2024 election: New Cassowary Coast, Mareeba shire councils revealed

Official results for two Far North Queensland councils have been declared while two Cairns councillors have also been confirmed. Here’s the latest on the election.

Annabel Bowles

2 min read

March 24, 2024 - 7:08PM

The Cairns Post

The Electoral Commission of Queensland is continuing to tally votes in most of the sate’s 77 local government elections. PICTURE: MATT TAYLOR.

Cairns

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Swearing in ceremonies will be held for two new Far North councils this week while other regions are still waiting for votes to be counted nine days on from local government elections.

The Cassowary Coast has its first female mayor in history after former councillor Teresa Millwood pulled off a significant majority against incumbent Mark Nolan.

However the rest of the council looks similar to the last after three councillors in divisions 4, 5 and 6 were re-elected unopposed.

Division 3’s Trudy Tschui also kept her seat.

Ms Millwood told the Cairns Post she was eager to “bring back community pride” and staff morale.

Teresa Millwood has been declared the first female mayor of the Cassowary Coast Regional Council. Picture: Supplied

“In my campaign I said I wanted to fix all the broken things — the infrastructure, roads, drainage and Port Hinchinbrook,” she said.

Angela Toppin will take on her second term as Mareeba Shire mayor and third term in council after her mayoralty went uncontested in the local government election.

Across the shire’s six councillors, three are new elects while three have been re-elected.

In Cairns Regional Council only one councillor has been declared victorious aside from Division 1’s Brett Moller, who ran uncontested.

Independent councillor for Division 3 Cathy Zeiger has been re-elected on an overwhelming majority. Picture: Brendan Radke

Division 3 councillor Cathy Zeiger gained an enormous 70 per cent of the tally in the three-person race for her southside patch, making her re-election certain even as votes were still being counted.

She said the gaining a third term with an overwhelming majority of the community’s support was humbling.

“I love to engage with people, I’m task-driven and to see the positive result makes me feel good,” she said.

“I can see I am engaging positively and it just encourages me to go forward and keep going.”

Ms Zeiger said she was ready to push the next council to get back to the basics like footpaths and playgrounds, as well as help advocate for more water infrastructure funding.

“We are not spending enough money in the suburbs and I’ve been screaming about that for years,” she said.

“There is $1m in the budget for footpaths and they cost $400 per square metre to build, so that’s just over 2km of new footpaths each year. There’s only $500,000 for playgrounds.”

The Electoral Commission of Queensland is continuing to count votes in other Far North Queensland council elections, with postal votes accepted until March 26.

Polling in the Torres Strait Island Regional Council was extended by a week due to severe weather.