ironed out ahead of the state election in October.
The scrutiny comes after angry voters were kept waiting up to two hours to cast their ballots on council election day amid claims of low electoral staff numbers, ballot shortages and electors being turned away.
Now more concerns have been raised about postal votes with several disgruntled residents claiming they were unable to vote due to postal vote kits never arriving.
Friday 2pm: Should Queenslanders have an online voting option?
Angry ratepayer groups, former mayors and councillors have called for a parliamentary review into the local council election chaos which saw some waiting for up to three hours to vote, ballot papers running out and the disabled unable to get help.
Former Redland mayor and now Sunshine Coast based residents group OSCAR president Melva Hobson described what unfolded on the weekend as “inexcusable”, saying the Electoral Commission of Queensland needed to get it right in time for the state election in October.
Ms Hobson said the ECQ appeared to be underfunded, under-resourced and unprepared to provide proper staffing levels to cater for the numbers who voted on election day.
She expected OSCAR and the SEQ Community Alliance would be pushing for a full independent review and a parliamentary committee investigation. Ms Hobson also called for the establishment of electronic voting in Queensland to allow those who wanted to do it online.
Should there be an option to vote online? Have your say here
Meanwhile, Sunshine Coast television personality Rosanna Natoli is among the many mayors still waiting to declare victory.
She posted an update on social media saying she hoped to know more next week.
“On Tuesday, the Returning Officer will pick up the last postal votes, and they will be counted and added to the Unofficial Priminary Count. After that they will begin distributing preferences,’’ Mrs Natoli said.
“It is estimated that about 20 per cent to 25 per cent of voters will have allocated a preference, remembering that only if the voter has actually put a number ‘2’ in the square does the preference get allocated.
“If voters have just voted ‘1’, that vote is exhausted.
In her case, she said there were potential around 20,000 preferences to be allocated.
Mrs Natoli is just 6000 voters ahead of rival Ashley Robinson, so he would have to get a far bigger proportion of the preferences to overtake Mrs Natoli.
8am Wednesday: Deputy concedes defeat
Townsville’s Deputy Mayor Mark Molachino has conceded defeat in the Local Government Election for Division 4 to his challenger, independent candidate Kristian Price.
Mr Molachino is the second incumbent councillor and member of Team Jenny Hill to concede defeat, following Division 1’s Margie Ryder’s concession to Change’s Paul Jacob on Sunday.
At 7pm on Tuesday, Mr Molachino’s unofficial preliminary count sat at 4037 votes (45.91 per cent), trailing Mr Price who had 4757 votes (54.09 per cent) after 64 per cent of votes were counted.
In a post to social media on Tuesday, Mr Molachino shared a picture of his family on a boat out on the water, saying “my time as a councillor at Townsville City Council is done”.
6pm Tuesday: Who will be Cairns’ next deputy?
Votes are still being tallied in the local government elections but lobbying to determine who will be Cairns’ next deputy mayor has already started with contenders keenly working the phones in search of support over their rivals.
Popular Division 3 councillor Cathy Zeiger declared she’ll nominate for the role while current Unity deputy Brett Moller has yet to rule out running again.
4pm Tuesday: Hopeful’s disappearing act
Jason O’Pray has gone to ground after a decisive election defeat on the Sunshine Coast, with the leading contender uncontactable.
Mr O’Pray was a longstanding councillor on the Coast before he set his sights on the top job.
He was one of the favourites for the role totalling more than $92,000 in expenditure and gifts-in kind during his campaign, which included funding a massive billboard on the Bruce Highway.
9am Tuesday: Meet our new mayors
A former bankrupt, an alleged drink driver, a weather presenter who once played a witch, and a former neighbour of musician Keith Urban are among those expected to take their place as Queensland’s newest mayors.
While counting is still under way, and preferences are yet to be allocated in super close seats, there could be as many as 24 new mayors leading the government closest to the people.
FULL LIST
8pm Monday: Wait continues in north
The leading candidates for Townsville’s mayoralty are still refusing to concede defeat or declare victory as the Electoral Commission of Queensland warns that vote-counting could continue for at least another week.
