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| Australian federal election, 2016
Division of Kennedy, Queensland
North Queensland: Charters Towers, Ingham, Innisfail, Mt Isa
Sitting member: Hon Bob Katter (Katter's Australian Party), elected 1993
Enrolment at close of rolls: 99,965
2013 Katter's Australian Party majority over Nationals: 2.2%
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Candidates in ballot-paper order:
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1. Valeria Weier
Australian Greens |
2. Donna Gallehawk
Family First |
3. Norm Jacobson
Australian Labor Party |
4. Hon Bob Katter
Katter's Australian Party |
5. Jonathan Pavetto
The Nationals |
2013 results
Statistics and history
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 people born in non English speaking countries and the low proportion of people in professional occupations typical of regional
seats.
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. His son regained the seat for the Nationals in 1993.
Bob Katter junior, Nationals and then independent member for Kennedy since 1993, 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%. The Nationals candidate in 2016 is Jonathan Pavetto, an economist, who is not likely to be such a strong opponent.
The Labor candidate is Norm Jacobson.
These maps are the property of Adam Carr and may not be reproduced without his permission.
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Prospective pendulum, showing all candidates
State and territory maps, showing new boundaries
The thirty seats that will decide the election
Other seats of interest
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