{{Short description|Australian politician (born 1983)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Use Australian English|date=April 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Nick Dametto | honorific_suffix = | image = NickDametto.png | honorific_prefix = Councillor | office = 48th Mayor of Townsville | order = | term_start = 16 November 2025 | term_end = | deputy = | predecessor = Troy Thompson | successor = | office1 = Deputy Leader of Katter's Australian Party | term_start1 = 16 November 2021 | term_end1 = 14 October 2025 | leader1 = Robbie Katter | predecessor1 = ''Position established'' | successo1r = | constituency_AM2 = Hinchinbrook | assembly2 = Queensland Legislative | term_start2 = 25 November 2017 | term_end2 = 14 October 2025 | predecessor2 = Andrew Cripps | successor2 = Wayde Chiesa | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1983|9|18}} | birth_place = Ingham, Queensland, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | party = Independent (since 2025) | other_party = Katter's Australian (until 2025) | spouse = | children = At least one<ref name=Hansard2018 /> | alma_mater = Gilroy Santa Maria College, Ingham | occupation = Politician | signature = | footnotes = | website = }} '''Nicholas Dametto''' (born 18 September 1983) is an Australian politician who has served as the mayor of Townsville since 2025.<ref>{{cite web |title=2025 Townsville City Council – Mayoral By-election. Saturday, 15 November 2025 |url=https://results.elections.qld.gov.au/TCCMayor2025/072/preliminary |website=Electoral Commission Queensland |access-date=16 November 2025}}</ref> He was the member for Hinchinbrook in the Queensland Legislative Assembly between 2017 and 2025, serving as the deputy leader of Katter's Australian Party (KAP) between 2021 and 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/qld-election-2017/guide/hinc/|title=Hinchinbrook|work=Queensland Election 2017|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|last=Green|first=Antony|author-link=Antony Green}}</ref>
==Early life== Dametto was born in Ingham,<ref name=GC2017>{{cite news|last1=Grace-Curran|first1=Olivia|title=Katter Party announces candidate for Hinchinbrook|url=http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/katter-party-announces-candidate-for-hinchinbrook/news-story/659238cfddca644a673ae5099ae6d520|access-date=8 December 2017|work=Townsville Bulletin|date=1 November 2017|language=en}}</ref> near Hawkins Creek on a family-owned sugar cane farm.<ref name=Hansard2018>{{cite web |title=Maiden speech by Nicholas Dametto, Member for Hinchinbrook |url=https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/speeches/spk2018/Nick_Dametto-Hinchinbrook-20180320-184887929851.pdf |website=Hansard |publisher=The State of Queensland (Queensland Parliament) |access-date=16 November 2025 |format=PDF |date=20 March 2018}}</ref> His grandfather left Italy post-World War II, and was raised as one of several children to a single mother, in the Roman Catholic religion.<ref name=Hansard2018 /> from the age of 15 he worked after school at a spare parts store and Friday nights at a bakery in Ingham, and a store on Saturday.<ref name=Hansard2018 /> Dametto's father gave him experience on charter boats and banana crop farming.<ref name=Hansard2018 /> He completed his schooling at Gilroy Santa Maria College in 2000.<ref name=Hansard2018 />
Dametto worked within several industries, namely tourism as the previous owner of jet ski operator Townsville WaterSports, sugar at the Victoria Mill, and mining as a diesel fitter and boilermaker nationwide.<ref name=GC2017 /><ref name=Hansard2018 />
His high school sweetheart, later wife, and he became parents at the age of 18.<ref name=Hansard2018 /> They have one son.<ref name=Hansard2018 />
== Political career ==
At the 2017 Queensland state election, Dametto was the Katter's Australian Party (KAP) candidate for the Hinchinbrook district. He finished third on the primary vote, behind the Liberal National Party and One Nation. However, he overtook One Nation for second place on Labor preferences, and then defeated LNP incumbent Andrew Cripps on One Nation preferences. Hinchinbrook had been in the hands of the LNP or the Nationals since 1960.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
In November 2021, Dametto was appointed as deputy to the party's leader Robbie Katter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7513161/katter-party-appoints-qld-deputy-leader/ | title=Katter party appoints QLD deputy leader | date=16 November 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northweststar.com.au/story/7513654/kap-appoints-nick-dametto-as-new-deputy-leader/ | title=KAP appoints Nick Dametto as new deputy leader | date=16 November 2021 }}</ref>
In April 2025, Dametto was given an adult caution for breach of alcohol restrictions per the Curacoa Island alcohol management plan following a Good Friday visit to the Greater Palm region.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baz |first1=Ruddick |title=MP Nick Dametto cautioned for breaking Indigenous community alcohol rules |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-29/nick-dametto-kap-palm-island-beer-police-caution/105229096 |access-date=16 November 2025 |work=ABC News (Australia) |date=29 April 2025}}</ref>
Dametto helped organise the Townsville rally of the March for Australia, an anti-immigration rally in August 2025. Dametto was warned by a member of the crowd that there were Neo-Nazis present at the rally. Dametto defended the presence of the men and said, "Who they are I don't know, but if they can behave themselves today and don't do anything to stir anyone up, I've got no dramas with them standing and doing their own thing over there. They're Australians, I may not support what they may or may not be into but I believe that every Australian has the right to march today".<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 September 2025 |title=Woman tells Nick Dametto there are suspected neo-Nazis at the Townsville rally |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-01/woman-tells-nick-dametto-suspected-neo-nazis-at-rally/105721682 |access-date=7 September 2025 |website=www.abc.net.au |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1 September 2025 |title=Katter says he was unaware man at rally was wearing neo-Nazi insignia |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-01/kap-leader-unaware-man-at-rally-wearing-neo-nazi-insignia/105721906 |access-date=7 September 2025 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref>
In late September 2025, Dametto stated he would resign from the Katter's Australian Party to contest the upcoming Townsville mayoral by-election as an independent, with the election to be held in November.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Davis |first1=William |last2=Strohfeldt |first2=Catherine |last3=Hall |first3=James |title=Bid to boost power in Katter Country revealed in mayoral race |url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/suspended-mayor-resigns-accuses-premier-of-political-interference-20250926-p5my4o.html |publisher=Brisbane Times |access-date=26 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250926071058/https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/suspended-mayor-resigns-accuses-premier-of-political-interference-20250926-p5my4o.html |archive-date=26 September 2025 |date=26 September 2025}}</ref> On 2 October 2025, it was reported Dametto had already resigned from the party and would also be resigning from state parliament for the mayoral by-election.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chomicki |first1=Chloe |title=Date set for Townsville mayoral by-election by postal ballot |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-02/townsville-mayoral-election-date-confirmed/105842690 |publisher=ABC News |access-date=2 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251002042645/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-02/townsville-mayoral-election-date-confirmed/105842690 |archive-date=2 October 2025 |date=2 October 2025}}</ref> Dametto won the by-election with a primary vote of 61.53%.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Electoral Commission of Queensland|url=https://results.elections.qld.gov.au/TCCMayor2025/072/primary|website=results.elections.qld.gov.au|date=2019-07-01|access-date=2025-11-30|language=en|first=Electoral Commission of|last=Queensland}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == *[https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/current/list/MemberDetails?ID=3295683648 Parliamentary Profile]
{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-qld}} {{s-bef|before=Andrew Cripps}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Hinchinbrook|years=2017–2025}} {{s-aft|after=Wayde Chiesa}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dametto, Nick}} Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Category:Katter's Australian Party politicians Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:People from Ingham, Queensland