| Hindmarsh |
Division of Hinkler | Holt |
 Paul Neville (Nat) His electorate website |  |
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, 2007 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 2007 two-party majority: National 01.7 
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 2007 boundaries, Hinkler had 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. The 2006 redistribution did Neville a big favour by removing Gladstone from the seat and replacing it with the fast-growing Hervey Bay tourism and retirement centre, which led to a sharp increase in generally conservative over-65s. This pushed Neville's margin out to nearly 9%. Labor made things difficult for themselves by choosing a candidate who refused to speak to the press, but even so the surge of support for Kevin Rudd across Queensland cut Neville's margin to less than 2%. The Nationals won most of the small rural booths, polling 86% of the two-party vote in Coalstoun Lakes and over 65% in Booyal and Brooweena. Labor polled 58% at Walkervale, and won most of the Bundaberg booths. There were particularly strong swings in the Hervey Bay booths. Neville win by 70 in 2010 and this is probably his last term. | |  Two-party vote by booth, 2007
Click to enlarge map
|
