Dickson (Key Seat) Federal Election 2025 Results

Dickson is one of the newer Queensland seats, first contested at the 1993 election. It is named after Sir James Dickson, a leading advocate of Federation, Premier of Queensland 1898-99, and Minister for Defence in Barton's first Federal Ministry.

At Dickson's first contest in 1993, the election had to be deferred for a month following the death of a candidate. Before the election could be held, Labor candidate Michael Lavarch was plucked from backbench obscurity by Paul Keating to serve as Attorney General, though he was not sworn in until after his victory at a supplementary election a month after the federal poll. Lavarch had previously represented much of the electorate as MP for Fisher 1987-93.

Lavarch was one of the Keating government's ministerial casualties in 1996, defeated by the Liberal Party's Tony Smith. Smith was disendorsed over a domestic matter before the 1998 election. Instead the Liberal Party endorsed high profile former radio broadcaster Rod Henshaw, hoping to counteract the profile of new Labor candidate Cheryl Kernot.

Dickson was one of the highest profile local contests of the 1998 election, and also produced the closest finish. Former Australian Democrat Leader Cheryl Kernot famously 'spat the dummy' on ABC-TV's election night coverage when it looked like she had lost, only for her to scrape home by 176 votes after two weeks of counting. Kernot's chequered career in the Labor Party continued, dogged at every step by her own personal demons as well as a few from within the Queensland branch of the Labor Party, which had never taken her to its bosom. Kernot was defeated after being left largely to her own devices in 2001 as the Queensland Labor Party chose to spend money defending safer seats in the post-Tampa political climate.

New Liberal MP Peter Dutton boosted his margin into double figures thanks to redistributions and the 2004 election. None of this mattered come the 2007 election when Dutton suffered an 8.8% swing before eventually limping to victory by just 217 votes.

Another major redistribution ahead of the 2010 election wiped out Dutton's margin and he initially tried to win nomination for a vacant Gold Coast seat. Rebuffed by local branch members, Dutton re-contested Dickson and was easily re-elected on the back of the state-wide swing against Labor. Swings back and forth over the next two elections left Dutton with a margin under 2% after both the 2016 and 2022 elections. Many had expected Dutton to be the highest profile cabinet casualty of the Morrison government going into the 2019 election, only for the 'Morrison miracle' victory to boost his majority.

In 2025 he again defends a seat with a margin under 2%, but as Opposition Leader has his eyes on the prize of becoming Prime Minister.

(Victories by a party of government are indicated by thick coloured underlining.)

Both Labor and the LNP recorded majorities at 16 of the 33 polling places with one dead heat. One aberrant result was an 83.9% Labor two-party preferred result at scenic Mount Nebo State School where the Greens topped the poll with 123 votes to Labor 94 and the LNP only 28 votes. The best result for the LNP was 60.7% at Cedar Creek Public Hall in Closeburn.


(Click on polling place for results)

Labor recorded a narrow 99 majority for polling day votes but this was wiped out by solid LNP majorities for Pre-Poll and Postal votes.

For the past two decades, and despite regular changes in boundaries, LNP results in Dickson have stuck closely to the party's state-wide level of support. That has changed at the last two elections, which may be due to Labor and outside groups mounting efforts to unseat Peter Dutton.

Results 1983-2019