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2012 Townsville City Council election

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2012 Townsville City Council election

← 2008 28 April 2012 2016 →
Mayor
  First party Second party Third party
 
TF
IND
Candidate Jenny Hill Dale Last Jeff Jimmieson
Party Team Jenny Hill Townsville First Independent
Popular vote 28,508 26,898 15,301
Percentage 33.74% 31.83% 18.11%
Swing Increase 33.74 Increase 31.83 Increase 18.11
2CP 51.58% 48.42%
2CP swing Increase 51.58 Increase 48.42

Mayor before election

Les Tyrell
Team Tyrell

Subsequent Mayor

Jenny Hill
Team Jenny Hill

Councillors

All 11 members on the City Council (including the Mayor)
6 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader Vote % Seats +/–
Townsville First Dale Last 7 +7
Team Jenny Hill Jenny Hill 2 +2
Independent N/A 1 +1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

The 2012 Townsville City Council election was held on 28 April 2012 to elect a mayor and 10 councillors to the City of Townsville. The election was held as part of the statewide local elections in Queensland, Australia.[1]

Incumbent mayor Les Tyrell chose to retire from politics and did not recontest his position. Councillor Jenny Hill narrowly won the mayoralty with 51.58% of the vote after preferences, however Townsville First won a majority on council.[2]

Background

[edit]

At the previous election in 2008, the Labor Party, which had controlled the council for 32 years − the longest-serving Labor administration in Australia − was defeated in a landslide by the conservative Team Tyrell, which won all but one of the councillor positions. Incumbent mayor Tony Mooney was among the ALP members defeated.[3]

Less than a year after being elected, Team Tyrell councillor Rob McCahill announced his resignation on 9 October 2008, claiming that a "political witch-hunt" was threatening to destroy his family.[4] As the council was unsubdivided, the entire LGA had to vote in the by-election on 22 November, which was won by independent candidate Trevor Roberts. Team Tyrell did not contest the election.[5]

Changes to the council's structure were brought in for the 2012 election, with 10 single-member wards (also known as divisions) introduced.[6]

Candidates

[edit]

Incumbent mayor Les Tyrell announced on 27 October 2011 that he would retire from politics after 32 years, which included 17 years as Thuringowa mayor.[7]

Councillor Dale Last, who was elected on the Team Tyrell ticket in 2008, announced he would run for mayor and lead the Townsville First group, which ran candidates − including six serving Team Tyrell councillors − in all wards. Trevor Roberts also stood for the group.[8]

Labor did not contest the election. Jenny Hill, the only sitting Labor member on council, also ran for the mayoralty and formed Team Jenny Hill.

Results

[edit]

Mayor

[edit]
2012 Queensland mayoral elections: Townsville[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Team Jenny Hill Jenny Hill 28,508 33.74 +33.74
Townsville First Dale Last 26,898 31.83 +31.83
Independent Jeff Jimmieson 15,301 18.11 +18.11
Independent Brendan Porter 12,277 14.53 +14.53
Independent Harry Patel 1,516 1.79 +1.79
Total formal votes 84,500 96.34 −2.37
Informal votes 3,207 3.66 +2.37
Turnout 87,707 80.05
Two-candidate-preferred result
Team Jenny Hill Jenny Hill 32,946 51.58 +51.58
Townsville First Dale Last 30,928 48.42 +48.42
Team Jenny Hill gain from Team Tyrell Swing

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2012 Local Government Elections". Electoral Commission of Queensland. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Uphill battle for King Les's man". The Courier Mail.
  3. ^ "How it happened: a defining moment in politics". Townsville Bulletin. 15 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Councillor quits amidst 'witch-hunt' claims". ABC News.
  5. ^ "McCahill resignation forces Townsville council by-election". ABC News.
  6. ^ "2011- 2012 Annual Report" (PDF). Electoral Commission of Queensland.
  7. ^ "Townsville Mayor Les Tyrell has just announced he will not run at the next council elections". Facebook. Townsville Bulletin.
  8. ^ "Former Townsville First councillor Trevor Roberts announces re-election bid in Division 6". Townsville Bulletin.
  9. ^ "2012 Townsville City Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland.