Former MP from Katter’s Australian party claims victory in Townsville mayoral race after swing against former leader | Queensland

Townsville voted decisively against its controversial former mayor and looks likely to elect instead a bodybuilder, bullfighting former state MP from the populist right in what has been described as one of the biggest swings in Australian election history.

Nick Dametto, 42, the deputy leader of Katter’s Australian Party and a Queensland MP who resigned last month and submitted his candidacy as an independent candidate in Saturday’s byelection, had more than 61% of the vote as of Sunday, with just over 30% counted.

Dametto declared victory Sunday, thanking “the candidates who reached out and agreed.” ABC reported.

“I’m proud to thank Townsville residents who voted for hope; hope for a better city, hope to build the capital of Northern Australia,” he said.

Ann-Maree Greaney, the acting mayor who will continue to serve on the city council, shared a concession on social media.

“We all want the best for our great city and I look forward to working with Nick to serve Townsville,” he wrote.

The byelection was triggered after Troy Thompson resigned as mayor in September after being accused of misleading voters about his military service. Thompson was suspended on full pay last November while the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) conducted an investigation into allegations he made ahead of his successful 2024 campaign.

Thompson won the 2024 three-horse race with 46.4% of the primary vote.

By Sunday morning, Thompson was fifth out of nine candidates with nearly 5% of the vote. Greaney was the only candidate other than Dametto to receive double-digit votes, almost 13%.

The by-election was held as a full mail-in ballot.

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Queensland premier David Crisafulli said in a statement on Sunday morning that Townsville “strongly supports Nick Dametto”.

“This result will give this proud city the local leadership it needs and deserves,” Crisafulli said on social media. “Congratulations Nick – our government looks forward to working with you to deliver better outcomes for a great city.”

Dametto recently led anti-immigration marches in Townsville, campaigned for the appointment of a men’s minister and pressed Queensland to introduce “castle legislation” allowing homeowners to use lethal force against intruders on their property.

Political analyst Paul Williams said Dametto was popular, young and highly visible in the state’s north after winning the last three elections in the state seat of Hinchinbrook, which covers the northern suburbs of Townsville and a stretch of coastline towards Tully.

“He was always the strong candidate,” said the Griffith University associate professor. “But I didn’t think he would win so easily.

“This is one of the biggest swings in an Australian election.”

Often referred to as the unofficial capital of the north, Townsville is a military and mining city and acts as a gateway to the interior, where a “robust, masculine, pioneering economy and political culture” prevails, Williams said.

Dametto, who comes from the populist right, was seen taking a selfie, shirtless and flexing, on the front page of the Bulletin under the headline “Minister of Muscle”.

For the past six years Ingham has competed in the Sugar City Rodeo charity bull rides.

Although he said he was “proud to lead” the Townsville March for Australia in August, Dametto shared that he believed “there is no room for politics in local government” while campaigning for mayor.

Recent social media posts outlining his vision for the city have ranged from the vague, making Townsville “open for business”, to the highly specific, including an “aggressive” new flying fox dispersal regime.

Williams said that unlike many on the populist right who have a habit of “stumbling over their own language,” Dametto has managed to avoid damaging arguments.

The political analyst said he was not surprised by Thompson’s poor performance.

“When history is made, it will be more about the colorful soap opera about the downfall of Troy Thompson,” Williams said.

“You could write a play or film about how a man elected by popular vote to become mayor of one of Queensland’s largest cities falls from grace after allegedly exaggerating his past in his campaign materials.”

Thompson, who was previously unendorsed by One Nation but won the Townsville mayoralty in 2024 after gaining support from conspiracy theorists, vowed it would not be a curtain call.

He took to social media on Saturday night to congratulate Dametto and thank his supporters.

“This chapter may be closing, but the story is not over,” he wrote.

A by-election for Hinchinbrook will be held on 29 November, which will be a major test for the Crisafulli government.