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Cairns Regional Council e-news - Volume 12, 25 February 2016

 
 

New planning scheme adopted

The Cairns region’s new planning scheme will take effect on 1 March, following yesterday’s adoption of the long-anticipated plan. CairnsPlan 2016 sets a clear direction for the region’s development, supporting sustainable growth while maintaining the characteristics that make Cairns a lifestyle city. The objective of the plan is to ensure the right development happens in the right place to support future population and infrastructure needs. Through tropical urbanism principles, CairnsPlan 2016 encourages building design that draws inspiration from the natural environment and brings elements of the rainforest into the city centre. 

 
 
 

Council elections - March 19

Local Government elections will be held across Queensland on Saturday 19 March. In the Cairns Regional Council area, all residents who are enrolled to vote will be asked select both a preferred Mayor and Divisional Councillor for the division in which they reside. Pre-poll voting for all divisions will open on 7 March at the De Jarlais building at the Cairns Showgrounds. Voting will be open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays until Thursday 17 March and 9am to 6pm on Friday 18 March. More info

 
 

Postal votes

If you are physically unable to get to a polling place or pre-poll venue, you may qualify for a postal vote. Applications for postal votes are now open and can be submitted online. Postal vote applications close on 16 March.

 
 
 

Know your division

Cairns Regional Council is split into nine division. New divisional boundaries will take effect as of polling day. This means the division you vote in may not be the same as your current division. Maps showing the new boundaries can be viewed online, or use the Check My Enrolment tool to see your division at the upcoming election. 

 
 

Ballot boxes

Polling places will be open on Saturday 19 March from 8am to 6pm. Residents need to vote at polling places within their own division, or allocated as a shared polling place. View the full list of polling places by division, including information on accessibility.

 
 
 

Final Council meeting

The final meeting for this term of Council will be held in the Spence Street Council Chambers on Wednesday 9 March. The meeting will start at 9am. All members of the public are invited to attend.

 
 

Brekky to celebrate women

Tickets are now available to the 2016 International Women's Day Breakfast, to be held at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino on Tuesday 8 March. Starting at 7.30am, the breakfast will be hosted by ABC Far North's Fiona Sewell and feature keynote speaker Jennie Gilbert (pictured) from the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. A hot plated breakfast will be served with coffee, tea, fruit and pastries. Tickets are $35 per person and available from TicketLiNK.

 
 
 

Nominations extended

Nominations for the Woman of the Year and Young Woman of the Year (under 25) awards will remain open until next Monday 29 February. The awards will be presented at the International Women's Day Breakfast on Tuesday 8 March. The awards recognise local women whose achievements have contributed positively to the Cairns community. Download a nomination form 

 
 

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Calling ECOfiesta stallholders

Businesses, groups and community organisations interested in being part of this year’s ECOfiesta are invited to submit a stallholder application. Held as part of ECOweek, ECOfiesta is a free festival promoting all things sustainable. Last year’s inaugural event attracted more than 9000 attendees and featured nearly 100 stallholders. The festival is the ideal outlet for businesses and organisations looking to reach eco-conscious consumers. ECOfiesta 2016 will be held on Sunday 29 May from 10am to 7pm at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal. Single and double-sized stall sites are available, with power optional. See our website for more info or to submit a stallholder application online.

 
 
 

Rates due 1 March

A friendly reminder that half-yearly rates payments are due on Tuesday 2 March. If you are having difficulty paying your rates, please contact Council as soon as possible on 4044 3044. Rates payment can be made conveniently and securely online with no credit card surcharge. For other payment methods, see our website

 
 
 

E-waste recycling 

The Portsmith and Smithfield Waste Transfer Stations now accept e-waste for recycling. Household items such as computers and monitors, television sets, tablets, gaming consoles, hard drives, printers and other multimedia devices. Up to 15 items can be dropped off at the e-waste collection points at no cost.

 
 
 

World Cup tickets on sale

Tickets for the 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Cairns are now on sale. The event will be held on 23-24 April at the Smithfield Mountain Bike Park at James Cook University. Get out and support this great international sporting event.