David Hinchliffe (Australian politician)

David Hinchliffe is an Australian politician and member of the Brisbane City Council. He was Deputy Mayor of the Council until March 2008, when Liberal Mayor Campbell Newman won an outright majority. He had also been the leader of the Australian Labor Party caucus on the council, but stepped down after Labor's loss in the 2008 elections, where he nearly lost his own seat.

Cr Hinchliffe is the Brisbane City Councillor for Central Ward. The Central Ward comprises the suburbs of Red Hill, Paddington, Spring Hill, Fortitude Valley, New Farm and parts of Bardon, Milton, Kelvin Grove, Bowen Hills, Newstead and the Central Business District.

David has been a research officer, speech-writer and journalist. He is a practising visual artist and has had more than sixteen solo exhibitions. His art also appears in public on traffic signal control boxes in the inner-city suburb of Fortitude Valley in which his ward office is also located.

David has also served on many community boards. He is currently the President of Brisbane West Senior Citizens Centre.

David was elected to Brisbane City Council in 1988 and was a member of Civic Cabinet since 1991. He was Chairperson of the Urban Planning and Economic Development Committee.

As a Chairperson, David is responsible for policy development in the following program areas:

*community health and safety
*recreation, cultural development, social policy
*pollution prevention
*community information and libraries
*economic development
*cultural policy
*animal management
*tourism

Following the 2004 Council Election there were some tensions because the Lord Mayor Campbell Newman (who is elected in a presidential style from the whole of the Brisbane populous) was from a different political party Liberal Party of Australia to the majority of the councillors Australian Labor Party lead by Cr Hinchliffe, who are elected on a Ward by Ward basis.

There were consequentially only a few minor disputes between Cr Hinchliffe and the Lord Mayor along party grounds. Most of these disputes involved issues such as who the Lord Mayor could appoint as his representatives to invited events, parties and gatherings; whether Council could amend the Council's budget as proposed by the Lord Mayor; if Council advertisements should be approved by both sides of politics; and if Cr Hinchliffe would be allowed to employ a small number of professional staff.

The "marriage of convenience" between a Liberal Lord Mayor and a Labor Deputy Mayor has not impeded Campbell Newman from implementing his election promises when he has proposed them to Council.

Hinchliffe only narrowly retained his seat in the 2008 council elections, surviving an unexpectedly strong challenge from his Liberal rival. Having lost the Deputy Mayor position with the Liberal victory in the council election, he also stepped down as leader of the Labor councillors. Though no longer in a leadership role, he remains on council as the representative of Central Ward.