Psephos - Adam Carr's Election Archive

Adam Carr's Election Archive

Australian federal election, 2019
Division of Kennedy, Queensland

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North Queensland: Charters Towers, Hughenden, Ingham, Innisfail, Mt Isa
State seats: All of Traeger, parts of Cook, Gregory, Hill and Hinchinbrook
Local government areas: All of Boulia, Burke, Cassowary Coast, Charters Towers, Cloncurry, Croydon, Doomadgee, Etheridge, Flinders, Mackinlay, Mornington, Mount Isa, Richmond, Tablelands and Yarrabah, parts of Burdekin, Cairns, Carpentaria, Hinchinbrook, Mareeba and Townsville
Enrolment at close of rolls: 107,644
1999 republic referendum: No 70.2
2018 same-sex marriage survey: No 53.3

Sitting member: Hon Bob Katter (Katter's Australian Party): Elected 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016

2007 Independent over Labor: 16.3%
2010 Independent over Labor: 18.3%
2013 Katter's Australian Party majority over Nationals: 2.2%
2016 Katter's Australian Party majority over Nationals: 11.1%
2016 notional Nationals majority over Labor: 6.9%
2019 notional Katter's Australian Party majority over Nationals: 11.1%

Status: Fairly safe KAP versus Nationals
Status: Marginal Nationals versus Labor

  • 2016 results
  • Statistics and history

  • Candidates in ballot-paper order:

    1. Sue Bertuch
    United Australia Party
    2. Hon Bob Katter
    Katter's Australian Party
    3. Lyle Burness
    Australian Greens
    4. Ian Hackwell
    Fraser Anning's Conservative
    National Party
    5. Frank Beveridge
    The Nationals
    6. Brett Maguire
    Australian Labor Party



    Candidate websites:

    Frank Beveridge
    Lyle Burness
    Hon Bob Katter
    Brett Maguire

    Division of Kennedy

    Kennedy has existed since federation, and was originally based in the remote country of north-western Queensland, dominated by the pastoral and mining industries. Successive redistributions, however, have extended the seat to the south and the east, drawing in more agricultural country and changing its character. Today most of its votes are cast in the coastal strip between Cairns and Townsville, and its main industries are farming (particularly sugar) and tourism, although mining is still important. It has the low median family income, the low proportion of non English speaking households and the low proportion of people in professional and managerial occupations typical of regional seats. It also has a substantial number of Indigenous voters.

    In its early years Kennedy was a safe Labor seat, and Labor maintained its grip until 1966. Since then Labor has won the seat only once, in 1990: the only time since 1966 that a member of the Katter family was not a candidate. Rob Hulls, the last Labor member, later became Deputy Premier of Victoria.

    Bob Katter senior, who held the seat from 1966 to 1990, was a Labor Party member until the split of the 1950s, when he left and eventually joined the Country Party. He was a minister in the McMahon government. His son regained the seat for the Nationals in 1993.

    Bob Katter junior, Nationals, independent and Katter's Australian Party MP for Kennedy since 1993, was elected to the Queensland Parliament in 1974 and was a Cabinet minister in Joh Bjelke-Petersen's Queensland state government. He left the Nationals in 2001 and won the seat four times as an independent. For the 2013 election he formed Katter's Australian Party, but in practice he is still an independent member. After the 2010 election he was the only crossbench member not to support the minority Gillard Government.

    Katter had an unexpectedly close call in 2013, polling only 29.4% of the primary vote and holding the seat against a strong Nationals candidate, Noelene Ikin, by only 2.2%. He restored his dominant position in 2016. Katter will be 73 in May 2019 and has not yet said he will stand again. If he does, he will likely be re-elected. If not, the seat may go to the Nationals candidate Frank Beveridge, the Mayor of Charters Towers. But it may also go to Katter's son Robbie Katter, currently a Qld state MP for the KAP. The Labor candidate will be Brett Maguire, a Charters Towers electrician. The Greens candidate is Lyle Burness, whose occupation is not stated.

    Demographics:

    Median weekly household income: $1,177 (Australia $1,438)
    People over 65: 17.1% (Australia 15.8%)
    Indigenous: 13.8% (Australia 2.8%)
    Australian born: 77.8% (Australia 66.7%)
    Ancestry: Italian 6.1%
    Non-English-speaking households: 8.8% (Australia 22.2%)
    Catholics 27.0% (Australia 22.6%)
    No religion 24.6% (Australia 29.6%)
    University graduates: 9.5% (Australia 22.0%)
    Professional and managerial employment: 27.1% (Australia 35.2%)
    Employed in manufacturing and construction: 19.2% (Australia 22.9%)
    Employed in agriculture: 17.4% (Australia 3.3%)
    Paying a mortgage: 27.9% (Australia 34.5%)
    Renting: 32.7% (Australia 30.9%)
    Traditional families: 27.9% (Australia 32.8%)

    Members:

    Hon Charles McDonald (Lab, ALP) 1901-25
    Grosvenor Francis (Nat) 1925-29
    David Riordan (ALP) 1929-36
    Hon William Riordan (ALP) 1936b-66
    Hon Bob Katter (CP, NCP, NPA) 1966-90
    Rob Hulls (ALP) 1990-93
    Hon Bob Katter jr (NPA, Ind, KAP) 1993-

    Boundaries following 2018 redistribution:






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