Division of Bennelong
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The Division of Bennelong is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Bennelong, an Aboriginal man befriended by the first Governor of New South Wales, Arthur Phillip. Bennelong is based in Northern Sydney, including the suburbs of Eastwood, Epping and Ryde, and has been held by the Liberal Party since its creation. In that time it has had only two members. The current member, John Howard, has held the seat for 32 years and has been Prime Minister of Australia since 1996.
Interestingly, however, the two-party preferred vote for the Liberals actually declined by 3.4% in the 2004 election, contrary to a strong national trend to the coalition (and a particularly strong one to the Coalition in outer-suburban metropolitan seats), making Bennelong a marginal seat, with a margin of just 4.3%. Demographic trends, and the phenomenon of socially liberal middle-class "doctor's wives" becoming increasingly opposed to the social policies of the Coalition, are the likely causes of the swing. The latter was particularly relevant in 2004 as he was challenged by a strong anti-Iraq campaign, centred around a former intelligence officer, Andrew Wilkie who contested the election on behalf of the Australian Greens.
Bennelong is currently regarded as a key marginal seat. If Howard were to contest Bennelong at the 2007 election and lose, it would be only the second time in Australian history that a sitting Prime Minister has been defeated in his own electorate, the other being Stanley Bruce. The proposed redistribution will push this margin further into Labor territory, due to the inclusion of predominantly working class and public housing suburb of Ermington into its boundaries[citation needed].
[edit] Members
| Member | Party affiliation | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Sir John Cramer | Liberal Party | 1949-1974 |
| John Howard | Liberal Party | 1974- |
| Electoral Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives in New South Wales | |
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Banks | Barton | Bennelong | Berowra | Blaxland | Bradfield | Calare | Charlton | Chifley | Cook | Cowper | Cunningham | Dobell | Eden-Monaro | Farrer | Fowler | Gilmore | Grayndler | Greenway | Gwydir | Hughes | Hume | Hunter | Kingsford Smith | Lindsay | Lowe | Lyne | Macarthur | Mackellar | Macquarie | Mitchell | New England | Newcastle | North Sydney | Page | Parkes | Parramatta | Paterson | Prospect | Reid | Richmond | Riverina | Robertson | Shortland | Sydney | Throsby | Warringah | Watson | Wentworth | Werriwa |
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