Cr Peter Sheedy determined to keep Mackay divisions debate alive despite survey, council motion results

While a vote put a call for divisions to bed, one councillor insists the debate is “far from over” with his sights set on an upcoming by-election.

Cr Peter Sheedy said “there was more than one way of skinning a cat” after a divisions debate was put to bed during the last council meeting. Picture Heidi Petith

A Mackay councillor has eyed off an upcoming by-election to reignite a vote for divisions saying the debate was far from over despite a poor response from voters.

It comes after it was revealed that only 870 people out of 90,000 eligible voters in the Mackay region voted on a four week consultation asking residents if they wanted the Mackay Regional Council to return to a divisional electorate.

Deputy mayor Karen May noted that while 87 per cent of respondents were in favour of divisions, almost a quarter of them came from either Sarina and Midge Point.

But Cr Peter Sheedy, who was one of five councillors including Cr Alison Jones, Cr Ash-Lee Johnson, Cr Namarca Corowa and Cr Nathenea MacRae who voted to continue with the next stage of consultation, said the decision at that meeting was not a “clear cut view of community expectations”.

Cr Alison Jones put forward the motion to allow Mackay residents to have their say on whether they support transitioning from an undivided to a divided electoral council during the March ordinary council meeting. Photo: Luke Lay

“I have to acknowledge that that’s the current view of the council but given that it got through on a casting vote, even though that sample was small, it was overwhelmingly in favour of going divisional,” he said.

“We’ve got a by-election coming up where every voter is going to be able to vote on it.

“If we can apply ourselves to the opportunity that raises, we’ve got a really outstanding opportunity to get a better sample.”

A new councillor is expected to be sworn in within the next six to eight weeks after the resignation of former Cr George Christensen sparking a costly $700,000 bi-election.

It will be the fourth time “voter fatigued” residents will have to fill out their ballot papers in 12 months, though Cr Sheedy said it presented an opportunity if opinion supported it.

Gina Passfield from the Midge Point Progress Association who were formative in pushing for electoral divisions. Photo: Supplied

“There’s also more than one way of skinning a cat,” he said.

“In a matter of whatever way it takes to prepare for a bi-election, I’m sure we can provide an opportunity to put information out for people to respond to.”

During the last council meeting in which Mayor Greg Williamson used his casting vote to knock the debate down, Cr Williamson said “point seven per cent of the population does not signify a groundswell”.

He also revealed that 23,000 people viewed the documentation on the website, with the council receiving 6,000 email contacts.

Mackay Regional Council was contacted for comment.

Originally published as Cr Peter Sheedy determined to keep Mackay divisions debate alive despite survey, council motion results