An Electoral Commission of Queensland spokeswoman said in local government areas where preferential counting was the method, “a full preference count will be undertaken once all ballot papers are on hand after 26 March, which is the last day for receipt of outstanding postal ballots”.
3pm Monday: Council make-up unclear
The Bundaberg mayoral race may be decided, but the final make-up of the council Helen Blackburn will need to work with in implementing her reform agenda is still to be revealed as the vote counting continued.
With 72 per cent of the votes counted, Ms Blackburn’s vote count increased to 31,182 votes (58 per cent of the total votes) over the weekend, an insurmountable lead of more than 13,000 votes over Jack Dempsey.
1pm: ECQ blasted over long wait
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has blasted the Electoral Commission of Queensland over long polling booth waits and the slow speed of counting following Saturday’s election.
Mr Tate, who was re-elected to a fourth term in office, urged ECQ officials to speed up the count so new councillors could be sworn in before the end of March.
“I would hope we can do it before the end of next week so that we can have our first council meeting in mid-April and get the ball rolling,” he said.
11am: Claims made against voters
A Fraser Coast councillor has been left disgusted at a minority of voters at Glenwood, who he said made throat-slitting motions towards his young grandchildren as well as given them the finger “directly up in their faces”.
Phil Truscott, incumbent councillor in Division 2, spoke out about his experience in the wake of visiting the small country town during the council election on Saturday.
Mr Truscott looks set to reclaim his position, holding a solid lead over fellow candidate Giselle O’Keefe.
He had 2162 votes (59.2 per cent), while Ms O’Keefe has 1452 votes (40.1 per cent).
Ms O’Keefe is not accused of any wrongdoing.
9am: Race heats up in FNQ
Preliminary results on Monday morning showed Cairns mayoral hopeful Amy Eden still maintains the lead with 30.77 per cent of the primary vote.
Incumbent Terry James trails second at 23.98 per cent, while Paul Taylor is only just behind with 23.44 per cent of the tally.
More than 84,000 votes – about 72 per cent of enrolled electors – have been counted.
7am Monday: First female mayor
Sunshine Coast television personality Rosanna Natoli looks likely to be the first female mayor for the super sized Sunshine Coast council, following in the footsteps of former Maroochy mayor Alison Grosse.
Ms Natoli has extended her lead in the battle while her husband Joe has secured more than 50 per cent of the vote in his division.
Ms Natoli is leading popular community stalwart Ashley ‘Tugboat’ Robinson while Jason O’Pray has moved into third position on a much larger vote count.
On Sunday, Ms Natoli, a Seven Local News presenter, had secured more than 54,000 votes (27.31 per cent), while Mr Robinson had more than 48,000 votes (24.51 per cent).
4.23pm: Tate’s bold GC plans
A victorious Tom Tate has claimed a mandate to roll out a multi-billion dollar infrastructure agenda across the next four years and set the Gold Coast up for decades of prosperity.
The light rail Stage 4 extension from Burleigh Heads to the border, a boutique stadium, an expansion of the Home of the Arts (HOTA) and $1bn waste-to-energy facility will be at the top of the list after Mr Tate triumphed at Saturday’s election.
The incumbent won a fourth term in office after securing 51.64 per cent of the vote and more than 129,252 votes at the close of counting on Saturday night.
Meanwhile new Bundaberg mayor Helen Blackburn said she is “very humbled” after sweeping to victory.
3.20pm: Husband and wife near victory
Sunshine Coast television personality Rosanna Natoli has extended her lead in the battle to become the next mayor of the region while her husband Joe has secured more than 50 per cent of the vote in his division.
Ms Natoli is leading popular community stalwart Ashley ‘Tugboat’ Robinson while Jason O’Pray has moved into third position on a much larger vote count.
At 3.15pm on Sunday, Ms Natoli, a Seven News presenter, had secured more than 54,000 votes (27.31 per cent), while Mr Robinson had more than 48,000 votes (24.51 per cent).
Meanwhile Townsville leading mayoral candidate Troy Thompson said “it’s a little premature” to call the election and will wait for voting tallies to update before making a call.
