Hinchinbrook by-election: Wayde Chiesa wins historic victory
Newly elected Hinchinbrook MP Wayde Chiesa has wasted no time in vowing to crack on with the job of strengthening Queensland’s youth crime and bail laws.
Newly elected Hinchinbrook MP Wayde Chiesa has wasted no time in vowing to crack on with the job of strengthening Queensland’s youth crime and bail laws.
Elected into office in an historic victory with a record swing over the incumbent party, Mr Chiesa said his key campaign messages had resonated with voters, including his promise to enact legislation to toughen bail laws.
“Forty per cent of youth offences are committed by those out on bail.”
He said the electorate had “backed that plan” at the ballot box.
“Now it is time to get to work and deliver and Hinchinbrook has a seat at the government table and I intend not to waste that,” he said.
“I intend to work hard and deliver for a community that I love.”
Premier David Crisafulli, speaking outside the landmark JK’s Delicatessen in Ingham on Sunday morning, said Mr Chiesa “would fight hard” for his electorate and the state.
He said the message was clear from the voters, saying “it shows that the people want us to keep going”.
“Keep going on stronger laws, keep going on fixing the health crisis left to us and keep going on housing so that people can get into a home … and more,” he said.
“We spoke about bringing tourism back to life in Cardwell and fixing the traffic mess in the Northern Beaches.”
Mr Crisafulli said Mr Chiesa’s job was “to put forward his case for stronger youth-crime laws”.
“I can assure you, there will be further changes to the Youth Justice Act, every change will be about strengthening it after a decade of the former government weakening it … and it will be Wayde’s job to push his view on bail reform.”
He said the Hinchinbrook MP-elect would sit down with the attorney general and ministers for youth justice and police and “work on what those changes are and then drive that forward”.
“That’s what having a voice in government is about.”
Mr Crisafulli said the end of the Troy Thompson saga and election of both Nick Dametto as Townsville mayor and Mr Chiesa in Hinchinbrook – who is joining the three Townsville-based LNP MPs – was “the dawn of a new era for North Queensland.
“You’ve got a council that can now put the mess behind it and you’ve got the area with a seat at the government table and someone who is going to fight for them,” he said.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for this part of North Queensland and we have no intention of wasting that.”
Mr Chiesa, who has committed to maintaining his primary electorate office in Ingham, pledged to have the same presence as predecessor Nick Dametto, the new Townsville mayor.
“Wherever it is, from the Northern Beaches to Tully Heads I’ll be visible, I’ll be in every square inch and every square kilometre of the electorate because that is what our community expects,” he said.
“They expect someone to be out and about listening to them and making sure that I’m pushing what they want with the premier, with the ministers.”
‘History making’: Katter country now Chiesa country
Triumphant Queensland Premier David Crisafulli proclaimed “Katter country is now Chiesa country” after LNP candidate Wayde Chiesa won the Hinchinbrook By-Election in historic fashion.
Mr Crisafulli, flanked by Mr Chiesa, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie and a number of cabinet ministers at the iconic Lees Hotel in Ingham on Saturday night, said Opposition Leader Steven Miles had claimed the by-election was a test of the premier’s leadership.
“He’s got his Labor Convention this weekend and he can unpack a vote that has a primary figure in the single digits and what we will do is focus on the things that matter to Queenslanders.”
KAP recorded a negative swing of about 16 per cent, with the LNP projected to hold an about 53 per cent to 47 per cent lead over the previous incumbents.
With 74.27 per cent of enrolled electors counted as of 10.20pm on Saturday night, Mr Chiesa had secured 41.25 per cent of the unofficial preliminary count, ahead of KAP candidate Mark Molachino on 30 per cent and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidate Mark Sleep on 13.5 per cent.
Labor Candidate Maurie Soars managed just 8.3 per cent, which is believed to be a record low for the party and the first time it has ever recorded a single digit result in Queensland.
Mr Crisafulli said the result was “history making”.
“This is the biggest swing ever in Queensland history towards the government,” he said.
“Last time the government took a seat back it was nearly 100 years ago in Maryborough and that margin was 11 per cent, Wayde is on track for probably something north of 15 per cent.”
