Cook Shire Council tests waters for an electoral division
LOCAL GOVERNMENT DIVISION
Cook Shire Council is gauging the public’s desire for the huge council area to be split into two distinct electoral divisions with a public survey of Cook Shire residents.
The survey is available fore residents to complete by Friday, 1 March, after which time the results will be collated and analysed by Council staff.
Cook Shire is the largest local government area in Queensland and covers more than 100,000 square kilometres from Cooktown in the South East all the way up Cape York.
Cook Shire Council Chief Executive Linda Cardew said the possibility of a second electoral division for the shire has been in discussion for a long time.
She also noted this survey would not produce a binding result but was a mechanism to understand the community’s desire for a division in the shire.
“The opportunity to establish a northern division of Cook Shire has been discussed for some time and with the Local Government elections just over 12 months away, it’s now time for Council to progress this,” she said.
“There is no certainty the division will happen, the intention at the moment is to gauge the community’s response to the options and, depending on the outcome, to submit a proposal to the Minister for Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs.”
The survey has three options:
- Cook Shire to retain its current undivided status;
- Cook Shire to include a new Northern Division encompassing communities from Musgrave north, with a dedicated Councillor for that division;
- Cook Shire to include a new North Western Division, encompassing communities including Palmer River, Lakeland, Laura and Coen, with two dedicated Councillors for the Division.
The survey is available in hard copy at Council’s Furneaux Street office, at the Bloomfield and Cooktown libraries and at businesses and community service centres throughout the Shire.
It is also available to fill in electronically or print out from Council’s website.
Completed surveys must be returned in person to Council’s office at 10 Furneaux Street or the Cooktown or Bloomfield libraries, by post to PO Box 3, Cooktown, 4895 or email to mail@cook.qld.gov.au by close of business on Friday, 1 March.
For more information contact Linda Cardew via email to mail@cook.qld.gov.au or phone on 07 4069 5444.
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