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The 2025 Townsville mayoral by-election is scheduled to be held on 15 November 2025 to elect the mayor of Townsville in Queensland, following the resignation of incumbent mayor Troy Thompson. [1] Thompson, who was suspended from the mayoralty by the Queensland Government in November 2024, will recontest the position at the by-election. [2] [3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Troy Thompson | 50,167 | 46.60 | +46.60 | |
| Team Jenny Hill | Jenny Hill | 47,415 | 43.86 | −6.78 | |
| Independent | Harry Patel | 10,529 | 9.74 | +9.74 | |
| Turnout | 112,020 | 79.21 | +4.94 | ||
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Independent | Troy Thompson | 53,956 | 52.62 | +52.62 | |
| Team Jenny Hill | Jenny Hill | 48,575 | 47.38 | −14.15 | |
| Independent gain from Team Jenny Hill | Swing | N/A | |||
At the request of Townsville City Council, the Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) will conduct the by-election via post. [4] [5]
Candidates are listed in the order they will appear on the ballot. [6]
| Party | Candidate | Background | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Sean Gleeson | Former detention centre worker | |
| Independent | Troy Thompson | Mayor of Townsville from 2024 until 2025 | |
| Independent | Harry Patel | Candidate for mayor in 2012, 2016 and 2024 | |
| Independent | Nick Dametto | Former member for Hinchinbrook in the Queensland Legislative Assembly | |
| Independent | Chris Poulsen | Former Queensland Nickel worker | |
| Independent | Ann-Maree Greaney | Acting mayor since 2024 | |
| Independent Labor [7] | Paul Jacob | Councillor for Divison 1 since 2024 [8] | |
| Independent Labor [9] | Joanne Keune | Founder of SpeakEze Communication Coaching | |
| Independent | David Kippin | Former CEO of Townsville Enterprise [10] | |
Nick Dametto, who has served as the member for Hinchinbrook in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2017, announced on the same day as Thompson's resignation that he would contest the mayoral by-election. [11] Under Queensland law, candidates running for local government positions cannot be a member of a state or federal parliament. [12] Dametto resigned from the Katter's Australian Party (KAP) to contest as an independent, although the KAP has endorsed his candidacy. [13] [14]
Ann-Maree Greaney, the councillor for Division 3 since 2016 and the acting mayor since Thompson's suspension in 2024, will contest. [15] Former Mundingburra MP Les Walker considered contesting, but ultimately chose not to run. [16]
No political party endorsed candidates at the 2024 mayoral election. [17] [18] The Labor Party (ALP) has not made endorsements for Townsville local elections since 2008, although Labor members Paul Jacob and Joanne Keune are contesting the by-election without the party's endorsement. [19] [20]
On 27 October 2025, the Townsville Bulletin reported that Sean Gleeson had previously replied to a Reddit post in the "r/Rape_Hentai" subreddit. [21] The following day, he withdrew from the by-election citing "mental health reasons".
| P | Participant |
| W | Withdrew |
| Date | Host | Participants | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gle. | Tho. | Pat. | Dam. | Pou. | Gre. | Jac. | Keu. | Kip. | ||
| 28 Oct 2025 | Townsville Bulletin [22] | W | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
