Politics in 2025: the good, the bad and the ugly | Anna Middleton

Anna Middleton was elected as the Division 7 councillor to Cairns Regional Council in 2024 as an unaligned and independent candidate with a low budget, grassroots effort, beating other candidates with more cash and more recognisable names. Since her election, she has leant on the expertise of industry professionals, scientists and experienced public servants to guide her decisions in the council chamber — an evidence-based approach that has won and lost voter sympathy in seemingly equal measure, and caused her to clash with the emotional and idealised decisions of other influential people in Queensland’s political landscape.