2.52pm: Cairns, Bundaberg mayors near defeat
Incumbent Cairns mayor Terry James is yet to concede to Amy Eden, but it’s not looking good for the council stalwart.
“Based on the tally so far, if the trend remains, it looks like a hung council and a mayor with no power on the floor,” he said.
Meanwhile incumbent Bundaberg mayor Jack Dempsey has all but conceded defeat to his long-term nemesis Helen Blackburn in the 2024 mayoral election.
With 40 per cent of the votes counted, Mr Dempsey trailed Ms Blackburn by an insurmountable 9000 votes.
Ms Blackburn received 17,741 votes, 59 per cent of the votes counted, followed by Mr Dempsey on 8931 votes (30 per cent).
1.15pm: Townsville bid heats up
While it is a close call as to who will be running for mayor, Troy Thompson is still leading in the preliminary count against Jenny Hill for the mayorship of Townsville.
There have been a few shocks at the polls, including the closeness of the count between the two leading mayoral candidates.
Meanwhile the scales could go either way for the Livingstone Shire Council mayor with current deputy mayor Adam Belot slightly in the lead ahead of standing mayor Andrew Ireland.
As of 12pm, 80.64 votes had been counted.
Meanwhile popular Gladstone Regional Council mayor Matt Burnett and Banana Shire Council mayor Nev Ferrier will stay for another term, remaining uncontested.
12.45pm: ‘We need a woman’
Sunshine Coast residents have voted for a massive change and most have clearly signalled they want a woman to be the next mayor.
Veteran television presenter Rosanna Natoli said she had received feedback from voters who wanted to see a woman take the top job.
“I had voters coming up to me and say ‘we need a woman’,” Mrs Natoli said.
“There was a really strong feeling for a different style of leadership.”
First-time mayoral campaigner Mim Swan also saw evidence of that sentiment in the community on election day.
“The voters really wanted to see change, that was very obvious,” she said.
12pm: Savage swing in Bundaberg
Bundaberg voters look to have delivered a stinging rebuke to the previous council with two-term mayor Jack Dempsey and other incumbent councillors trailing their challengers in the 2024 council election.
With 33 per cent of the votes counted, Mr Dempsey trailed his long-term nemesis Helen Blackburn by nearly 7000 votes.
Ms Blackburn received 14381 votes, 58 per cent of the votes counted, followed by Mr Dempsey on 7520 votes (30 per cent).
Meanwhile Ayr tourist agent Pierina Dalle Cort has claimed victory over Lyn McLaughlin to become the new mayor of Burdekin Shire.
10.45am: Rocky, Toowoomba mayors win again
Voting has begun again for the 2024 local government elections and incumbent mayor of Rockhampton Regional Council Tony Williams has been declared as the winner, while the Livingstone mayoral race looks to be a close call.
As of Sunday morning, 79 per cent of the mayoral votes had been counted with Tony Williams in front with 67.88 per cent of the votes.
Meanwhile Geoff McDonald will be the mayor of the Toowoomba region for another four years after taking more than 80 per cent of the vote in the mayoral race.
10am: Counting resumes, Cairns shock on cards
With just 40 per cent of votes counted Amy Eden has firmed as the leader in the race for mayor as we wait for counting to resume on Sunday morning.
Ms Eden holds 32.09 per cent of the votes counted, with a total 14,270 so far.
Behind Ms Eden is incumbent Mayor Terry James with 22.63 per cent or 10,063 votes, with the gap between Mr James and Paul Taylor closing.
Mr Taylor holds 21.34 per cent of the votes counted so far.
9am Sunday: Sunshine Coast council could have husband and wife team
The Sunshine Coast’s new council could have a husband and wife combination with television personality Rosanna Natoli leading the race to become the next mayor.
Ms Natoli was buoyant but nervous on Saturday night as she faced an up and down battle with community stalwart and local rugby league and surf club identity Ashley ‘Tugboat’ Robinson.
“I’m very nervous at the moment because we’re going up and down, I’ve still got a lead, but it’s you know very close,” Mrs Natoli said.