An exuberant Mr Crisafulli revelled in the win in his hometown in the hotel where he had his “first legal beer”, with die-hard LNP supporters and family members cheering him on.
“I just want to make this point, I want to say welcome home, welcome home Hinchinbrook and welcome to the next member for Hinchinbrook.”
Mr Chiesa said the support had been both “humbling” and “amazing”, thanking the electorate, the LNP, supporters, family and friends.
“This is a loud, screaming endorsement of the first 12 months of the LNP Crisafulli government.”
Mr Chiesa said he wanted to focus on getting to work, including seeing progress with Port Hinchinbrook, traffic congestion in Townsville’s Northern Beaches and tougher bail laws.
8:45PM: LNP candidate Wayde Chiesa is in pole position to win the Hinchinbrook by-election as Premier David Crisafulli faces the first real test of his leadership.
With over 70 per cent of the vote counted Mr Chiesa has 41 per cent of the vote, ahead of Katter’s Australian Party candidate Mark Molachino on 30 per cent and One Nation’s Luke Sleep on 13 per cent.
A disappointed Maurie Soars left his election party at Bushland Beach Tavern after failing capture even 10 per cent of the vote.
Ferny Grove MP Mark Furner, Greenslopes MP Joe Kelly and deputy opposition leader Cameron Dick were all there to show support to the veteran community leader.
Mr Chiesa was expected to address supporters at the iconic Lees Hotel any minute, while Mr Molachino and his supporters watched votes counted at Avenues Tavern in Kirwan.
The LNP flooded polling booths with volunteers on Saturday, including many flown in from Brisbane.
One voter said she’d previously backed former KAP incumbent Nick Dametto but believed an MP in the ruling party would deliver more for the community.
KAP’s Hill MP Shane Knuth backed Mr Molachino as an independent voice free from Brisbane’s constraints.
7:30PM: The first lot of votes have been counted in the Hinchinbrook by-election after voting closed at 6pm, with LNP candidate Wayde Chiesa taking an early lead.
Just 6.17 per cent of the vote had been counted as of 7:15pm, Mr Chiesa has 39.96 per cent of the vote, followed by the Katter’s Australian Party candidate Mark Molachino with 29.10 per cent and One Nation’s Luke Sleep on 16.41 per cent.
Trailing in fourth is Labor candidate Maurie Soars with 7.58 per cent, then Aiden Creagh from the Greens on 4.19 per cent, Family First’s Amanda Nickson on 1.69 per cent and independent Steven Clare with just 1.07 per cent.
So far just over 2700 votes have been counted of the 39,818 enrolled to vote.
Mr Chiesa is expected to address his loyal supporters at the iconic Lees Hotel in around two hours.
LNP insider says too early to call it but the party is buoyed by the early counts.
Mr Molachino and his supporters will be watching the votes counted at the Bohle Barn.
2PM: LNP Hinchinbrook by-election candidate Wayde Chiesa has come out on top in an informal exit poll in Ingham on Saturday.
Mr Chiesa, a well-liked “nice bloke” from a respected Ingham family, garnered nine first-choice votes of 20 electors surveyed outside Conroy Hall in McIlwraith Street in blistering 34 degree temperatures.
KAP candidate Mark Molachino, a victim of a campaign widely perceived as dirty, attracted just three of the 20 votes, the same number as Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidate Luke Sleep, and just one ahead of Labor’s Maurie Soars and the Greens’ cane-train driver Aiden Creagh with two votes each.
The LNP had a heavy presence at the Ingham polling booth with 10 volunteers making last-minute pitches for Mr Chiesa and distributing how-to-vote cards placing fringe candidate Amanda Nickson of the Christian right Family First in second place.
One voter who said he had selected Mr Chiesa gave a succinct answer when asked why: “I’ve got the same last name.”
The LNP, however, have a mountain to climb to overturn the election results that have recently favoured KAP.
KAP secured a 13.2 per cent two-candidate-preferred margin against the LNP in 2024, and secured 64.8 per cent of the two-candidate-preferred vote in 2020.
