Wayde Chiesa
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Hinchinbrook
Assumed office
29 November 2025
Preceded byNick Dametto
Personal details
Born
Ingham, Queensland, Australia
PartyLiberal National
OccupationPolitician

Wayde Chiesa is an Australian politician who is currently member-elect for the Queensland electoral district of Hinchinbrook after winning the by-election held on 29 November 2025.

Early life

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Chiesa was born and raised in Ingham, and was a childhood friend of Premier David Crisafulli.[1][2][3] He grew up on his family's sugarcane farm, and moved to Townsville for university.[3]

Career

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Chiesa previously served as CEO of Regional Development Australia Townsville and North West Queensland, and as Director of Regional Development and Investment at a local non-profit in Townsville.[2] He also worked for Townsville City Council and is a chartered accountant.[1][4] For almost two decades, he was a sports commentator with sports broadcast narrator.[2][3]

He successfully contested the 2025 Hinchinbrook state by-election with the Liberal National Party, succeeding Nick Dametto of Katter's Australian Party, who resigned to run for mayor of Townsville.[5][6][1] The victory marked the first time a sitting Queensland government gained a seat in a by-election since 1998.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Wayde Chiesa vows to get to work following LNP victory in north Qld". ABC News. 30 November 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Meet LNP Candidate Wayde Chiesa". Hinchinbrook Life. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Johnson, Hayden. "Premier's high-stakes battle to win back Hinchinbrook from Katter's Australian Party". Courier Mail. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  4. ^ "Small Town, Big Dreams: Inspiring Success from Rural Queensland". www.jcu.edu.au. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  5. ^ "No Cookies". Townsville Bulletin. Archived from the original on 15 October 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  6. ^ "Electoral Commission of Queensland". QLD Electoral Commission. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  7. ^ Atfield, Cameron (30 November 2025). "LNP extends parliamentary majority with 'emphatic' byelection win". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 November 2025.