“I’m just ahead, but it’s very nerve-racking and I am just waiting to see booth by booth.
“If it’s this close, we’ll be waiting for all those votes to come in.”
But later on Ms Natoli, a Seven News presenter, secured almost 49,000 votes (27 per cent), while Mr Robison had more than 44,000 votes (24.61 per cent). Jason O’Pray, a councillor of 12 years experience, had more than 39,000 votes (21.64 per cent), while businesswoman Min Swan was on more than 28,000 votes or just over 16.5 per cent.
Preferences will be crucial in the battle with Ms Natoli and Mr Robinson urging their votes to give their second preference to each other.
Ms Natoli’s husband, a current councillor, is leading his vote in division four with more than 50 per cent support
10.52pm: Coast fight rages on
The Sunshine Coast mayoral race continues to be a close battle, as Noosa candidate Frank Wilkie continues to hold a lead in the northern shire and division seat tallies begin to trickle in.
In division 7, Ted Hungerford has taken a decisive lead with 57 per cent of the votes, compared to 18 per cent for Queensland Greens candidate Deborah Moseley while Ken Mackenzie is on 18.52 per cent.
Animal Justice Party candidate had 5.7 per cent.
10.28pm: Mitchell takes top job
Redland City Council has a new leader with former police prosecutor and art lover Jos Mitchell stepping into the void left by retiring mayor Karen Williams.
Ms Mitchell was rocketed into the top seat after her opponent, the former federal MP Andrew Laming, conceded defeat.
“I am extremely happy and grateful of the outcome but I am very much hoping that other members of my team will get across the line,” Ms Mitchell said.
“I will be pushing forward with my agenda and will work with the community but I am concerned about having an ineffective council.”
Mr Laming said he had entered the three-candidate race at the last minute and although he had hoped to win was not able to get across the line.
“Congratulations to Jos Mitchell who will be Redlands’ next mayor,” Mr Laming said.
Meanwhile Townsville mayor Jenny Hill looks to be fighting for her job as she trails behind former One Nation candidate Troy Thompson, who is leading by about 1500 votes.
10.15pm: Ipswich mayor calls victory
Incumbent Mayor Teresa Harding has called the mayoralty of Ipswich for herself, thanking her supporters and volunteers for the campaign.
Harding said the results from her scrutineers show her closest competitor, David Martin, has too few primary votes.
The mayor said most voters opted to not put forward a preference vote, however those who did favoured her.
“Ipswich has responded loudly that residents want a strong leader that they know they can trust,” Mrs Harding said.
“I’m very humbled and grateful to the community and to the over 200 volunteers who have helped us to have a really positive campaign for sustainable growth for Ipswich”.
Official results from the ECQ are still forthcoming.
9.56pm: Changes loom at Scenic Rim
Scenic Rim mayor Greg Christensen looks shaky at making a third term.
With 21.75 per cent of the vote counted, Mr Christensen had 20.46 per cent, trailing Tom Sharpe on 45.57 per cent and Jeffrey McConnell on 33.98 per cent.
Mr Christensen was at the helm when his council faced massive flooding and devastation this year and bushfires in 2022 and 2023.
9.46pm: ‘Have they gone to bed?’
Former Caloundra City councillor Andrew Champion blasted the slow results.
“The electoral commission has disgraced itself,’’ Mr Champion said.
“At 9.30pm just 6.7 per cent of 261,000 votes counted. Other council figures are around 50 per cent.
“Disgraceful logistical stuff up … No updates for an hour. Have they gone to bed.
“Just 16,404 formal votes counted and unofficially reported.
“No large coastal booths reported by returning officers.”
9.31pm: New faces set for Coast
Naomi Fowler is on course to become one of the Gold Coast’s new city councillors.
Ms Fowler who ran the longest campaign, it stretched for 300 days, was an outstanding leader on the early count in Division 2.
At 9.14pm, she had secured 71.32 per cent of the vote. Booths at Helensvale north and Studio Village had been counted.
The other candidate, chaplain Ben Findlay, had almost 29 per cent of the vote.
