Hinkler voters have their say in revealing exit poll

From Hervey Bay to Bundaberg, tens of thousands of Hinkler voters have already had their say in the federal election, while an early exit poll on Tuesday hinted at what the final outcome might look like.

From Hervey Bay to Bundaberg, thousands of Hinkler voters have already had their say in the federal election, while an early exit poll at pre-polling booths on Tuesday hinted at what by the result come Saturday.

In Bundaberg, voters lined the street from 8am at the Bundaberg Uniting Church pre-polling booth on Electra Street.

An exit poll of 40 men and women revealed 20 had voted LNP, 11 had voted ALP, 6 One Nation, and 3 voted for the Greens.

One voter who wished to remain anonymous said a “front of mind issue” was how much politicians were being paid.

She said they should be paid much less, and more should be done for residents doing it tough.

One voter said she was heading to the booths with schooling and healthcare in mind.

She said she did not know which party was most suited to tackle the issues.

“We can only hope” she said.

2025 federal election: The line of early voters was still out the door at midday at the Bundaberg pre-polling booth on Tuesday.

By Tuesday morning, 34,425 Hinkler voters had already cast their vote, according to the Australian Electoral Commission website.

Almost 10,000 votes had been cast at Pialba Central, 7267 at Bundaberg Hinkler, 7088 at Pialba, 3384 at Kensington, 3139 at Bargara, 2302 at Childers, and 456 in Maryborough.

One voter cited the housing crisis as a major issue leading into the election, and said there were empty houses all over Bundaberg.

“They’re buying a lot of houses for the labour hire companies” he said.

When asked what party he thought was best positioned to tackle the issue he said the Greens seemed to handle themselves in the senate.

2025 federal elections: The line went out the door by midday at the Bundaberg pre-polling booth on April 29.

Hinkler LNP candidate David Batt said it had “been a great first week in pre-polling” and the turnout so far had been “positive”.

“Right across Hervey Bay to Bundaberg and everywhere in between...

“(They’ve) been been playing in the spirit of the elections,” he said.

“It’s been great to just let people make-up their minds up about the issues.

“Pensioners, business people, young people and anything to do with electricity prices, fuel prices, food are struggling at the moment.

“They’re looking for some sort of relief as soon as they can.”

He said if the vote fell in his favour at the end of the week, he aimed to tackle those issues immediately.

Senator Matt Canavan outside the Electra St polling booth on Tuesday.

In Hervey Bay at the Scout Association, voters were also still queueing out the door at midday and into the early afternoon, with some receiving a pick-me-up from a One Nation volunteer continuously singing Advance Australia Fair during his shift.

2025 federal election: The line went out the door by midday at the Hervey Bay polling booth

An exit poll of 25 voters there yielded a three-way tie for first preferences, with the LNP, ALP, and One Nation all finishing on seven votes each.

The minor parties, including The Greens and Trumpet of Patriots, had one first preference each, while Kerry Petrus of Family First polled twice.

Labor candidate Trish Mears arrived at the booth just after midday, where she said she had received a “tremendous response” from voters across both towns.

“Hinkler hasn’t been listened to for years,” Ms Mears said.

“I think it’s really important to be here, listen to people, and to advocate for them.”

Younger voters were seen heading into the booth, including 18-year-old Layla, who said the risk of losing medicare was her main issue.

“The thought of medicare going is really scary because I’m only 18, and can’t afford to pay $300 for MRIs and all that stuff,” she said.