The Division of Whitlam is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.
Whitlam is a predominantly middle and working-class electorate that covers 1,331 square kilometers in the southern Illawarra and NSW southern highlands.[1]
The current MP is Stephen Jones, a member of the Australian Labor Party. Jones was born in Wollongong and was a union official before first being elected to Parliament in 2010.[1]
Geography
Federal electoral division boundaries in Australia are determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.[2]
History
The division, previously named Throsby, was renamed in honour of Gough Whitlam, the Prime Minister of Australia from 1972–75, in a February 2016 electoral distribution.[3] It came into effect from 2 July 2016, the date of the 2016 Australian federal election.
ABC election analyst Antony Green estimated that boundary changes to Throsby would reduce the Australian Labor Party's notional two-party-preferred margin from 7.8 to 6.9 percentage points.[4] Despite this, the last member for Throsby, Stephen Jones, easily retained the seat with a healthy swing of over six points.
Whitlam has a strong working-class character due to the presence of industries such as steelmaking, coal mining and stevedoring in the Illawarra.
Members
| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Stephen Jones (1965–) |
Labor | 2 July 2016 – present |
Previously held the Division of Throsby. Incumbent. Currently a minister in the Albanese Government |
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Stephen Jones | 49,218 | 45.01 | −3.79 | |
| Liberal | Mike Cains | 30,849 | 28.21 | +2.75 | |
| Greens | Jamie Dixon | 11,779 | 10.77 | +1.56 | |
| One Nation | Colin Hughes | 7,543 | 6.90 | +6.90 | |
| United Australia | Allan Wode | 5,886 | 5.38 | −3.46 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Michael Wheeler | 4,062 | 3.72 | +3.72 | |
| Total formal votes | 109,337 | 95.10 | +2.35 | ||
| Informal votes | 5,637 | 4.90 | −2.35 | ||
| Turnout | 114,974 | 91.69 | −1.57 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Stephen Jones | 65,683 | 60.07 | −0.84 | |
| Liberal | Mike Cains | 43,654 | 39.93 | +0.84 | |
| Labor hold | Swing | −0.84 | |||
- National
References
- ^ a b "Whitlam - Federal Electorate, Candidates, Results". abc.net.au. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ Muller, Damon (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Federal seat of Throsby to become Whitlam". ABC News. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ^ Green, Antony. "2015–16 New South Wales Federal Redistribution". ABC News. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ^ Whitlam, NSW, 2022 Tally Room, Australian Electoral Commission.