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Who is the New Mayor of Cairns?
Amy Eden was elected as the Mayor of Cairns at the local government elections held in March 2024. At the head of “Team Eden” she outpolled her opponents, becoming the second female ever elected to the position.
Terry James Cairns
Following the resignation of Bob Manning in 2023, the position of mayor needed to be filled.
At the Ordinary Meeting on Wednesday 22 November 2023, a majority of Councillors (5-4) voted to elect Cr Terry James as the city’s 35th Mayor. Mayor James served in the position until the local government elections held in March 2024.
Amy Eden Cairns Mayor
Amy Eden was well recognised for her leadership and commitment to the community. She has won the Australian Institute of Management Cairns Community Leader (2017) award, the Cairns Business Women’s Club Volunteer of the Year (2017) award and was a finalist of Cairns Regional Council’s 2019 Citizen of the Year awards.
Committed to working in the community, Amy Eden has volunteered countless hours to establish and support the Manoora Community Garden (view Amy’s TEDx talk) and the positive movement project, 3MPride.
Cairns Mayor Salary
The salary for the Mayor is $183,143 per year. This is the base salary (excluding any car allowance, etc). In Queensland, Mayors are elected for a 4 year term.
Cairns Mayor Candidates 2024
There were a number of candidates for the position, including Dennis Walls from the Community First Team, Amy Eden from Team Eden, Terry James from the Conservative Unity team and Independent Paul Taylor.
Cairns Mayor Election
The Mayor of Cairns is elected for a 4 year term. The next local government elections will be held in March 2028.
Cairns Mayor Election Result
Amy Eden was elected Mayor in 2024 with 30.7 per cent of the primary vote.
Cairns Councillors
One Councillor is elected for each of the nine divisions that constitute Cairns Regional Council. However, the Mayor is elected by the vote of the whole region.
Cairns Councillors serving on the current council were elected in 2024 and will face reelection in March 2028.
Cairns Regional Council
The following map shows the nine electoral divisions that make up the Cairns Regional Council area.
Mayors of Cairns
Cairns Regional Council has had the following Mayors:
Val Schier: April 2008 – 28 April 2012
Bob Manning: 28 April 2012 – 17 November 2023
Terry James: 22 November 2023 – present (unelected)
Cairns Unity
The Cairns Unity team is an incorporated body that runs a group of candidates for election in Cairns local government elections. It is a Conservative grouping.