Cloncurry Shire Council Mayor Greg Campbell said he was frustrated with the announcement of the new State electorate boundaries with Traeger set to replace most of Mount Isa and Dalrymple electorates.
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“Cloncurry made a submission to the commission expressing our concerns with the breadth and diversity of the Traeger electorate”, Cr Campbell said.
“My concerns surrounding the electorate still stand on the inequitable representation on state issues.”
Cr Campbell said Traeger was over 400,000 sq km compared to the smallest electorate which is just 12 sq km.
He said Traeger electorate contributed $310m in state royalties with the smallest electorate contributing nothing and there were 12 mayors to one MP in Traeger compared to 11 MPs to one mayor on the Gold Coast
“I could walk around the smallest electorate in one day, with a lot of these residents having similar issues,” he said. “In Traeger, the wide cross section of area in mining, agriculture, transport and tourism all have very different issues, across a vast distance for one MP.”
“A genuine effort to create good representation for the people of North West Queensland would have seen the Commission recommend an extra electorate. All we are getting out of this change is a smaller voice in Brisbane, which is a slap in the face for an area that contributes so much to the State’s Economy.”
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
