Hinchinbrook by-election: Field of seven confirmed as ballot draw is finalised
A large field to rival that of the Townsville mayoral by-election will contest the seat of Hinchinbrook at the end of the month. SEE THE ELECTION DETAILS.
A field to rival that of the Townsville mayoral by-election will contest the seat of Hinchinbrook at the end of the month.
Seven candidates have been named as contesting the seat which has been left vacant after former KAP deputy leader Nick Dametto resigned to run for Townsvillee mayoral election.
At the official ballot draw, overseen by the Electoral Commission of Queensland, LNP candidate Wayde Chiesa took out the top spot on the draw, with independent Steven Clare settling in at number two.
Mr Clare previously ran for the seat of Thuringowa in last year’s state election as part of One Nation.
He also ran for the seat of Kennedy in the 2025 federal election.
Former Townsville City Councillor Maurie Soars, who is running as the Labor candidate, drew the third spot, with Greens candidate Aiden Creagh sitting in the fourth spot.
Former deputy mayor Mark Molachino, who is the Katters Australian Party’s replacement for Nick Dametto, was next in the draw, with Family First’s Amanda Nickson and One Nation's Luke Sleep rounding out the list.
Mr Sleep was a late addition after One Nation’s first candidate, Lisa Buchtmann, withdrew from the race, citing health reasons.
His candidacy was revealed by One Nation earlier on Tuesday.
A local coal miner, Mr Sleep lives in Townsville and has been working as a heavy machine operator for the last five years.
In running for the seat, Mr Sleep wants to champion North Queensland’s mining industry.
“It’s the largest industry in Queensland, valued at more than $60bn and supporting more than half a million jobs,” he said.
“It’s absolutely critical we do what we can to enable this industry to thrive while ensuring Queenslanders get fair value in exchange for the exploitation of their resources.”
Mr Sleep listed another priority as affordable housing, backing One Nation’s plan to “slash immigration to improve housing availability and affordability.”
Born and raised in Ingham, Greens candidate Aiden Creagh said he decided to run after watching “life get harder for locals while big corporations and their political mates keep doing just fine.”
“I’m running because I believe people in the North deserve better,” he said.
“I’ve seen too many families struggling with rising rents, power bills, and food prices, while wages barely move. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Mr Creagh said he has lived and worked across North Queensland and has seen the impacts of drought and floods.
“I want to fight for practical, local solutions that protect homes, create good jobs, and build a future we can all share in,” he said.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there about the Greens, but the truth is simple: we want fairness, clean energy, and a liveable future for everyone – not just the wealthy few”
Electoral Commissioner Pat Vidgen said that having seven candidates contest a by-election was a “healthy field”.
“Now that we know who is running, we’ll start printing the ballot papers so early voting can get underway next week,” Mr Vidgen said.
“There are several options to help the almost 40,000 people enrolled to vote in Hinchinbrook have their say at the ballot box.
Originally published as Hinchinbrook by-election: Field of seven confirmed as ballot draw is finalised