Meanwhile the shock result in the Gold Coast election is the slow start to the count for sitting southern councillor Gail O’Neill, trailing her main rival.
Just after 9pm, with counts being put up in four booths – Kirra, Currumbin Waters, Tallebudgera Valley and Currumbin Valley – Cr O’Neill was behind on the primary vote.
9.21pm: Ipswich race heats up
The mayoralty race in Ipswich is heating up with incumbent mayor Teresa Harding taking a strong early lead.
With 15 per cent of the vote counted, Teresa Harding has recorded 47.66 per cent of the count.
Her next closest contender is David Martin with 31.54 per cent of the vote.
Current councillor Sheila Ireland has pulled ahead of Peter Robinson for third, but remains on a single figure percentage.
Earlier this morning, Mrs Harding said early feedback from voters was that they did not want to return to “the dark old days of corruption and dodgy deals” of the pre-pandemic council.
Meanwhile, David Martin, who was also on the campaign trail this morning, refused to talk to media.
9.17pm: Toowoomba hopeful’s aims
Mayor Geoff McDonald has revealed his actions for the first 100 days if he’s re-elected, after establishing a mammoth lead over his only challenger in the Toowoomba mayoral election race.
Mr McDonald, who took over the role from the retiring Paul Antonio last year, looks set to win his first mayoral contest.
With more than 55,000 votes counted, he holds an 81-19 lead over Oakey man Douglas Doelle, who nominated at the last minute and spent little on advertising.
While the race has not been called by the ECQ, Mr McDonald said he was confident he would return as mayor.
“The first 100 days are all about making sure we can bring everyone up to speed so we can deliver a budget,” he said.
In the Southern Downs, there is not much separating incumbent Vic Pennisi and challenger Melissa Hamilton.
Mr Pennisi is now up 44-41 after 13,000 votes have been counted.
The preferences of third-place contender Lindsay Goodwin (14 per cent) might play a huge role in the outcome.
9.10pm: Former league star’s lead
Former rugby league player Steve ‘Jacko’ Jackson has edged Greg Williamson out of the leading position in the Mackay mayor race.
“It’s exciting news,” Mr Jackson said with a small smile.
“I’m getting a lot of phone calls and support from friends.”
However, Jacko tempered his optimism with caution, likening his lead to an experience he had playing rugby, where a game was stolen in the last minute by a member of the opposing team taking the ball and running the entire length of the field.
8:55pm: Tate secures mayor role
An elated Tom Tate has declared victory after being re-elected to a record fourth-term in office as Gold Coast mayor.
Mr Tate arrived at his victory celebrations at Southport Bowls Club at 8.15pm to the strains of the Shannon Noll track Shine where he received a rock star welcome from supporters.
Among those who attended the party were staff and friends, his former chief of staff Wayne Moran, former Gold Coast Tourism boss Paul Donovan and events boss Billy Cross.
8:52pm: TV star leads the way
Sunshine Coast television personality Rosanna Natoli has taken an early lead in the race to become the next mayor.
But she’s facing a close battle with popular community stalwart Ashley ‘Tugboat’ Robinson who is only a few hundred votes behind with almost 6 per cent of the votes counted.
Ms Natoli, a Seven News presenter and wife of sitting councillor Joe Natoli, had more than 4300 votes – or just over 26 per cent of the vote while Mr Robinson had more than 4132 votes or 25 per cent.
Jason O’Pray, a councillor of 12 years experience, had 18.5 per cent of the vote while businesswoman Minn Swann was on more than 2800 votes or just over 17 per cent.
Hinterland candidate Wayne Parcell was on 8.2 per cent of the vote while Michael Burgess, who ran a very low profile social media only campaign was on 4.32 per cent.
8:46pm: Veteran holds her seat
Long-serving Logan councillor Lisa Bradley has been returned comfortably for her fourth term edging out Alex Fisher and Peta Duffy.
With 20.19 per cent of the vote counted, Cr Bradley, was a surprise winner after announcing she was not going to run a year ago.
In Redland, controversial councillor Adelia Berridge was looking doubtful of retaining her Division 9 seat with 39.12 per cent of the vote while newcomer Jason Colley was holding 60.88 per cent of the vote with 14.03 per cent of the division’s ballot counted.
