The Queensland Redistribution Commission (QRC) has released proposals that would significantly alter the electoral map across the Sunshine Coast hinterland, with the Glass House and Nambour electorates both set for notable boundary changes, and the Blackall Range villages, long divided between two electorates, poised to be united under a single member for the first time.
The proposals, released in March 2026, are part of Queensland’s nine-yearly redistribution cycle. Public submissions can be made via the Electoral Commission of Queensland’s website until Wednesday, April 9.
Glass House: A Bigger Footprint, New Southern Neighbours
Of the two electorates, Glass House faces the most dramatic reconfiguration. Under the proposal, the electorate would absorb a substantial western slice of Caloundra, specifically those portions lying west of the Bruce Highway, as well as Beerwah and Landsborough, both of which currently sit within Caloundra. The effect is to push Glass House south and east, anchoring it more firmly to the coastal hinterland corridor.
The driver is Caloundra’s extraordinary growth. The QRC noted that Caloundra’s enrolment of 47,391 sits almost 18 per cent above the state average of 40,188, and is projected to grow further. Transferring its western localities to Glass House is intended to relieve that pressure while creating a more compact Caloundra district closer to the coast.
At the same time, Glass House loses its northern hinterland reaches. A large area around Woodford, previously within Glass House, would shift into the new Caboolture electorate in the Moreton Bay region, reflecting population growth there. The Glass House electorate has, in effect, pivoted: shedding its northern inland communities and taking on new southern and coastal ones.
The changes will also alter the boundary relevant to Range Community News readership: Montville, currently within Glass House, would remain so under the proposal, as would Maleny. However, the glass-house map makes clear that the proposed boundaries draw the electorate’s northern edge along lines that bring it closer to communities such as Palmwoods and Chevallum.
Glass House MP Andrew Powell, a Liberal National, acknowledged the changes were inevitable given rapid population growth to the south. “With significant growth in Caloundra South and Caboolture West, there is no question boundaries were going to need to be revised,” he said. “Regardless of where the final boundaries land, I remain committed to the region I represent currently because I think it’s the best place to live and work.”
Nambour (formerly Nicklin): Expanding North, Welcoming the Ridge
The electorate currently known as Nicklin would be renamed Nambour, a change the QRC says reflects the “large and recognisable” town at the district’s heart. The boundaries would also shift substantially northward to help absorb enrolment pressure from the over-quota Gympie electorate, with large hinterland areas currently in Gympie, including Traveston, Amamoor and Amamoor Creek, proposed to be transferred to Nambour.
The proposal’s written boundary descriptions, contained in the full QRC document, confirm that Flaxton would move from Glass House into Nambour, joining Mapleton, which is already in Nicklin/Nambour. The QRC document states that Glass House “loses the northern localities of Flaxton, Cambroon, Kenilworth, a portion of Curramore and the balance of Kidaman Creek and Obi Obi to Nambour,” and the Nambour gains section confirms it picks up “the northern localities from the current Glass House stretching west from Flaxton to Kenilworth.” This means Mapleton and Flaxton will, for the first time, share a single state electorate.
However, the split does not disappear entirely. Montville and Maleny remain within Glass House under the proposal, so the Ridge will continue to straddle two electorates, the dividing line simply moves. The town of Eumundi, currently in Coolum (formerly Ninderry), would also transfer to Nambour. Cooroy, which some had hoped would join Noosa, has been retained within Nambour after the Commission decided it was needed to balance enrolment numbers.
Nicklin MP Marty Hunt described the changes as a reflection of population growth. “The proposed redistribution would see our electorate boundaries adjusted to reflect population growth, with neighbouring communities such as Flaxton proposed to join the electorate,” he said. “This process is undertaken by an independent body and is primarily focused on maintaining fair and balanced voter representation across electorates.”
Mr Hunt noted that Maleny and Montville would continue to be represented within Glass House. On the question of cross-electorate working arrangements for the Ridge, he said: “We maintain a strong working relationship with neighbouring offices, including Andrew Powell in Glass House, to ensure constituents are well supported and local matters are progressed effectively.”
He encouraged all residents to engage with the process. “While my office hasn’t received a significant volume of direct feedback about the proposed redistribution, I do encourage all residents to review the proposal and have their say via the Electoral Commission’s website before April 9. It’s also important to note that any changes would come into effect at the next State election in 2028.”
