Episode Details

North Queensland residents are outraged over a proposal to eliminate the Hill state parliament seat, which is centered in farming areas south-west of Cairns. The Queensland Redistribution Commission aims to scrap Hill and another seat, Flinders, to balance population growth mainly in the south-east. The commission argues that North Queenslands slower growth means it must lose a seat to maintain urban areas like Townsville with three electorates. The proposed changes would shift some communities into seats far away, like one stretching to Mount Isa. Locals argue that their Tablelands region shares little with distant gulf or outback spots and that one member cannot effectively represent such a huge, diverse area. The Liberal National Party suggested abolishing Hill to avoid bigger changes up north, but critics worry it weakens Far North voices regardless of politics. The Katters Australian Party member Shane Knuth, who holds the Hill seat, faces this for the third time in twenty-two years. People are planning submissions against the changes, with shifts like Atherton moving to Mulgrave and others linking rural spots to remote towns. Analysts note that its about equal voter numbers, so some regions win while others, including Katters party, lose out.

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