Meanwhile the comeback performance of former Redland councillor Murray Elliott is taking a blow with the incumbent Rowanne McKenzie looking like she is going to be returned as she holds 53.02 per cent of the vote with 9.1 per cent of the vote counted.
Mr Elliott has 39.79 per cent of the vote while the youngest candidate running in the election in Redland Meisha Read had 7.19 per cent of the vote.
Mr Elliott made headlines this week when he was at a Capalaba booth when the elderly mother of mayoral candidate Andrew Laming fell out of a chair.
Ms McKenzie, who has served her first term, had to fend off parliamentary claims that she was behind a fake Facebook page.
8.35pm: Townsville close call, but not GC
More than 15,000 votes have been counted and it is showing that the mayoral race is more competitive than one would have first thought.
Troy Thompson has 47 per cent of the preliminary vote while Jenny Hill sits back at 42 per cent.
Harry Patel has 11 per cent.
Meanwhile Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate is tracking to win with more than 50 per cent of primary vote, on the early counting.
At 8.30pm with almost 10 per cent of the vote counted, he had secured 50.59 per cent of the vote.
If this trend continues, the mayoral race will not be decided by preferences.
His closest rival, Eddy Sarroff, was on 19.51 per cent.
Scrutineers indicate at the Robina booth, Mr Tate has received 1574 votes. Mr Sarroff only had 488 votes.
8.26pm: Parking issue a hot topic
Residents of one of the lowest socio-economic electorates in the state, that of the southern Moreton Bay islands, hope that their next councillor will act to sort out parking at the local ferry terminal after the previous councillor Mark Edwards decided not to recontest.
With 16.12 per cent of the 13,121 votes counted, the island archipelago was likely to have a new councillor in Shane Rendalls after the incumbent Mark Edwards bowed out.
His opposition Hilton Travis was trailing with 33.03 per cent.
8.11pm: Chase for Mackay mayor job
Greg Williamson had a slight edge over Steve ‘Jacko’ Jackson in the unofficial preliminary count with 40.43 per cent compared to 39.97 per cent, with 13,879 votes counted out of a total 88,861 enrolment.
Polling booths were shut at 6pm with Mr Bonaventura and Mr Jackson putting on yellow vests to scrutineer the count of more than 34,000 early votes cast at Mackay Showground’s 500 Pavilion.
In Bundaberg mayoral challenger Helen Blackburn has taken an early lead over incumbent Jack Dempsey. With 2.31 per cent of the votes counted, Ms Blackburn has received 2697 votes (59.4 per cent), followed by Mr Dempsey on 1302 votes (28.7 per cent).
8pm: Battle for Sunny Coast, Noosa
In Noosa, Frank Wilkie maintains command of the count with 45.83 per cent of the vote (1964 votes), ahead of Ingrid Jackson with 24.01 per cent.
Elsewhere on the Sunshine Coast Ashley Robinson has edged into the lead of the mayoral race with 28.30 per cent of the vote (692 votes), ahead of Rosanna Natoli with 26.42 per cent of the vote (646 votes).
Meanwhile one of the major battles in Redland is taking place in Division 4, where the incumbent, Lance Hewlett, is up against a former ring card girl Angel Crowden who is streaking ahead with 59.95 per cent of the vote with 3.38 per cent of the 11,894 vote counted.
Cr Hewlett, who is the brother-in-law of Peter Dowling, a former state LNP MP, is holding with 40.05 per cent.
With 2.42 per cent of the 120,220 votes counted in the Redland mayoral race, Jos Mitchell remains ahead with 54.28 per cent of the vote, in front of Andrew Laming on 26.38 per cent of the vote and Cindy Corrie with 19.34 per cent of the vote.
7.53pm: Narrow race in FNQ
It’s a close race in Yarrabah but initial results show Daryl Sexton pushing ahead as the likely mayor.
He held 39 per cent of votes after a quarter of ballots were counted. Incumbent Ross Andrews was in second place at 33 per cent and Percy (Nulsa) Neal had about 27 per cent.
