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| Adam Carr's Election Archive
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Australian federal election, 2025
Division of Kennedy, Queensland
Named for: Edmund Kennedy (1818-48), explorer of Queensland
North Queensland: Charters Towers, Hughenden, Ingham, Innisfail, Mt Isa
Enrolment at 2019 election: 107,644
Enrolment at 2022 election: 114,399 (+06.4)
1999 republic referendum: No 70.2
2018 same-sex marriage survey: No 53.3
2023 Voice referendum: No 79.7
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Sitting member: Hon Bob Katter: Elected (as National) 1993, 1996, 1998, (as Independent) 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, (as Katter's Australian Party) 2013, 2016, 2019, 2022
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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%
2019 Katter's Australian Party majority over Nationals: 13.3%
2022 Katter's Australian Party majority over Nationals: 13.1%
Status: Safe KAP versus Nationals
Nationals two-party vote 1983-2022
2022 results
Statistics and history
Announced candidates:
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Hon Bob Katter
Katter's Australian Party |
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. He is now the long-serving parliamentarian in Australia.
After the 2010 election Katter was the only crossbench member not to support the minority Gillard Government. He had
an unexpectedly close call in 2013, polling only 29.4% of the primary vote and holding the seat against a
strong Nationals candidate by only 2.2%. He restored his dominant position in 2016. Katter will turn 80 during the 2025 election
campaign, but shows no signs of wanting to retire. If he runs again he will probably be re-elected.
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