Cairns Region

Cairns Region Queensland
Location within Queensland, 2013, prior to de-amalgamation of Shire of Douglas
Population	165,525 (2018)[1] (38th)
• Density	98.002/km2 (253.82/sq mi)
Established	2008
Area	1,689 km2 (652.1 sq mi)[1]
Mayor	Bob Manning
Council seat	Cairns City
Region	Far North Queensland
State electorate(s)	Barron River, Cairns, Cook, Mulgrave
Federal division(s)	Leichhardt
Website	Cairns Region
LGAs around Cairns Region: Mareeba Wujal Wujal Shire of Douglas Coral Sea Mareeba Cairns Region Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Tablelands Cassowary Coast Coral Sea

The Cairns Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, centred on the regional centre of Cairns. It was established in 2008 by the amalgamation of the City of Cairns and the Shire of Douglas. However, following public protest and a referendum in 2013, on 1 January 2014, the Shire of Douglas was separated from the Cairns Region and re-established as a local government authority.

The Cairns Regional Council has an estimated operating budget of A$300 million.

History[]

Yidinji (also known as Yidinj, Yidiny, and Idindji) is an Australian Aboriginal language and a traditional Indigenous country. Its traditional language region is within the local government areas of Cairns Region and Tablelands Region, in such localities as Cairns City (CBD), Gordonvale, and the Mulgrave River, and the southern part of the Atherton Tableland including Atherton and Kairi.^[2]

Tjapukai (also known as Djabuganydji, Djabugay, and Djabuganydji) is the traditional Aboriginal country and language north of the Barron River in the Cairns Region, with the traditional group extending west towards Mareeba and north towards Douglas Shire and Port Douglas.^[3]

Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the new Cairns Region consisted the entire area of three previous local government areas:

• the City of Cairns;
• the Shire of Douglas;
• and the Shire of Mulgrave.

The City, which for most of its existence covered only the central business district and inner suburbs of Cairns, had its beginning in the Borough of Cairns which was proclaimed on 28 May 1885 under the Local Government Act 1878.^[4] With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, it became a Town on 31 March 1903 and was proclaimed a City on 12 October 1923.^[5]

The Shire of Mulgrave had its origins in the Cairns Division, one of Queensland's 74 divisions created under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 on 11 November 1879. The Douglas Division was created on 3 June 1880. They became the Shire of Cairns and the Shire of Douglas on 31 March 1903. On 20 December 1919, it grew to include some territory from the abolished Shire of Barron, and on 16 November 1940, the shire was renamed Mulgrave.

On 21 November 1991, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Cairns area be rationalised, and that the Shire be dissolved and amalgamated with the City of Cairns. The Local Government (Cairns, Douglas, Mareeba and Mulgrave) Regulation 1994 was gazetted on 16 December 1994. On 22 March 1995, the Shire was abolished and became part of the new City of Cairns.

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Cairns amalgamate with the Shire of Douglas, and that the new Cairns Regional Council be undivided with 10 councillors and a mayor.^[6] On 15 March 2008, the City and Shire formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.

In 2012, a proposal was made to de-amalgamate the Shire of Douglas from the Cairns Region.^[7] On 9 March 2013, the citizens of the former Douglas shire voted in a referendum to de-amalgamate.^[8] The shire was re-established on 1 January 2014.^[9][10]

Wards[]

The Region is divided into nine divisions, each of whom elects one councillor to the Cairns Regional Council. The mayor is elected by the entire region.

Division 1 covers the southern districts which were part of the Shire of Mulgrave prior to 1995. At the time of the 2008 amalgamation, Division 10 contained all of the former Shire of Douglas.

Towns and localities[]

The Cairns Region includes the following settlements:

¹ – shared with Cassowary Coast Region
² – shared with Cassowary Coast Region and Tablelands Region

Libraries[]

The Cairns Regional Council operate public libraries at Babinda, Cairns City, Earlville, Edmonton, Gordonvale, Manunda, Smithfield and Stratford.^[11]

Population[]

The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The next census is due in 2021.

The only census in which the Cairns Region included the Douglas Shire was conducted in 2011.

Mayors[]

Council members[]

The working logo of the Council (2008)

The Council members elected in 2020 were:^[16]

The Council members elected in 2016 were:^[17]

The Council members elected in 2012 were:^[18]

On 1 January 2014, Julia Leu ceased to be a Councillor upon the de-amalgamation of the Shire of Douglas.

On 31 January 2015, Rob Pyne was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland and resigned as a Councillor. Cathy Zeiger was appointed on 12 March 2015 to replace Rob Pyne by a panel comprising Mayor Bob Manning and former Councillors Fran Lindsay and Jeff Pezzutti.^[19]

The Council members elected in 2008 were: ^[20]

References[]

External links[]

• Cairns Regional Council

Coordinates: 16°55′24″S 145°46′26″E / 16.92333°S 145.77389°E / -16.92333; 145.77389