General News
12 April, 2025
Mayor: ‘I’m not perfect’
A YEAR ago today, after taking over the mayoral chains of Cairns, Cr Amy Eden admits she’s not perfect, the role has been challenging and she has a lot to learn.
She has also revealed that the past 12 months has taken its toll, with a worrying health diagnosis requiring surgery.
However, Cr Eden is quietly determined to carry on and work through the difficulties, with the community at the heart of all she does.
She said she took on a role that few fully understood until sitting in the hot seat.
At 42, she became the youngest Mayor of Cairns – only the second woman to hold the office – stepping into leadership with quiet determination and a clear intention to do things differently.
Raised in the Northern Territory and shaped by straight-talking values, Cr Eden said her focus had always been simple: show up, do the work and keep the community at the centre of everything you do.
She said listening – “really listening” – had shaped much of her approach. “There have been big steps taken: long-overdue infrastructure locked in, new community spaces in motion and tens of thousands of voices feeding into the future planning of the city,” Cr Eden said. “The wins don’t matter if people don’t feel them,” she said.
And behind the scenes, the first year wasn’t without its own personal hurdles.
In November, Cr Eden said she received a health diagnosis that required major surgery.
“The uncertainty that followed was heavy – the kind that doesn’t announce itself publicly, but quietly changes everything,” she said.
“I kept going, because the work doesn’t stop. But it definitely changed me.
“After the surgery, weeks later the results came back benign – a moment of relief, but also, clarity.
“That kind of experience resets your priorities. It sharpens your focus on what actually matters, and how you want to show up – not just for the job, but for life.”
One year in, Cr Eden said she was not claiming perfection – “just progress and the resolve to keep going”.
“This job has stretched me, for sure, but it’s also grounded me.
“I’m not perfect, none of us are, but one thing I am is determined to deliver for this great city, regardless of the challenges that fall before me. The people of Cairns deserve that.
“And every time someone stops me to say ‘Hey, thanks for listening’ – that’s the bit that matters,” Cr Eden said.
She acknowledged her relationship with the nine other councillors is strained.
“We can fix it, we can work together and I know that,” Cr Eden said.
She said when all 10 were sworn in a year ago they agreed to work together in the community’s interest.
Cr Eden said each year she chose a word to guide her through the months ahead – not a resolution, but a compass.
In 2025, it is “grace”.
“This year, it’s about steady strength, leading with calm, extending kindness – especially when it’s difficult,” Cr Eden said.
She said at home, life was evolving too. A daughter is learning to drive, a teenage son is eating her out of house and home.
And every Wednesday – council day or not – she still takes out the neighbours’ bins.
“They just see Amy,” she said. “And I like that.”
Cr Eden said it was a reminder that leadership was made in small moments, “quiet ones, the showing up, the listening, the follow-through”.
Now, with a federal election on the horizon, she said the focus shifted again towards strategic advocacy for a city that was no longer on the sidelines.
“There’s pride in this place,” Cr Eden said. “Cairns isn’t waiting to be told what it can be,” she said.
“It’s already becoming it. The next chapter is about ensuring we’re at the table when the big decisions are made – not just waiting for the leftovers,” she said.
“The fire still burns. And there’s still much work to do. We’re only just getting started.”