At a 42 per cent count Barbara Bandicootcha was leading the mayoral race in Aurukun Shire with 42 per cent of votes. Current mayor Keri Tamwoy was on 34 per cent while Dereck Walpo had 24 per cent.
7.38pm: Former councillor surges
The early vote count in Logan City shows former councillor Jon Raven well ahead with 48.54 per cent of the 1197 votes counted.
He leads Brett Raguse who has 35.06 per cent of the vote with Jim Reid trailing on 16.41 per cent.
7.29pm: Incumbent leads on Gold Coast
The first votes have been counted in the Gold Coast City Council election with Mayor Tom Tate well ahead.
At 7.15pm, Mr Tate had secured 46 per cent of the vote with 1647 votes counted.
Eddy Sarroff was a distant second on 18.9 per cent. Jennifer Horsburgh of the Animal Justice Party was on 8.9 per cent.
In the north, the Bulletin has been told with 500 votes counted, Mr Sarroff only has two votes. The Mayor has about 300 votes. Mr Sarroff was unable to secure volunteers for northern booths.
Experienced green leaning councillor Peter Young has a commanding early lead in Nerang-Pacific Pines.
Early counting at 7.20pm shows Mr Young has secured more than 73 per cent of the vote.
His two opponents, Martin Vincent and Katherine Brooke are each recording about 12 per of the vote.
7.15pm: Upset on the cards in north
A potential upset is looming in southern Cape York with Indigenous ranger Alister Gibson leading incumbent Bradley Creek in Wujal Wujal.
Mr Creek led residents through its evacuation just before Christmas after the community was devastated by the flood that followed ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
With 25 per cent of ballots counted, Mr Creek has 45 per cent to Mr Gibson’s 55 per cent. Almost of Wujal Wujal’s resident are still living outside the township.
7pm: Early results start to emerge
The first results from the mayoral race in Toowoomba have been revealed, with Geoff McDonald enjoying an 86-14 lead over challenger Douglas Doelle.
In the mayoral races in the Southern Downs and Lockyer Valley, challenger Melissa Hamilton is coming first after 2500 votes counted, polling at 42 per cent ahead of incumbent Vic Pennisi on 39 per cent.
Lindsay Goodwin is on 17 per cent.
In the Lockyer Valley, incumbent Tanya Milligan is polling strongly early with 48 per cent of the vote, ahead of other candidates Maree Rosier (26 per cent) and Kyle Burnett (25 per cent).
Meanwhile at the close of polls and with only 646 votes counted in the Redland mayoral race, Jos Mitchell was leading with 69 per cent of the primary vote with her opponent Cindy Corrie was in second place with 16 per cent and former federal MP Andrew Laming trailing on 14 per cent.
6.42pm: Ballot papers run out, booths open
Electoral Commissioner of Queensland Pat Vidgen said there were “a few booths” where ballots ran out, including some in Cairns and the Sunshine Coast which sparked anger.
Mr Vidgen said it was not an unusual event to run low or run out of ballots in local government elections.
He said the ballot papers that “ran low” were for those who were not casting their vote inside their local division area.
“There were places that ran low of ballots but that is fairly usual in local government elections and they were quickly replenished,” Mr Vidgen said.
“We did keep booths open for those who were already in queues at 6pm.
“That is standard practice so we can complete the process.”
The ECQ confirmed anyone in a queue at 6pm will still be able to vote.
The Gold Coast was reportedly “particularly busy” as was the Sunshine Coast and select polling booths in Brisbane.
The ECQ again defended staff levels, blaming lengthy wait times on natural peaks expected on election day.
On the Sunshine Coast a mayoral candidate lashed out amid reports several polling booths ran out of ballot papers before voting closed, leaving residents who had lined up angry.
Buddina resident and election volunteer Brent Hall said that voters at the polling booth at Siena Catholic College were told by the Electoral Commission of Queensland representatives they had run out of ballot papers.
5.59pm: ECQ vows to review wait times
The Electoral Commission of Queensland said it was aware of longer waiting times at polling booths including Mabel Park.
