| Hasluck |
Division of Herbert | Higgins |
 Hon Peter Lindsay (Lib) His electorate website |  |
Location: North Qld: Garbutt, Mundingburra, Thuringowa, Townsville Division named for: Sir Robert Herbert, first Premier of Queensland Median weekly family income: $962 (58th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 4.9% (108th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 22.5% (104th highest) Persons in government employment: 28.6% (4th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 9.4% (117th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 39.7% (51st highest) Dwellings being purchased: 27.2% (65th highest) Sitting member: Hon Peter Lindsay (Liberal), elected 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 Born: 4 May 1944, Brisbane. Career: Television station production manager, General Manager, Townsville Television 1972-96. Councillor and Opposition Leader, Townsville City Council 1985-96. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence 2007-08. 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 06.6 Effect of 1998 redistribution: 00.1 shift to Liberal 1998 two-party majority: Liberal 00.1 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 01.5 Effect of 2004 redistribution: no change 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 06.2 Effect of 2006 redistribution: 00.1 shift to Labor 2007 notional two-party majority: Liberal 06.1 2007 two-party majority: Liberal 00.2 
2004 enrolment: 87,987 2007 enrolment: 90,756 (+04.3%) (new boundaries) Herbert has existed since Federation, and once covered all of north Queensland. Since 1949 it has consisted of Townsville and surrounding areas. The 2006 redistribution cut it back to the city and suburbs, making it an entirely urban seat for the first time. As a regional administrative centre and a booming tourist town Townsville has a somewhat higher level of median family income than most regional seats, and also a high proportion of government employees, including many defence personnel. For most of its history it has been a safe Labor seat, although its first Labor member retained it as a Nationalist for most of the 1920s. In recent times, as Labor's regional base has declined, Herbert has trended Liberal, a process hastened by the large military vote. Peter Lindsay has held Herbert for Liberals since 1996, and retained the seat without too much difficulty until 2007. He was a Parliamentary Secretary in the last year of the Howard government. In 2007 Lindsay was opposed by a well-known Townsville businessman, and local polls showed him facing defeat, but he scraped home by 300 votes. The Liberals polled 65% of the two-party vote at Annandale East, and topped 55% at Annandale, Deeragun, North Ward, Riverside and Willows. Labor polled 65% at the indigenous community on Palm Island. Apart from that Labor's best result was 61% at Garbutt. | |  Two-party vote by booth, 2007
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