10 May 2023

Absent MP Cynthia Lui disconnects from local news

| Matt Nicholls
Start the conversation

The Member for Cook did not only ignore last week’s front page of the Cape York Weekly, she decided to unsubscribe from getting the paper delivered to her inbox each week.

It is now 537 days since the MP visited this part of Cape York and heard the concerns of local residents in one of the most isolated places in Australia.

There’s a running joke among the mayors when asked about Cynthia Lui and it has spread throughout the community.

When asked about Cynthia Lui, they often respond with “Cynthia who?”

Our absent MP has become a punchline and it’s not just Weipa and the Western Cape she is ignoring.

After moving her office from Mareeba to Cairns, locals on the Tablelands are also finding it difficult to get through to her on important issues.

Two hundred people attended a rally in Mareeba to speak up against youth crime in the region and the MP did not turn up.

Her response?

“If you think showing my face at a rally is going to make a difference, it’s not,” she told The Express newspaper.

Cape York Weekly contacted the Premier’s office for a comment on the performance of Ms Lui and did not get a reply.

Weipa Town Authority chair Michael Rowland said the town would happily roll out the welcome mat to the MP should she ever choose to visit.

“We want her to come here so we can show her some of the projects we are working on and the support we need from the state government,” he said.

“Weipa wants a strong relationship with the state.”

Start the conversation

Cape York Weekly

Subscribe to get the latest edition of Cape York Weekly in your inbox each Monday.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Cape York Weekly's terms and conditions and privacy policy.