The Cook electoral boundaries are shifting, and the local MP is not happy about it
State redistribution
The electorate of Cook has been completely redrawn in time for the next state election in 2028 after the neighbouring electorate of Hill was abolished, losing large tracts of land in the southwest but gaining parts of the Kuranda region in the southeast.
But local MP David Kempton has hit out at the move, saying it is “bordering on ridiculous”.
Areas now in Cook include Kuranda, Koah, Speewah and Mona Mona, while those moving out include parts of the town of Mareeba, such as Wylandra Estate and the airport.
The size of Cook has been reduced by 30 per cent, with large parts of Mareeba Shire - including Dimbulah and Chillagoe - removed, as well as those voters from Carpentaria Shire.
The electorate is now made up of the Shires of Douglas, Cook, Aurukun, Hope Vale, Kowanyama, Lockhart River, Mapoon, Napranum, Northern Peninsula Area, Pormpuraaw, Torres, Torres Strait Island and Wujal Wujal, as well as the eastern part of Mareeba.
Cook MP Mr Kempton has called the redistribution by the Queensland Electoral Commission (ECQ) “ill-conceived”.
“It beggars’ belief that almost all of Mareeba Shire and over 30 per cent of my electorate has now been removed and placed in the new seat of Flinders (currently Traeger),” Mr Kempton said.
“It appears the members of the ECQ review process simply sat with a map and drew lines based on population numbers without any thought to the implications for those who live, run businesses and raise families in the north.
“What the ECQ has done to the people of my electorate is careless and will have a massive impact on their future.
“The north has been left in a mess.”
In the redistribution report, the ECQ called the changes “moderate”, stating it had transferred some “sparsely populated territory” to Flinders and moved the portion of Mareeba Shire currently in Barron River, including Kuranda and its surrounds, into Cook.
A redistribution is required by law in Queensland to start after seven years have passed - the last one was in 2017.
The commission divided the population of about 3.7m people into 93 electorates to ensure an average of about 40,000 ended up in each district.
Cook is expected to have about 43,000 enrolled voters, slightly above the average size in the state.
