From today, Australians are able to cast their vote in the federal election.
If you are still undecided and wondering what the candidates in the seat of Herbert are offering, we've got you covered.
Herbert
North Queensland
Liberal National Party 8.4%
MP
Philip Thompson since 2019
Profile
Herbert covers most of the city of Townsville, Magnetic and Palm Islands. It stretches as far north as the Hinchinbrook region and covers a total of 941 square kilometres.
Key issues
- Cost of living
- Housing
- Aged care
2022 Candidates in Ballot Paper Order (11 Candidates)
Candidate Name |
Party |
|---|---|
McMAHON Toni |
Informed Medical Options Party |
RING John |
Australian Labor Party |
HUMPHREYS Scott |
Queensland Greens |
BALLARD Larna |
The Great Australian Party |
THOMPSON Phillip |
Liberal National Party |
EGAN Angela |
Independent |
CLARE Steven |
Independent |
DOWLING Greg |
United Australia Party |
HAWKS Clynton |
Katter’s Australian Party |
McCORMACK Toni |
Animal Justice Party |
PEPE Diane |
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party |
Phillip Thompson
Liberal National Party (LNP)
Philip Thompson has been the Federal Member for Herbert since 2019.
Prior to his political career Mr Thompson served as a soldier in the army and then became an advocate for mental health and suicide prevention for veterans.
Mr Thompson is campaigning on the issues of water security, affordable electricity and job creation.
Toni McMahon
Informed Medical Options Party
Toni McMahon is a small business owner, natural health advocate and ex servicewoman.
Ms McMahon ran in the 2020 state election.
The Informed Medical Options Party opposes any form of mandatory or coerced vaccination or medication.
Ms McMahon is also advocating for the removal of fluoride from drinking water in Queensland.
John Ring
Australian Labor Party
A Townsville local, John Ring has a background as a firefighter and ex-serviceman, spending 14 years with the RAAF as an aviation firefighter.
This is his first tilt at politics.
Mr Ring's campaign focuses on maintaining services in regional areas and pushing for investment in job creation projects.
Scott Humphreys
Queensland Greens
Scott Humphreys works in retail and as a security guard for various pubs and clubs in Townsville.
As a first-time political candidate, Mr Humphreys is campaigning on the platform of expanding Medicare to include dental and mental health.
He is also seeking to create manufacturing jobs through expanding green energy and building public housing to end the national crisis.
Larna Ballard
The Great Australian Party
Larna Ballard has spent the past two decades working in allied health in Townsville.
The Great Australian Party is campaigning to restore the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900.
Ms Ballard says she is concerned about increasing government overreach and a lack of transparency.
Angela Egan
Independent
Angela Egan is a former member of the Australian Army and now works as a doctor in Townsville.
Dr Egan was initially going to run for the Animal Justice Party but decided to run as an independent, following concerns about climate change.
Dr Egan is campaigning on building jobs in sustainable industries, increasing federal funding for public healthcare and aged care and integrity within politics.
Steven Clare
Independent
Steven Clare has been a Townsville resident for 55 years.
He has a background running an auto repair shop. Mr Clare is campaigning on the issue of crime and wants Lavarack Barracks to be used as a boot camp for repeat offenders.
Mr Clare wants the number of children funded by the taxpayer to be capped at three per family. He is also pushing to build the steel industry locally and increase transparency within government.
Greg Dowling
United Australia Party
This is the former Rugby League star's second tilt at the federal seat of Herbert, after running in 2019.
As a long-time business owner and resident, Mr Dowling is campaigning on repaying national debt and home ownership.
He is also seeking to abolish HECS debts for students and improve standards of living.
Clynton Hawks
Katter's Australian Party
The youngest candidate in the field at 22, this is Clynton Hawks' second tilt at politics after running for North Queensland First party in the Queensland state election.
Mr Hawks has a background in the transport industry, working for his family's business.
He is campaigning on water security, improving the freight system and greater national security.
Toni McCormack
Animal Justice Party
Toni McCormack works at the Townsville University Hospital. She also runs a small business called Kissing Chickens, providing ethically sourced and handmade products free from animal ingredients or testing.
The party's priority is to introduce a bill to ban live exports.
She is campaigning to stop and reverse land clearing and address climate change.
Diane Pepe
Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party
(No photo provided)
Diane Pepe is a bus driver.
Australian Electoral Commission records show she is a resident of the Melbourne suburb of Pakenham.
She supports One Nation's calls for a Royal Commission into the handling of the pandemic. Her campaign bio states she supports jobs for Australians first.
Where to vote in Herbert?
- Precinct 21- 21 Stokes Street, Townsville City
- PCYC Aitkenvale, 126 Wellington Street, Aitkenvale
- Greenwood Park Sporting Complex, 290 Thuringowa Drive, Kirwan
Background
Herbert was named after the first Premier of Queensland Robert Herbert and has been in existence since federation.
It has been held by both major parties over the last century, but the LNP has won most elections, particularly since 1993.
Past results
Herbert has a history of being a marginal seat.
The 1998 election was won by the LNP's Peter Lindsay by a margin of just 150 votes.
In the lead up to the 2019 election the seat was the most marginal in the country after Labor's Cathy O'Toole clinched the seat by a mere 37 votes after two weeks of counting and a re-count in the 2016 election.
The seat was secured by LNP's Philip Thompson in 2019 after a huge swing which was seen across regional Queensland.
