Electoral district of Cook

This article is about the state electorate. For the federal electorate, see Division of Cook.

Cook
Queensland—Legislative Assembly
Electoral map of Cook 2017
StateQueensland
MPDavid Kempton
PartyLiberal National
NamesakeJames Cook
Electors33,912 (2020)
Area196,836 km2 (75,998.8 sq mi)
DemographicRemote
Coordinates13°34′S 143°28′E / 13.567°S 143.467°E / -13.567; 143.467
Electorates around Cook:
Gulf of Carpentaria Torres Strait Coral Sea
Gulf of Carpentaria Cook Coral Sea
Traeger Hill Barron River
Mulgrave
Electoral map of Cook 2008

Cook is an electoral district in Queensland, Australia.

Cook covers the vast Cape York Peninsula north of Cairns, including the resort town of Port Douglas and the Torres Strait Islands. It is named after British navigator James Cook,[1] who charted the coast and landed on Possession Island – one of the Torres Strait islands – in 1770.

History

1883 election

In the 1883 election, there were four candidates for the (then) two-member electorate. They were:

Cooper and Hamilton were elected,[2] but there were allegations of "ballot stuffing", specifically that there were too many votes cast at the California Gully and Halpin's Creek polling stations given the number of electors. The unsuccessful candidates, Campbell and Hill, petitioned to overturn the ballot.[3] In December 1883, arrests were made in connection with the ballot stuffing.[4] On 4 March 1884, the Elections and Qualifications Committee determined that Frederick Cooper should not be elected and that Thomas Campbell should be elected instead.[5]

1884 by-election

On 4 August 1885, Thomas Campbell resigned after having been declared insolvent.[6] Charles Lumley Hill won the resulting by-election on 16 September 1885.[7]

1888 election

At the 1888 election, Cook returned to being a single-member electorate. Of the two sitting members, Hamilton contested the seat but Hill did not, saying that he was retiring from politics. However, Hill did not retire, but instead contested the election in Port Curtis, but he was unsuccessful. Hamilton was elected in Cook.[8][9][10]

Members for Cook

First incarnation (1876–1878, 1 member)
Member Party Term
  William Edward Murphy Unaligned 1876–1878
Second incarnation (1878–1888, 2 members)
Member Party Term
  John Walsh Unaligned 1878–1883
  Frederick Cooper Unaligned 1878–1884
  John Hamilton Ministerialist 1883–1888
  Thomas Campbell Unaligned 1884–1885
  Charles Lumley Hill Unaligned 1885–1888
Third incarnation (1888–present, 1 member)
Member Party Term
  John Hamilton Ministerialist 1888–1904
  John Hargreaves Ministerialist 1904–1907
  Henry Douglas Ministerialist / Opposition /
Independent Opposition /
Ministerialist / Liberal 		1907–1915
  Henry Ryan Labor 1915–1929
  James Kenny Country and Progressive National 1929–1935
  Harold Collins Labor 1935–1950
  Carlisle Wordsworth Country 1950–1953
  Bunny Adair Labor 1953–1957
  Queensland Labor 1957–1963
  Independent 1963–1969
  Bill Wood Labor 1969–1972
  Edwin Wallis-Smith Labor 1972–1974
  Eric Deeral National 1974–1977
  Bob Scott Labor 1977–1989
  Steve Bredhauer Labor 1989–2004
  Jason O'Brien Labor 2004–2012
  David Kempton Liberal National 2012–2015
  Billy Gordon Labor 2015
  Independent 2015–2017
  Cynthia Lui Labor 2017–2024
  David Kempton Liberal National 2024–present

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the district of Cook
This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2024 Queensland state election § Cook.[edit]
2024 Queensland state election: Cook[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Cynthia Lui 8,542 33.4 −6.5
Liberal National David Kempton 8,503 33.3 +9.2
Katter's Australian Duane Amos 5,012 19.6 +2.4
One Nation Peter Campion 1,776 7.0 +0.3
Greens Troy Miller 1,701 6.7 +1.6
Total formal votes 25,534 95.9
Informal votes 1,081 4.1
Turnout 26,615
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal National David Kempton 14,185 55.6 +11.8
Labor Cynthia Lui 11,349 44.4 −11.8
Liberal National gain from Labor Swing +11.8
Results are not final. Last updated on 1 November 2024.

References

  1. ^ "History of Queensland electorate names" (PDF). Electoral Commission Queensland. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. ^ "POLITICAL". The Queenslander. National Library of Australia. 3 November 1883. p. 721. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  3. ^ "HERBERTON". The Northern Miner. Charters Towers, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 6 November 1883. p. 2. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  4. ^ "COLONIAL TELEGRAMS [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] QUEENSLAND". The Morning Bulletin. Rockhampton, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 18 December 1883. p. 3. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  5. ^ "Telegraphic Intelligence". The Northern Miner. Charters Towers, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 5 March 1884. p. 2. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  6. ^ "The Brisbane Courier". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 5 August 1885. p. 4. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Parliamentary Elections". Queensland Figaro and Punch. National Library of Australia. 19 September 1885. p. 3. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  8. ^ "The Brisbane Courier". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 14 May 1888. p. 4. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  9. ^ "Part 2.15 – Alphabetical Register of Members of the Legislative Assembly 1860–2017 and the Legislative Council 1860–1922" (PDF). Queensland Parliamentary Record 2015–2017: The 55th Parliament. Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  10. ^ "Representatives of Queensland State Electorates 1860-2017" (PDF). Queensland Parliamentary Record 2012-2017: The 55th Parliament. Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Cook - QLD Electorate, Candidates, Results". abc.net.au. 27 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.