4.0% swing to LNP
Preference count
Labor Party
Luke Richmond
Vote: 51.4%
16,738
Liberal National Party
Fiona Hammond
Vote: 48.6%
15,852
- Previously held by ALP with margin of 5.3%.
- Luke Richmond retains inner suburban Labor stronghold.
First preference
Liberal NationalLiberal National Party
Fiona Hammond
- Vote:40.3%13,146Swing: +2.3%
LaborLabor Party
Luke Richmond
- Vote:30.8%10,034Swing: -8.0%
The GreensThe Greens
Jess Lane
- Vote:14.7%4,777Swing: -3.4%
IndependentIndependent
Liam Parry
- Vote:3.8%1,244Swing: +3.8%
Legalise CannabisLegalise Cannabis Qld
Jacqueline Verne
- Vote:2.9%960Swing: +3.0%
Family FirstFamily First Party
Alan Denaro
- Vote:2.4%767Swing: +0.4%
Animal JusticeAnimal Justice Party
Lucy O'Brien
- Vote:2.1%680Swing: +2.1%
IndependentIndependent
Damian Smart
- Vote:1.9%612Swing: +1.9%
LibertariansLibertarians
Daniel Selff
- Vote:1.1%370Swing: +1.1%
One NationOne Nation
-
- Vote:0.0%0Swing: -3.2%
Polling place results
Inner Northern Brisbane
Vacant seat formerly held by Jimmy Sullivan, who was found dead in his home on April 9. Sullivan had been sitting as an independent since his expulsion from Labor in 2025.
The by-election will be held on Saturday May 16
Inner northern suburbs of Brisbane stretching from Newmarket, north to Chermside
Stafford is a young seat with more renters and a higher tertiary education rate than the Queensland average
Won by Labor at all elections since 2001, except for the LNP landslide in 2012
Past Winning Parties
| Year | Winning Party |
|---|---|
| 2001 | ALP |
| 2004 | ALP |
| 2006 | ALP |
| 2009 | ALP |
| 2012 | LNP |
| 2014By | ALP |
| 2015 | ALP |
| 2017 | ALP |
| 2020 | ALP |
| 2024 | ALP |
(Victories by the party that formed government are underlined)
Profile
Stafford is centred on the suburb of the same name in Brisbane's inner northern suburbs and is horizontally split by Stafford Road. It stretches down to Enoggera Creek in the south while taking in much of Chermside in the north, including its large shopping centre.
While there is a statewide redistribution currently underway, the seat will be contested on the 2024 boundaries.
Background
Since being reconstituted ahead of the 2001 state election, Stafford has largely been a safe Labor seat. But as with many seemingly deep red electorates, it was swept away in the LNP landslide of 2012 by the former Queensland president of the Australian Medical Association, Chris Davis. Davis was appointed assistant health minister in Campbell Newman's government, but was expelled from cabinet in 2014 for breaches of cabinet solidarity. He then abruptly resigned from parliament, without informing either his party or the Premier.
The 2014 by-election to replace Davis was easily won by Labor, in the government's second by-election defeat that year. The new member, Anthony Lynham, entered cabinet on Labor's return to government in 2015 and served until his retirement in 2020 across the portfolios of state development, natural resources and mines, and energy. At the 2020 election, Lynham was succeeded by Jimmy Sullivan, following in the footsteps of his father Terry Sullivan as the member for Stafford.
Sullivan retained the seat in 2024 but his margin was cut by over 6 per cent, a larger swing than Labor's average on Brisbane's northside. One factor in that may have been the LNPs candidate, longtime local councillor Fiona Hammond, who is recontesting the seat in this by-election.
The LNP was able to form government in 2024 largely due its performance outside south east Queensland. It was unable to gain many seats in greater Brisbane. Opinion polling suggests the LNP has improved its statewide position since then, and this by-election may give some hints on whether the gap between regional and city support remains wide.
Former MP
This by-election is being held after former MP Jimmy Sullivan was found dead in his home in April 2026.