The commission said queuing times at polling booths varied depending on the booth and time of day, with most times reported to be 15 minutes or less.
ECQ said it had more than 7000 staff working at over 1000 polling booths across Queensland on election day.
“The ECQ has received very few reports from Returning Officers about issues at booths,” the commission said as booths shut at 6pm.
“The ECQ will be reviewing data and turnout numbers from today to inform planning for election day for the State general election in October.”
More than 1.1 million early votes were cast at 160 early voting centres across the state over the past two weeks and more than 440,000 postal ballots were sent out.
5.40pm: ECQ goes into damage control
ECQ has gone into damage control and allowed polling booths that are under stress to keep operating after the 6pm deadline.
Booths in Logan, including Mabel Park State High School, will remain open past 6pm until all voters in the queue have cast their vote.
However, ECQ said the doors of polling stations would shut at 6pm sharp and the time extension only applied to voters who had been lining up in the queue.
5.30pm: ‘Frustration’ as polling wraps up in Toowoomba
Likely Toowoomba mayoral winner Geoff McDonald has raised concerns about the electoral commission’s resources after long lines and delays plagued the city’s voting day.
There were long lines to vote by midmorning at large voting centres in Harristown and Darling Heights, with the latter seeing queues stretching more than 20m out to the street that continued throughout the day.
Mr McDonald called the long queues a “frustration” while noting the council’s preference to run the entire election by postal votes.
“The only frustrations have been the lines and delays to vote, so the last hour will be a rush for the ECQ to get through,” he said.
“Perhaps it was under-resourced, but there are certainly learnings at every election.
“People kept saying today this should be done with a postal vote, that’s something council has submitted over the past two elections so maybe it’s worth looking at again.”
4.50pm: ‘Stuff waiting in that line’
Community members on social media vented frustration at lengthy queues across Brisbane polling booths, many saying they were stuck in line for upwards of 45 minutes.
Courier-Mail readers hit out at the Queensland Electoral Commission saying the lines were too long and that there were not enough volunteers.
“I heard there was definitely not enough people taking the votes, electoral commission not to put more people on the next, cheapskates,” Greg said.
“Not the biggest line-up but still over 30 mins thanks to only two polling officers,” Matt said.
“Line up wasn’t that big but took nearly 40 minutes and then the line was double when I left,” David said.
“Hence why I pre-vote, stuff waiting in that line,” Christine said.
Lines at north Brisbane booths at Wilston and Windsor state schools stretched for more than 45 minutes, while neighbouring Stafford State School had only a two-minute wait.
Stephen Beckett took to social media to express his displeasure.
“Absolute joke. I gave up at Morningside State School as the line was hardly moving. … People were pretty cranky. It’s a fixed term. Hardly like the election was sprung on them.”
Meanwhile in Logan, with less than an hour to go before polls shut, hundreds of voters were subjected to long queues and waiting times of up to two hours after a late afternoon voting surge.
More than 150 people spent hours slowly shuffling into the polling station at Mabel Park State High School.
Voters were seen taking selfies of themselves in the queue as evidence of the prohibitive waiting times before turning and walking away without voting.
Logan mayoral candidate Jim Reid said a lack of Electoral Commission of Queensland staff was to blame.
“One voter stormed past me and said he wasn’t going to wait any more and took photographic evidence if he had to defend himself if he was fined,’ Mr Reid said.
“This is not democracy if people can’t even get to cast their votes.”
Mr Reid said his volunteers had reported booths at Springwood had run out of ballot papers after lunch.
ECQ was unable to confirm which booths had ballot shortages.
4pm: ‘Go home and cop the fine’
Residents on the Sunshine Coast appeared to cop the worst of the long lines.
Two Mooloolaba residents Natty and Andy Taylor waited more than 40 minutes to vote between two trips to the polling booth.
Meanwhile it was a similar story in Toowoomba and other regions, with the Gold Coast also featuring long lines – and wet weather – as some polling booths used in state and national elections not operating.
Some people voting at polling booths across Brisbane told of wait time of up to 45 minutes, with reports of a lack of Electoral Commission staff contributing to the delays.
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