The Ridge: Partially United, Still Divided
For the Mapleton and District Community Association (MADCA), the proposed changes are a partial but incomplete consolidation. Mapleton and Flaxton, long separated by the Glass House–Nicklin boundary, would finally sit together in Nambour. But Montville and Maleny remain in Glass House, so the Ridge will still straddle two electorates; the dividing line simply moves.
The current split boundary has created practical complications. MADCA has confirmed that the divide between Mapleton (in Nicklin) and Flaxton and Montville (in Glass House) has on occasion created difficulties at both council and state MP levels, and that the association has had to run parallel advocacy across two electorates on at least two issues, including the proposed pathway project and planning matters.
Bringing those communities under one electorate could simplify that work. However, MADCA notes that having two MPs on side can also be an advantage when both are willing advocates, which has not always been the case.
There is also the question of electoral character. MADCA observed that some Montville residents may be less enthusiastic about joining a Nambour electorate that has historically been marginal, swinging between Labor, Coalition and Independent, compared with remaining in a more predictable Glass House seat. Mapleton and Flaxton, by contrast, have stronger practical ties toward Nambour for services, while Montville relates more closely to Maleny.
MADCA has not yet decided whether to lodge a formal submission to the QRC ahead of the April 9 deadline, though the issues it has identified, community cohesion, advocacy effectiveness and the identity of hinterland villages within a larger electorate, are precisely the matters the Commission invites the public to address.
‘Honest Frank’: The End of the Nicklin Name
For many locals, the renaming carries a particular resonance. The electorate of Nicklin has borne its name since 1986, when the Redistribution Commission chose to honour Sir George Francis Reuben “Frank” Nicklin, Premier of Queensland from 1957 to 1968, and a man who lived and farmed pineapples in Palmwoods, just down the road from this publication’s readership.
Known as “Honest Frank,” Nicklin led a Country-Liberal coalition government through a decade of stability and is remembered as one of Queensland’s more straightforward political figures. Several local landmarks carry his name alongside the electorate, and his connection to the Sunshine Coast hinterland, a working farmer-politician in an era of relative political modesty, resonates in communities like these.
There is a certain irony in the timing: under the proposal, Palmwoods itself, the town where Nicklin farmed, would be transferred out of the electorate that bore his name and into Glass House, just as that same electorate is renamed Nambour. The man and the place are separated in the same stroke.
The QRC is unapologetic about the change. Its report sets out a deliberate policy of returning to the longstanding Queensland practice of naming electorates after geographical places, reversing the 2017 commission’s decision to name 11 seats after distinguished persons. Nicklin is one of 19 electorates being renamed under the proposal, a wholesale rollback rather than a judgment on any individual’s legacy. The Commission’s stated rationale is straightforward: electorate names should allow voters to identify where their electorate is located, and personal names, however honourable, do not achieve that.
Whether that logic satisfies those who valued the tribute is another matter. The April 9 submission deadline provides an opportunity for residents who wish to make the case for retaining the Nicklin name, or any other aspect of the proposal, to do so formally.
The Broader Picture: Eight Districts, One Region
Across the Sunshine Coast, the redistribution would result in eight state electoral districts: Glass House, Maroochydore, Caloundra, Coolum (formerly Ninderry), Kawana, Nambour (formerly Nicklin), Buderim and Noosa. The renaming of Nicklin to Nambour and Ninderry to Coolum reflects the QRC’s preference for place names that are well known to residents.
Other notable proposed changes across the region include parts of Mountain Creek moving from Buderim to Maroochydore, and the Coochin Creek area shifting from Caloundra to Pumicestone.
Have Your Say Before April 9
The redistribution process includes multiple stages of public consultation. Residents, community groups and businesses can lodge formal submissions via the Electoral Commission of Queensland’s website. The deadline for submissions on the proposed redistribution is Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
Marty Hunt’s office has advised that Conversation Stations, mobile office sessions in Mapleton and surrounding areas, are being planned for mid-April. Exact dates and times will be announced once confirmed.
Any changes adopted by the Commission will come into effect at the 2028 Queensland state election.
Proposed Redistribution of the States Electoral Districtss (PDF)
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