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| Adam Carr's Election Archive
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Australian federal election, 2019
Division of Dawson, Queensland
North Queensland Coast: Annandale, Ayr, Bowen, Mackay, Proserpine
State seats: All of
Whitsunday, parts of
Burdekin,
Mackay and
Mundingburra
Local government areas: Parts of Burdekin, Mackay, Townsville and Whitsunday
Enrolment at close of rolls: 105,264
1999 republic referendum: No 69.0
2018 same-sex marriage survey: Yes 55.1
Sitting member: George Christensen (Nationals):
Elected 2010, 2013, 2016
2007 Labor majority over Nationals: 3.2%
2010 Nationals majority over Labor: 2.4%
2013 Nationals majority over Labor: 7.6%
2016 Nationals majority over Labor 3.4%
2019 notional Nationals majority over Labor 3.3%
Status: Very marginal Nationals
Best Nationals booths, two-party vote: Osborne (83.2), Clare (83.1), Jarvisfield (73.4), Coningsby (68.0),
Ayr PPVC (66.2)
Best Labor booths, two-party vote: Slade Point (59.8), Andergrove (58.6), Mackay Town Beach (56.8), Andergrove South (56.3),
Bakers Creek (55.5)
2016 results
Statistics and history
Candidates in ballot-paper order:
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1. Anne-Maree Ware
Labour DLP |
2. Michael Turner
Fraser Anning's Conservative
National Party |
3. Debra Lawson
Pauline Hanson's One Nation |
4. George Christensen
The Nationals |
5. Belinda Hassan
Australian Labor Party |
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6. Brendan Bunyan
Katter's Australian Party |
7. Imogen Lindenberg
Australian Greens |
8. Lachlan Queenan
Independent |
9. Colin Thompson
United Australia Party |
Candidate websites:
Brendan Bunyan
George Christensen
Belinda Hassan
Debra Lawson
Imogen Lindenberg
Division of Dawson
Dawson was created in 1949, based on the sugar and beef ports of Bowen and Mackay, and its boundaries have not changed much
since, although the seat has been cut back to the coastal strip by recent redistributions. It is a still a seat in which
agriculture plays a prominent role, and like all such seats has a low level of median family income, a low proportion of
people in professional and managerial occupations and low proportion of people in non English speaking households. It has usually
been a safe seat for the Country/National Party, although Labor has managed to win it occasionally. Labor's strength is in
the cities of Mackay and (to a lesser extent) Bowen, while the Nationals dominate the rural areas, and also the outer
suburbs of Townsville which were added to the seat in 2013. The 2018 redistribution has made only slight changes to the
seat.
Labor's Dr Rex Patterson won a famous upset in Dawson in the 1966 by-election, and held the seat largely on his personal
standing. After his defeat in 1975 the Nationals were fairly secure until the Rudd sweep of Queensland in 2007.
De-Anne Kelly, the first National Party woman elected to the House, had a brief and unhappy ministerial career in the
Howard Government, and was defeated by Labor's James Bidgood in 2007. Bidgood did not recontest the seat in 2013 and it
returned to the Nationals.
George Christensen, Nationals MP for Dawson since 2010, was a newspaper editor and member of the Mackay City Council.
He is a very conservative member with a history of extreme statements which he has had to retract. This does not seem
to have affected his local standing, and he increased his majority in 2013, although this was partly reversed in 2016.
Christensen's Labor opponent in 2016 is Belinda Hassan, manager of a Mackay funeral business. Given Labor's current strong polling
in Queensland, this cannot be regarded as a safe seat for the Nationals. The Greens candidate is Imogen Lindenberg, a
student. The One Nation candidate is Debra Lawson, whose occupation is not stated. The Katter's Australian Party candidate is Brendan Bunyan, a diesel fitter.
Demographics:
Median weekly household income: $1,381 (Australia $1,438)
People over 65: 14.3% (Australia 15.8%)
Indigenous: 5.5% (Australia 2.8%)
Australian born: 77.6% (Australia 66.7%)
Non-English-speaking households: 8.2% (Australia 22.2%)
Catholics 27.0% (Australia 22.6%)
No religion 24.5% (Australia 29.6%)
University graduates: 11.9% (Australia 22.0%)
Professional and managerial employment: 26.9% (Australia 35.2%)
Employed in manufacturing and construction: 24.7% (Australia 22.9%)
Employed in agriculture: 7.1% (Australia 3.3%)
Paying a mortgage: 33.6% (Australia 34.5%)
Renting: 33.4% (Australia 30.9%)
Traditional families: 30.7% (Australia 32.8%)
Members:
Hon Sir Charles Davidson (CP)
George Shaw (CP) 1963-66 1949-63
Hon Dr Rex Patterson (ALP) 1966b-75
Ray Braithwaite (NCP, NPA) 1975-96
Hon De-Anne Kelly (NPA) 1996-2007
James Bidgood (ALP) 2007-10
George Christensen (Nat) 2010-
Boundaries following 2018 redistribution:
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