Division of Hinkler

{{Infobox Australian Electorate

| federal = yes

| name = Hinkler

| image = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|from=Australian Federal Electorates/Queensland (2019)/Hinkler.map|frame-height=300|frame-width=400|overlay=80px|overlay-horizontal-alignment=right|overlay-vertical-alignment=bottom}}

| caption = Interactive map of boundaries since the 2019 federal election

| created = 1984

| mp = Vacant

| mp-party =

| namesake = Bert Hinkler

| electors = 117306

| electors_year = 2022

| area = 3504

| class = Provincial and rural

}}

The Division of Hinkler is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. It includes the city of Bundaberg and its surrounds. The most recent member for Hinkler is Keith Pitt of the National Party who served between 2013-2025.

Geography

Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.{{cite web |last1=Muller |first1=Damon |title=The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1718/Quick_Guides/FederalRedistributions |website=Parliament of Australia |access-date=19 April 2022 |date=14 November 2017}}

==History==

File:StateLibQld 1 197751 Bert Hinkler, aviator.jpg, the division's namesake]]

The division was created in 1984 and is named after Bert Hinkler, the great pioneer Australian aviator.

The seat is located in coastal Queensland, including the towns of Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Childers, Gayndah and Monto.

The electoral division had previously centred on Gladstone and its surrounding area. On those boundaries, it was a marginal seat that traded hands between the Australian Labor Party and the National Party of Australia. However, after a redistribution in 2006, the Gladstone area, a Labor bastion, was transferred to the Division of Flynn. This seemingly consolidated the Nationals' hold on the seat. While National incumbent Paul Neville was nearly swept out in 2007 due in part to Queensland swinging heavily to Labor under Kevin Rudd, he survived in part due to Labor-leaning Gladstone being replaced with conservative-leaning Hervey Bay. He was reelected with a large enough swing in 2010 to turn Hinkler into a safe seat for the merged Liberal National Party.

Members

class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
colspan=2 \| Image ! Member ! Party ! Term ! Notes
{{Australian party style\|Nationals}}\| \| 100px \| Bryan Conquest {{small\|(1930–2018)}} \| Nationals \| nowrap \| 1 December 1984 – 11 July 1987 \| Lost seat
{{Australian party style\|Labor}}\| \| 100px \| Brian Courtice {{small\|(1950–)}} \| Labor \| nowrap \| 11 July 1987 – 13 March 1993 \| Lost seat
{{Australian party style\|Nationals}}\| \| 100px \| Paul Neville {{small\|(1940–2019)}} \| rowspan=2\| Nationals{{efn\|name=lnp\|Member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland sitting with the federal parliamentary National Party.}} \| nowrap \| 13 March 1993 – 5 August 2013 \| Retired
{{Australian party style\|Nationals}}\| \| 100px \| Keith Pitt {{small\|(1969–)}} \| nowrap \| 7 September 2013 – 19 January 2025 \| Served as minister under Morrison. Resigned

class=wikitable style="text-align:center"

colspan=2 | Image

! Member

! Party

! Term

! Notes

{{Australian party style|Nationals}}|

| 100px

| Bryan Conquest
{{small|(1930–2018)}}

| Nationals

| nowrap | 1 December 1984 –
11 July 1987

| Lost seat