{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Use Australian English|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Wayde Chiesa | honorific_suffix = MP | image = | constituency_AM = Hinchinbrook | assembly = Queensland Legislative | term_start = 29 November 2025 | term_end = | predecessor = Nick Dametto | successor = | birth_date = | birth_place = Ingham, Queensland, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | party = Liberal National | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = Politician | signature = | footnotes = | website = }} '''Wayde Chiesa''' is an Australian politician who represents the Queensland electoral district of Hinchinbrook in the Queensland Legislative Assembly after winning a 2025 by-election.
==Early life== Chiesa was born and raised in Ingham, and was a childhood friend of Premier David Crisafulli.<ref name="ABC"/><ref name="Meet">{{cite web |title=Meet LNP Candidate Wayde Chiesa |url=https://www.hinchinbrooklife.com/article/meet-lnp-candidate-wayde-chiesa |website=Hinchinbrook Life |access-date=30 November 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Courier"/> He grew up on his family's sugarcane farm, and moved to Townsville for university.<ref name="Courier">{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Hayden |title=Premier's high-stakes battle to win back Hinchinbrook from Katter's Australian Party |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qld-politics/premiers-highstakes-battle-to-win-back-hinchinbrook-from-katters-australian-party/news-story/764a068185a63753b09dea946d9c3f5f |website=Courier Mail |access-date=30 November 2025}}</ref>
== Career == 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.<ref name="Meet"/> He also worked for Townsville City Council and is a chartered accountant.<ref name="ABC"/><ref name="JCU">{{cite web |title=Small Town, Big Dreams: Inspiring Success from Rural Queensland |url=https://www.jcu.edu.au/college-of-business-law-and-governance/events/business-seminar-series/2024/small-town,-big-dreams-inspiring-success-from-rural-queensland |website=www.jcu.edu.au |access-date=30 November 2025 |language=en-AU |date=17 December 2024}}</ref> For almost two decades, he was a sports commentator with sports broadcast narrator.<ref name="Meet"/><ref name="Courier"/>
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.<ref name="Bulletin">{{cite web |title=No Cookies |url=https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/wayde-chiesa-former-north-queensland-rda-ceo-named-lnp-byelection-candidate-for-hinchinbrook/news-story/0384f503935d7e19aeb11987c555589b?amp |website=Townsville Bulletin |access-date=30 November 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251015010950/https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/wayde-chiesa-former-north-queensland-rda-ceo-named-lnp-byelection-candidate-for-hinchinbrook/news-story/0384f503935d7e19aeb11987c555589b?amp |archive-date=15 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Electoral Commission of Queensland |url=https://results.elections.qld.gov.au/Hinchinbrook2025 |website=QLD Electoral Commission |access-date=30 November 2025 |language=en |date=1 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="ABC">{{cite web |title=Wayde Chiesa vows to get to work following LNP victory in north Qld |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-30/lnp-wayde-chiesa-wins-hinchinbrook-by-election/106074692 |website=ABC News |access-date=30 November 2025 |language=en-AU |date=30 November 2025}}</ref> The victory marked the first time a sitting Queensland government gained a seat in a by-election since 1998.<ref name="SMH">{{cite web |last1=Atfield |first1=Cameron |title=LNP extends parliamentary majority with 'emphatic' byelection win |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/lnp-extends-parliamentary-majority-with-emphatic-byelection-win-20251130-p5njjc.html |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=30 November 2025 |language=en |date=30 November 2025}}</ref>
Chiesa is a member of the Governance, Energy and Finance Committee.<ref name="Memba">{{cite web |title=Member Details - Queensland Parliament |url=https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Members/Current-Members/Member-List/Member-Details?id=1263923514 |website=QLD Parliament |access-date=16 January 2026}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|au-qld}} {{s-bef|before=Nick Dametto}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Hinchinbrook|years=2025–present}} {{s-aft|after=}} {{s-end}}
{{QldCurrentMPs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiesa, Wayde}} Category:Living people Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:People from Ingham, Queensland Category:Liberal National Party of Queensland politicians Category:Year of birth missing (living people)