Eight nominations for vacant Councillor position

Eight nominations were received by the close of business Monday 4 December for the vacant Division 4 Councillor position on Cairns Regional Council.

Council CEO Mica Martin said Council officers were going through the process to ensure nominees are qualified to be appointed in accordance with requirements under the Local Government Act 2009 (LGA).

“Once qualified nominees are verified, a report will be compiled and tabled at the next Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday 13 December,” she said.

“The report will identify the names of all nominees qualified to be a Councillor and include a copy of their candidate statement.”

The vacant Division 4 Councillor position will be appointed by the following method:

The Mayor will chair the meeting.The report before the meeting will identify the names of all nominees qualified to be a Councillor, including their candidate statement of selection.The Chair will call to suspend standing orders to allow more than one motion on the table.The Chair will call for a mover for a proposed nominee from the list to be appointed to the position of Division 4 Councillor.If there is a seconder, the nomination will lay on the table.Repeat until there are no more valid nominations.Offer each nominee the chance to speak for two (2) minutes.The Chair will then put to a vote the first nomination in the ordinary (and open) manner, as prescribed by section 254 of the Local Government Regulation 2012 (the Regulation) and Council’s Standing Orders. If a majority of Councillors vote to appoint the first nominee as Division 4 Councillor, that is the end of the Councillor appointment process.If the first nominee does not secure the majority support of Councillors, the motion to appoint the first nominee fails and the Chair then calls for a vote for the next nomination.The process will, if necessary, repeat itself until a nominee receives a majority of the vote of Councillors.Once a nominee has the majority vote, the Chair will ask the remaining nominees if they want to continue to call the vote.Each Councillor has only one vote.Once a majority of Councillors vote to appoint a Division 4 Councillor, that is the end of the Councillor appointment process.

Following their appointment by Council, the CEO will then swear in a new Councillor.

Council is following the requirements under the LGA to fill the vacant Councillor position for the remainder of the term.

The position became vacant following the resignation of former Mayor Bob Manning in November this year.

At the Ordinary Council Meeting on 22 November 2023, Cr Terry James, the former Deputy Mayor and Division 4 Councillor was appointed Mayor of the Cairns Regional Council, followed by the appointment of Cr Brett Moller as Council’s new Deputy Mayor.

Under the LGA there is no requirement to hold an election to fill the vacant office of Councillor as the vacancy is now too close (within 12 months) to the next quadrennial local government election, set for 16 March 2024.