Cassowary Coast Region
Queensland
Location within Queensland
Population29,689 (2018)[1]
 • Density6.3330/km2 (16.4023/sq mi)
Established2008
Area4,688 km2 (1,810.0 sq mi)[1]
MayorTimothy Mark Nolan
Council seatInnisfail
RegionFar North Queensland
State electorate(s)Mulgrave, Hinchinbrook
Federal division(s)Kennedy
WebsiteCassowary Coast Region
LGAs around Cassowary Coast Region:
Tablelands Cairns
Tablelands Cassowary Coast Region Coral Sea
Charters Towers Hinchinbrook
On the Liverpool Creek near Japoonvale (between Tully and Innisfail)

The Cassowary Coast Region is a local government area in the Far North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, south of Cairns and centred on the towns of Innisfail, Cardwell and Tully. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Cardwell and the Shire of Johnstone.

The Regional Council, which administers the region, has an estimated operating budget of A$64 million.

History

Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the Cassowary Coast Region consisted of the entire area of two previous local government areas:

The Hinchinbrook Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. On 28 October 1881, the Johnstone Division split away from it. On 18 January 1884, the Cardwell Division also split away.[2] With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, both Cardwell and Johnstone became shires on 31 March 1903.

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Cardwell and Johnstone merge. Cardwell was in particular opposed because Johnstone was rated as "financially distressed" and its council had just been sacked by the state government.[3] On 15 March 2008, the two shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect six councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.

Mayors

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2017)

Wards and councillors

Cassowary Coast Regional Council
Type
Type
Leadership
Mayor
Mark Nolan, Independent
Deputy Mayor
Barry Barnes, Independent
Structure
Seats7 elected representatives, including a Mayor and 6 councillors
Political groups
  • Majority:
  •   Independent (7)
Elections
Last election
28 March 2020
Next election
16 March 2024

Although the commission recommended the council be undivided with six councillors and a mayor, the gazetted form was that of six divisions each electing a single councillor, plus a mayor.

Below is the current council, elected in 2020:[8]

Name Ward Notes
Mark Nolan Mayor Mayor
Barry Barnes Division 1 Deputy Mayor
Teresa Millwood Division 2
Trudy Tschui Division 3
Nicholas Pervan Division 4
Jeff Baines Division 5
Renee McLeod Division 6

Towns and localities

The Cassowary Coast Region includes the following settlements:

1 - shared with Cairns Region
2 - shared with Tablelands Region
3 - shared with Cairns Region and Tablelands Region

Libraries

The Cassowary Coast Regional Council operate public libraries in Cardwell, Tully (Dorothy Jones Library), Innisfail and Wongaling Beach.[9]

Population

The total population recorded at each census before the foundation of the Cassowary Coast Region combines the population of its component entities prior to their amalgamation in 2008. Its population was officially recorded for the first time in the 2011 Census.

Year Population
(Region total) 		Population
(Johnstone) 		Population
(Cardwell)
1933 17,193 12,777 4,416
1947 16,611 12,265 4,346
1954 20,025 14,980 5,045
1961 20,967 15,784 5,183
1966 22,169 16,529 5,640
1971 21,614 15,878 5,736
1976 23,254 16,776 6,478
1981 25,291 17,438 7,853
1986 26,123 17,457 8,666
1991 29,066 19,184 9,882
1996 30,604 20,474 10,130
2001 30,145 19,511 10,634
2006 29,501 18,917 10,584
2011 27,668 - -
2016 29,585 - -

Heritage places

As part of preparing the Cassowary Coast Planning Scheme 2014, the council consulted with the region's heritage groups to compile a list of local heritage places.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ a b "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. ^ Queensland Archives. "Agency Details – Cardwell Divisional Board". Archived from the original on 16 March 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  3. ^ Queensland Local Government Reform Commission (July 2007). Report of the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF). Vol. 2. pp. 75–79. ISBN 978-1-921057-11-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  4. ^ "2008 Cassowary Coast Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  5. ^ "2012 Cassowary Coast Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  6. ^ "2016 Cassowary Coast Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  7. ^ "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.[dead link]
  8. ^ https://cassowarycoast.qld.gov.au/mayor-and-councillors
  9. ^ "Cassowary Coast Libraries". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 20 September 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  10. ^ "Draft Cassowary Coast Planning Scheme 2014". Cassowary Coast Regional Council. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  11. ^ "Cassowary Coast Local Heritage Register". Cassowary Coast Regional Council. pp. 342–344. Retrieved 17 September 2022.

External links

18°05′40.79″S 145°51′05.18″E / 18.0946639°S 145.8514389°E / -18.0946639; 145.8514389

Towns and localities in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland
Far North Queensland, Queensland
Local government areas of Queensland
Categories