Adam Carr's Election Archive

---

Australian federal election, 2025
Division of Lilley, Queensland

Named for: Hon Sir Charles Lilley (1827-97), Qld MP 1860-74, Premier 1868-70

< Leichhardt previous seat | next seat Lindsay >
Return to alphabetical list of seats

Northside Brisbane: Aspley, Boondall, Brighton, Chermside, Nundah

---

Enrolment at 2019 election: 108,615
Enrolment at 2022 election: 112,302 (+03.5)

---

1999 republic referendum: No 56.4
2018 same-sex marriage survey: Yes 67.7
2023 Voice referendum: No 53.4

---

Sitting member: Hon Anika Wells (Labor): Elected 2019, 2022 Minister for Aged Care Minister for Sport

2007 Labor majority over Liberal: 8.6%
2010 Labor majority over Liberal: 3.2%
2013 Labor majority over Liberal: 1.3%
2016 Labor majority over Liberal: 5.3%
2019 Labor majority over Liberal: 0.6%
2022 Labor majority over Liberal: 10.5%

---

Status: Fairly safe Labor

---

Labor two-party vote 1983-2022

2022 results

Statistics and history

Announced candidates:

Hon Anika Wells Australian Labor Party

Division of Lilley

Lilley has existed since 1913, and was originally a rural seat north of Brisbane, based on Gympie. Since 1949 it has been confined to a block of suburbs on Brisbane's northside, based on the Labor strongholds of Nudgee and Sandgate, but including areas of Liberal strength around Aspley and Nundah. The seat has a stable, ageing population of mainly low-to-middle income earners, with a very low level of families with dependent children. Since 1949 Lilley has always been a marginal seat, but as with most inner suburban seats, it is gradually improving for Labor. The Liberals won it in 1996 but lost it again in 1998, and have been unable to regain it despite their gains in Queensland in 2010, 2013 and 2019.

Wayne Swan won the seat in 1993, lost it in 1996 and won it back in 1998. He was Treasurer in the Rudd-Gillard Government and Deputy Prime Minister under Julia Gillard. He resigned in 2013 rather than serve under Kevin Rudd and retired at the 2019 election.

Anika Wells, Labor MP for Lilley since 2019, was a lawyer with Maurice Blackburn, a leading Labor law firm, before entering politics. With the loss of Swan's personal vote, there was a substantial swing to the Liberals in 2019. But Wells rapidly entrenched herself and gained a swing of nearly 10% in 2022, making the seat fairly secure. She is now Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Sport.

---

Boundaries following most recent redistribution:



See full-size map of this Division

---

Back to main page