Another LNP voter said they had previously voted for former incumbent Nick Dametto of Katter’s Australian Party but were voting for LNP because they believed an MP in the ruling party was more likely to get things done for the community.
She said she was buoyed by the Port Hinchinbrook funding announcement and believed the LNP would get to work fixing the roads.
A KAP voter said they were sticking with Mr Molachino, another local, believing he would more independently represent his constituents free of the constraints of the major parties.
Hill MP Shane Knuth, feeling the heat outside the polling station, agreed.
“Mark definitely has a following, he has this ability to tap into people from all different walks of life and backgrounds and make no doubt about it, his representation will be very strong for the region,” he said.
“He’s not afraid to speak his mind and say things how they really are.”
He said the KAP candidate would not be beholden to anyone in Brisbane.
“He can speak from the heart, speak for your electorate, you don’t have the party pounding down on you, telling you what you can and can’t say, you don’t have the party that is writing the speeches for you,” he said.
“We are just free-flowing, strong representatives of our communities.”
KAP has preferenced Mr Sleep in second place followed by Ms Nickson in third.
A Labor voter said he was backing Mr Soars because of the great work the party was doing at the Federal level.
Labor have preferenced Mr Molachino in second and the Greens third.
A Greens voter said he was concerned about the state of the environment and agreed that schools should be fully funded.
He said he could not stomach the extreme policies of parties such as One Nation and KAP.
The Greens have preferenced Labor second and KAP third.
MIDDAY
Hinchinbrook has started making its way to the polls to decide who will be the next MP.
Federal MP for Kennedy Bob Katter was spotted at St Anthony’s polling booth Saturday morning, while Premier David Crisafulli was also parked up in Northern Beaches handing out flyers, both in a bid to ensure their candidates secured the seat.
EARLIER
It could be too close to call on Saturday night after Hinchinbrook goes to the polls, with preferences expected to play a key role according to a political expert.
James Cook University political expert Dr Liam Moore said this election had been “quite striking” with significant heat concentrated on Katter’s Australian Party candidate Mark Molachino.
The LNP’s engine room has been dolling out “proof” KAP candidate Mark Molachino is the “Katter Labor candidate” since the election was called.
But the vote will be a clear indication of whether smear campaigns work to turn the dial in the North.
Our readers, who voted in a poll, named the LNP’s Wayde Chiesa the next Hinchinbrook MP with 55 per cent of the vote. Mr Molachino secured 39 per cent.
Premier David Crisafulli has been desperate to win back the seat which hosts his home town, using every tool in his party’s kit – including cabinet ministers and a private jet – to make it happen.
His main tagline was that his mate, Wayde Chiesa, was a “once in a generation “candidate, that had grown up in Ingham with him.
In the 2024 state election, Nick Dametto secured a 3.88 per cent swing, with more than 15,000 first-preference votes – with his popularity later catapulting him into the Townsville mayoral.
His resignation sparked the Hinchinbrook by-election.
James Cook University politics expert Liam Moore said the LNP had put a lot of effort shifting the margin their way.
“I don’t think the Liberal Party will be banking on a win necessarily, but they would want to see a significant swing as something they can point to as a success,” he said.
Dr Moore added that the heat on Mr Molachino could have been turned up because there was only one seat to focus on, rather than every seat in the state.
Dr Moore said he didn’t know if Mr Molachino had the same level of name recognition that helped Mr Dametto win for the KAP in recent elections.
But in his first win in 2019, Mr Dametto secured Hinchinbrook with the help of preferences.
This election, Labor has preferenced KAP, meaning Maurie Soars’ votes could flow to Mr Molachino, while the LNP has preferenced the KAP candidate at number four – still ahead of Mr Soars.
The KAP has two how-to-vote cards, one has Labor at number seven, one has the LNP at seven.
Thousands of people have already voted with the latest Electoral Commission of Queensland data saying 38.27 per cent of the electorate has had their say.
That includes more than 1600 postal votes and 13,600 votes in person at pre-poll in Deeragun and in Ingham.
More Coverage
Originally published as Hinchinbrook by-election: Wayde Chiesa wins historic victory
