General News
17 October, 2026
Mayor claims she’s ‘gagged’
CAIRNS regional councillors have taken away mayoral minute powers from Mayor Amy Eden in a move she describes as “gagging” her.
Councillors voted nine-to-one (with Cr Eden voting against) at this week’s ordinary meeting to remove the mayoral minutes from council agendas, arguing there were provisions within standing orders to raise issues in business not on the agenda without requiring a mayoral minute.
The Mayor usually introduces mayoral minutes at most meetings. The decision follows the 30 September meeting when Cr Eden moved a mayoral minute to try to push through free green waste after being urged by councillors it was inappropriate use of the process.
Cr Eden said standing orders were “our rules and buried within the proposed changes is something much more significant than some administrative housekeeping, an extensive provision, that allows business which the Mayor wishes to have considered at a meeting without notice, is being deliberately removed”.
She rejected chief executive officer Ken Gouldthorpe’s advice that mayoral minutes were no longer a standard process within the best practice guidelines and had become standard practice across the state, with few councils continuing to have mayoral minutes.
Cr Eden said there were 12 Far North Queensland councils which still allowed mayoral minutes as well as seven other similar-sized councils throughout the state.
She said it was a mechanism that allowed the Mayor to exercise leadership and bring matters before the elected council for consideration.
“That is what that provision does. It does not give the Mayor an extra vote, it does not guarantee the Mayor an outcome and it does not silence councillors at the table.
“Every councillor can debate it, every councillor can amend it, every councillor can vote against it. That is democracy.
“If the majority disagree with what the Mayor brings forward, they vote it down and the motion is lost. That’s the job. You do not win an argument by taking away the microphone.
“Yet, that is what this amendment seeks to do. It removes an established avenue through which the Mayor, elected by the whole of Cairns, can bring a matter before the chamber.
“Call it narrowing the role. Call it hamstringing the office. Call it what you like. It’s gagging the Mayor. The people of Cairns have a right to ask why their duly-elected Mayor needs to be gagged, hobbled or in any way prevented from doing the job.”
Deputy Mayor Brett Olds said the Mayor was not being gagged.
He said the matter was discussed in a workshop. “You had the opportunity to have your say and to put your two cents in. We heard nothing. I think you were the only councillor that didn’t add anything to the workshop,” Cr Olds said.
Cr Anna Middleton said the amendment did not limit the Mayor from bringing anything to the chamber and to have it debated. “There's no gagging …,” she said.
