Richmond Wins Majority in Most Centres as Hammond Secures Kedron West Postal Vote

Context The local council election saw intense competition across eight counting centres. Voters cast first‑preference votes, then preferences were distributed until a winner emerged in each centre. Informal votes—ballots filled out incorrectly—accounted for 3‑7% of totals.

Key Facts Richmond topped the final count in six of the eight centres. In Newmarket he received 626 votes, 64.9% of the final tally, a swing of +1.3 points from the previous election. He also led in Chermside East (612 votes, 53.6% after preferences), Chermside South (464 votes, 53.8%), Chermside West (523 votes, 54.2%), Grange (407 votes, 48.7%) and Kedron (680 votes, 52.9%).

Hammond’s strongest performance came in Kedron West, where she amassed 668 votes, 51.7% after preferences, a swing of +6.1 points. She also won the postal ballot, adding 2,110 votes (57.7% of the total) and a swing of +6.6 points. In Kedron she led after preferences with 605 votes (47.1%). In Grange she narrowly edged Richmond after preferences, securing 428 votes (51.3%).

First‑preference totals show Hammond leading in four centres: Kedron West (582 votes, 45.0%), Kedron (477 votes, 37.1%), Grange (367 votes, 44.0%) and Somerset Hills (339 votes, 34.0%). Richmond led in Newmarket (296 votes, 30.7%) and Somerset Hills (293 votes, 29.4%).

Informal ballots ranged from 23 in Grange to 59 in Chermside East, reflecting typical voter error rates.

What It Means Richmond’s majority in most centres indicates solid ALP support in the northern suburbs, yet Hammond’s postal win and Kedron West victory demonstrate the LNP’s capacity to capture decisive pockets. The swing toward Hammond in postal and Kedron West suggests targeted campaigning paid off, while Richmond’s modest positive swing in Newmarket shows the ALP can still grow in marginal areas.

Future scrutiny will focus on how these patterns influence council policy and whether the LNP can replicate postal‑ballot success in upcoming elections.