Llew O’Brien retains Wide Bay for LNP

Incumbent Llew O’Brien has been returned in Wide Bay, despite a swing of almost 5% against him and the LNP.

Incumbent LNP candidate Llew O’Brien (pictured here voting with wife Sharon) is on track to retain his seat despite a 5 per cent swing against him in the Wide Bay.

Incumbent LNP candidate Llew O’Brien will keep his Wide Bay seat despite a 4.8 per cent swing against him in the traditionally safe coalition seat.

Mr O’Brien had as of 9.30pm received 33.8 per cent of the primary vote, with 85 per cent of the ballots counted.

Labor’s Elliott Chalmers was chasing Mr O’Brien in second with 25 per cent, while One Nation’s Chad Burgess running third with 13.2 per cent.

The Greens’ Emma Buhse was in fourth with 10.19 per cent.

Family First’s Kirsti Kenningale (6.8 per cent), Independent Casey Iddon (5.8per cent), and Trumpet of Patriots’ Gabrial Pennicott (5.) rounded out the list.

Mr O’Brien was expected to hold the seat despite the swing, with the Australian Electoral Commission projecting him to claim victory with 56.5 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

Member for Wide Bay Llew O'Brien and wife Sharon voting at Chatsworth on election day, May 3, 2025.

Mr O’Brien has held the seat since 2016, and in 2022 was re-elected with an 11.3 per cent margin.

Wide Bay election candidates continued to fight for votes right to the deadline even with official figures showing about half of the electorate had its say before election day.

Australian Electoral Commission figures reveal 49,235 voters pre-polled across the Wide Bay, 39 per cent of the electorate’s 123,237 registered voters.

Another 19,056 voters applied for postal votes, of which 12,788 had been returned by May 3.

This meant more than 50 per cent of the Wide Bay’s voters were likely to have voted outside of the Saturday election day.

Lines at the Gympie Senior Citizens’ Centre were still running out the door and past the Gympie Civic Centre in Saturday’s early afternoon.

Member for Wide Bay Llew O'Brien with wife Sharon, daughter Yve Carr and her husband Jack Carr.

Across the Mary River, the Southside State School booth was the second-most popular choice for voters with two normal election booths at Pie Creek and Jones Hill not running.

The election brought out some heavyweight supporters with former state ALP state MP Bruce Saunders campaigning for Labor at Maryborough, and former Fraser Coast Regional Council mayor Chris Loft supporting Trumpet of Patriots.

LNP Maryborough state MP John Barounis was part of the campaign group for Mr O’Brien.

The heavy pre-polling figures meant other regular election booths were feeling a downturn.

Originally published as Llew O’Brien retains Wide Bay for LNP