Adam Carr's guide to
The 2007 Australian federal election
The House of Representatives
Queensland
Queensland
| Hindmarsh |
Division of Hinkler | Holt |
| Hindmarsh |
Division of Hinkler | Holt |
 Paul Neville (Nat) His Nationals website and his campaign website  Garry Parr (ALP) His ALP website  Robert Bromwich (Dem) His Democrats website  Cameron Rub (FF) His Family First website |
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Location: Coastal Qld: Bargara, Bundaberg, Childers, Hervey Bay Division named for: Bert Hinkler, pioneer aviator Median weekly family income: $615 (150th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 4.3% (124th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 21.8% (112th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 18.8% (4th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 31.3% (142nd highest) Dwellings being purchased: 21.3% (115th highest) Sitting member: Paul Neville (National), elected 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004 Born: 28 March 1940, Warwick, Queensland. Career: State Secretary, Arts Council of Australia, theatre supervisor, manager Bundaberg District Tourism and Development Board 1981-93 1996 two-party majority: National 10.4 Effect of 1998 redistribution: 02.4 shift to Labor 1998 two-party majority: National 00.3 2001 two-party majority: National 00.0 Effect of 2004 redistribution: 02.3 shift to National 2004 primary votes: Labor 39.1, National 47.2, Green 3.3 2004 two-party majority: National 02.3 Effect of 2006 redistribution: 06.5 shift to National 2007 notional two-party majority: National 08.8 2004 enrolment: 93,862 2007 enrolment: 90,093 (-04.0%) (new boundaries) Hinkler was created in 1984, based on the provincial industrial centres of Bundaberg and Gladstone. Once Hinkler would have been a safe Labor seat, but the decline in Labor's regional base vote meant that even in 1984 it was no better than marginal for Labor. On its new boundaries, Hinkler has the lowest level of median family income of any seat in Australia, as a result of its mix of retirees, service workers and farmers, and has the country's fourth-highest proportion of people over 65. It also has the low proportions of people born in non English speaking countries and of people in professional occupations typical of regional seats, especially in Queensland. Hinkler was won by a National, Bryan Conquest, in 1984, but the "Joh for Canberra" debacle led to his defeat by Labor's Brian Courtice in 1987. Courtice was defeated in 1993 by Paul Neville, who has held the seat since. One Nation caused Neville a lot of problems and he was very nearly defeated by Labor's Cheryl Dorran in both 1998 and 2001. His margin increased slightly in 2004. In 2004 the Nationals carried most of the rural booths by large margins, while the Bundaberg booths also favoured the Nationals, but much more narrowly. Labor carried three Bundaberg booths, plus Burnett Heads and Givelda, by narrow margins. The 2006 redistribution has done Neville a big favour by removing Gladstone from the seat and replacing it with the fast-growing Hervey Bay tourism and retirement centre, which explains the sharp increase in over-65s on the new boundaries. The Hervey Bay booths, which were in Wide Bay in 2004, went solidly National. This has pushed Neville's margin out to nearly 9%, making the seat a long-shot for Labor. In October it was reported (see below) that Neville was leading in local polling, although no source was given for this. Candidates in ballot-paper order Campaign news |  Two-party vote by booth, 2004
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