Federal election 2025 Herbert MP Phillip Thompson and Labor candidate Edwina Andrew go head to head
Herbert MP Phillip Thompson will take on Labor candidate Edwina Andrew in the looming federal election. But what makes them the right choice for Townsville? VOTE IN OUR POLL.
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As Australia prepares to vote for the next leaders of the country, the LNP and Labor’s Townsville candidates Phillip Thompson and Edwina Andrew are both promising to take the fight for North to Canberra ... writes Nikita McGuire
Phil’s plan to hold leaders to account
Six years ago, Herbert MP Phillip Thompson won the hearts of Townsville with a commitment to listen, work and fight for the region.
It’s a promise he still hopes to keep come the next federal election.
The veteran and dad of two said the people of North Queensland had been doing it tough, but they were ‘tough people’.
“I think the benefit of having two terms under my belt is that I’ve met so many hard working people,” he said.
“I get fantastic feedback, ideas and projects from everyday Australians that live here. No good idea comes out of Canberra.”
He said the big issue on the minds of Townsville locals for the upcoming Federal election was crime.
And while the Australian government has no control over state laws, Mr Thompson has always tried to do his bit.
“Crime is still Townsville’s number one issue and it affects all of us,” he said.
He said he had been working with schools, sporting groups and community groups in getting CCTV and cameras.
Earlier this week, he promised $150,000 worth of security measures for groups and clubs.
Mr Thompson said Townsville was known as the state’s crime capital – but it was a moniker the community didn’t deserve.
“People don’t feel safe and those issues haven’t changed,” he said.
“It’s tough as a federal member because only state laws can be changed by state politicians. One thing we can do federally is we can support through safer communities programs.”
The former Cleveland Youth Detention Centre worker said early intervention was important, but there was a need for tougher consequences.
“Early intervention does not start at 15, it starts at pre-natal,” he said.
“We need to lock criminals up, we need to be tough on it. I wish I could change state laws but I can’t. I worked at the detention centre, it’s a holiday camp. You would go there for an overnight stay with your family, if it wasn’t full of little criminals.”
Regardless of political party Mr Thompson said he would hold politicians accountable.
On Thursday, the MP took aim at the state members of his own party saying the adult crime, adult time policy changes were not making a difference fast enough.
When Labor held government at a state level, Mr Thompson regularly spoke out against the three MPs Scott Stewart, Les Walker and Aaron Harper over the party’s crime policies.
“If the state members do not get on top of crime, they will get treated the same as the last three. Same with the council, if they don’t get on with the job I will advocate for the people,” he said.
“Townsville is a very political-savvy town and people here know who their members are, who works and who doesn’t and they will let you know.”
“It’s always people first, never politics first,” he said.
But for the Afghanistan veteran, it is not just about crime – he also wanted to see more investment in defence.
Townsville, and more specifically Lavarack Barracks, is known as the country’s military capital.
More soldiers are moving to Townsville after the Defence Strategic Review outlined plans for about 500 soldiers to move to the city.
Soldiers from South Australia and Darwin have started moving to the region as part of the expansion of the army’s footprint in Townsville.
“We’ve got the largest defence base in the country here, we should have defence manufacturing here,” Mr Thompson said.
In his time as member Mr Thompson said policies such as the Home Builder grants during Covid, which allowed eligible owner-occupiers (including first home buyers) to build a new home or do major renovations on an existing home, were a “massive success”.
“Someone in Townsville came up with that idea and it became a national policy,” he said.
The Federal Government’s HomeBuilder $2.5bn grant scheme was introduced in 2021 and gave individuals or couples $25,000 or $15,000 towards buying or building a new home, or substantially renovating an existing home to live in.
ELECTION PROMISES SO FAR:
$151,000 community safety package which includes:
•Townsville Toy Library – fencing and CCTV cameras ($40,000)
•Garbutt State School, Garbutt – CCTV cameras ($10,000)
•Phoenix Netball Club, Hermit Park – CCTV cameras ($10,000)
•Castle Hill Lions Club, Aitkenvale – CCTV cameras ($10,000)
•Wanderers Cricket Club, Pimlico – CCTV, lighting, and security doors ($16,000)
•Magnetic Island RSL, Arcadia – CCTV cameras and lighting ($7,000)
•Magnetic Island Men’s Shed, Picnic Bay – CCTV cameras ($10,000)
•Townsville Table Tennis Association, Hermit Park – CCTV and lighting ($20,000)
•Purono Rural Fire Brigade, Yabulu – CCTV cameras and security doors ($13,000)
•St. John’s Ambulance, Aitkenvale – CCTV cameras and lighting ($15,000)
Edwina’s bid to win over the North
With a background in not-for-profit community services, Labor’s candidate for Herbert said she’s fighting to ensure the voices of everyone in the community are heard this election.
Growing up in rural and regional parts of the North including Richmond and Gladstone, Edwina Andrew said her driving force was to make sure the voices of everyday people were heard.
Deciding to step into the candidate role in this year’s election, having previously run in the Senate in 2022, Ms Andrew said she was running a grassroots campaign with a focus on listening to the people of Townsville.
“I don’t have the big backing of money behind me,” she said.
“It’s been a lot of work in the background. This have never been ‘my’ campaign, it’s never been about the flash and bang and ‘hey, look at me’, it’s about the work in the background.”
“The step into politics, there were a few little triggers for that. Once is that I’ve always wanted to have that influence, to be able to speak up for the everyday person.”
Ms Andrew was announced as the Labor candidate during a visit to Townsville by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in July 2024, with the PM saying at the time it was a “target seat” for Labor.
After studying to be a psychologist, Ms Andrews began her career in the area of child protection in the not-for-profit sector and said she got to see the “perspective of that world”.
“Everybody has a right to professional support and services,” she said.
She said her work has taken her to all parts of Queensland.
“Communities like Doomagi and Mornington Island, out west to Mount Isa, name the tiniest little town you can think of, I’ve probably worked there or supported people from there,” she said.
On the big issues that would decide the this election, Ms Andrews said cost of living and the environment were the two she had been hearing constantly from the community.
“100 per cent, the number one is cost of living,” she said.
“That’s what I am hearing constantly from everybody and cost of living stuff translates a lot more than just ‘we can’t pay the bills this week’, cost of living is housing shortages, it’s housing shortages, housing stress and then less money meaning businesses are impacted.”
Ms Andrew also said people were wanting to know more about affordable and renewable energy.
“The environment is programs to support koala rehabilitation, to understand cheap and effective energy sources and renewable energy, [I’m] not hearing a lot about nuclear, people aren’t really talking about it,” she said.
With the election to be called any day now, Ms Andrew said the plan for the election campaign going forward was to continue listening to the community.
“I will continue to liaison with small business, I’ve got a few roundtables organised,” she said.
“My biggest challenge is how I can reach all 200,000 odd voters in the Herbert electorate.”
“The voice of South East Queensland can be more concentrated because that’s where a lot of the services are, but it means the majority of voices don’t get heard. That’s why we need to have a stronger voice.”
ELECTION PROMISES SO FAR:
•Strengthening Medicare with the biggest investment in bulk billing ever so everyone in Townsville can see a GP for free.
•Continuing the largest house build in Australian history, building 1.2 million homes in five years; helping more first home buyers in Townsville with Labor’s Help to Buy scheme and ensuring locals with HECS debts can still access finance for a loan.
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Originally published as Federal election 2025 Herbert MP Phillip Thompson and Labor candidate Edwina Andrew go head to head
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