Regional Queensland Mayors Face Tough Battle in Local Government Elections

A mood for change has swept through regional Queensland, with voters punishing several incumbent mayors in major cities who are fighting to hold onto their jobs. The long-time mayor of Townsville, Jenny Hill, is battling to save her political career after a challenge from local businessman Troy Thompson. With almost 70 per cent of yesterday’s vote counted, Ms Hill is trailing Mr Thompson 43.71 per cent to 46.19 per cent on the first preference vote.

The third candidate, nurse Harry Patel, has received just over 10 per cent of the first preference vote. Mayors in Cairns, Bundaberg, Mackay, the Scenic Rim, the Southern Downs, and Mount Isa are also facing tough times and, in some cases, are losing the battle to hold on to their jobs. Neither Mr Thompson nor Ms Hill, who has been Mayor since 2012, has claimed victory.

Mr Thompson said he would be closely monitoring the results today. “I won’t say I’m comfortable at all; I’m just at the point where we wait with caution and see how we go,” Mr Thompson said. “There’s still 45,000 votes to come in and also the preferences.” Mr Thompson, who is reported to have previously sought preselection with One Nation but is currently not a registered member of the party, ran on a rate freeze and tough-on-crime platform.

High crime rates in the city and the cost of living were two of the key issues voters raised at the polling booth. “Just fix up the crime around Townsville, make it a better place for all of us,” one voter told the ABC. “Cost of living… that is a lot; it’s expensive.” Another voter, Grace Bryce, said that her while crime was an issue, road conditions and access to parks were also important.

The tough results for Cr Hill come after she was found not guilty in 2021 of driving without due care and attention in a crash that claimed the life of a 33-year-old motorcyclist. The crash occurred in January 2020, in the months leading up to the last council election.

She is one of many incumbent mayors across regional Queensland facing a strong challenge as counting continues from yesterday’s elections. In Bundaberg, incumbent Jack Dempsey, who in 2022 unsuccessfully ran for federal parliament, is trailing challenger Helen Blackburn. Ms Blackburn, with 35 per cent of the vote counted, has just over 58 per cent of the first preference vote, while Mr Dempsey has just over 29 per cent.

Cairns Mayor Terry James is trailing challenger Amy Eden, who has 32 per cent of the first preference vote to his 23 per cent – with 41 per cent of the vote counted. Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson is currently leading the first preference count, receiving 42 per cent of the vote.

However, former rugby league player Steve Jackson is coming second with just over 38 per cent of the first preference vote, while councillor Laurence Bonaventura has received just under 20 per cent. Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen is trailing challengers Tom Sharp and Jeffrey McConnell, while Southern Downs Mayor Vic Pennisi is behind challenger Melissa Hamilton.

Incumbent mayors in the Cassowary Coast, Aurukun, Burdekin, Cherbourg, North Burnett, Charters Towers, and Maranoa are also under pressure as counting continues. Queensland University of Technology Associate Professor John Mickel, a former speaker of Queensland’s Legislative Assembly, said there had been an “anti-incumbency trend” across many parts of regional Queensland.

“It was profound in Bundaberg and the Scenic Rim. There is evidence of it in Mackay, and it seems to be there in Townsville as well,” he said. “In the absence of exit polling, it’s hard to know why the trend is there. But it seems to be part of a story this time in regional Queensland.”

Professor Mickel said local government elections in Queensland worked on an optional preferential voting model – where voters just had to put a 1 next to their candidate of choice. He said the trend across previous elections showed voters generally didn’t preference other candidates, so those who were leading in the first preference count tended to win.

“There might be some exchange of preferences, but not enough to overhaul anybody,” he said. “A lot of people are happy just to put one because they know that person.” But he said while there were these tight races in some areas, such as Gladstone and smaller regions like Goondiwindi, there had been a trend of some mayors running unopposed.

“It’s a tale of Queensland in a way; there’s so much regionalism,” he said. In Rockhampton, Mayor Tony Williams said he felt confident he would retain his role for another term.

Mr Williams is leading the count with 68 per cent of first preference votes, and around 80 per cent of the votes have been counted. “There is plenty of opportunity coming up for our region over the next decade, and I think now is a great time to take advantage of that,” Mr Williams said. Former federal MP George Christensen looks set to return to politics as vote counting continues in the Mackay councillor race.

Mr Christensen is a member of Steve Jackson‘s ‘Jacko’s Team’ grouping and is currently coming second in the race for one of 10 councillor positions — but only a small number of votes have been counted so far. In recent days, Mr Christensen, now a member of One Nation, has been running on an anti-woke platform, slamming a theatre event for kids at the council-owned events centre, as it features drag queens.