Prior to his election, he was a qualified lawyer working in government and law reform, and was chief of staff to Yvette D'Ath during her time as Attorney-General. His father was Terry Sullivan, also a former Labor MP for Stafford.
After he was first elected as to parliament as a Labor MP in 2020, Sullivan served as Assistant Minister for Justice and Veterans' Affairs under Steven Miles from December 2023 until the defeat of the Miles government in October 2024. The day after the 2024 election, police were called to Sullivan's home in response to an alleged domestic incident. Shortly afterwards, Labor leader Steven Miles directed Sullivan to take leave from parliament due to "legal and medical" matters. He was expelled from the Labor caucus in May 2025 for failing to comply with a safe return to work plan. He stated in parliament that he had rapidly recovered after suffering from post-traumatic stress following the birth of his second daughter. After continuing to serve as an independent MP, he was found dead on 9 April 2026. Police described his death as non-suspicious.
2026 candidates · ballot paper order
| Candidate | Party |
|---|---|
| RICHMOND, Luke | Australian Labor Party |
| VERNE, Jacqueline | Legalise Cannabis Qld (Party) |
| SMART, Damian | Independent |
| SELFF, Daniel | Libertarians |
| PARRY, Liam | Independent |
| LANE, Jess | The Greens |
| O'BRIEN, Lucy | Animal Justice Party |
| DENARO, Alan | Family First |
| HAMMOND, Fiona | LNP |
Richmond is a lawyer with a background in health policy and has been assistant state secretary of Queensland Labor since November 2025. He was raised in the electorate and cites the continuing of the Prince Charles Hospital expansion in the electorate's northwest as a key local issue on which he'll be campaigning.
Hammond represented the local area on the Brisbane City Council until she resigned to contest Stafford in the 2024 state election. After failing to pick up the seat she joined a small engineering firm in a government and stakeholder relations role.
Denaro is a father and grandfather with 7 years experience in finance and 34 years in local small business. He was the long-term owner/operator of a local car audio and security business. He was the Family First candidate for Lilley in the 2025 federal election, polling 2.6 per cent.
Lane works in education across the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. She describes herself as a bonafide 'northsider' and has lived in the Stafford electorate for more than a decade with her husband and two young daughters. She contested this seat at the 2024 state election, polling 18 per cent.
O'Brien is a kindergarten teacher in the community-based not-for-profit sector. She was born and raised in Stafford. She has volunteered and fundraised for animal sanctuaries and been involved in wildlife rescue and awareness campaigns.
Parry is an activist and was the first person arrested and charged under the Crisafulli government's new hate speech laws, for reciting the phrase "from the river to the sea" at a demonstration in Brisbane's CBD. The matter remains before the courts and could result in up to a two year prison sentence. He is on the ballot as an independent but has been endorsed by Queensland Socialists, which in the process of registering as a political party.
Selff is a maths teacher in Brisbane and longstanding member and volunteer of the Libertarian Party. He cites housing policy and the education system as key issues for his campaign.
Smart says his campaign is being supported by Gerard Rennick's People First Party, which is not currently registered in Queensland.
Verne is a medicinal cannabis patient, advocate and activist who has been a consumer on-and-off since her late teens. She is the mother to five adult children, aged 28 to 36 years, and has a Master's degree in business and extensive experience as a human resources professional in private and public organisations. She was the Legalise Cannabis candidate for Logan in the 2024 state election, polling 5.2 per cent.
2024 result
| Candidate | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Sullivan (ALP) | 13,856 | ||
| Fiona Hammond (LNP) | 13,605 | ||
| Jess Lane (GRN) | 6,456 | ||
| Stuart Andrews (ONP) | 1,134 | ||
| Alan Denaro (FFP) | 692 | ||
| .... (OTH) | 0 | ||
| Two-candidate preferred | |||
|
55.3%
44.7%
Jimmy Sullivan (ALP)
Fiona Hammond (LNP)
|
|||
2024 polling place results