Electoral district of Upper Hunter
Upper Hunter is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by George Souris of the National Party of Australia.
According to the report for the 2004 redistribution of electoral districts, it is estimated that the electoral district will have 47,303 electors on 29 April 2007.[1] At the 2007 election it will include the lightly inhabited southwestern part of the City of Cessnock, Singleton Shire (except for an area around Branxton), Dungog Shire, Gloucester Shire, Muswellbrook Shire, Upper Hunter Shire, Liverpool Plains Shire (excluding the area around Werris Creek) and northeastern Mid-Western Regional Council (including Bylong).[2]
History
In 1859, Upper Hunter replaced the Electoral district of Phillip, Brisbane and Bligh, established in the first Parliament in 1856. It had two members from 1880 to 1894. It was abolished in 1894 and largely replaced by Robertson and Singleton. In 1904 Robertson was abolished and Upper Hunter was recreated. It was abolished from 1920 with the introduction of proportional representation, but was recreated in 1927.
Upper Hunter is one of three original (post 1927 redistribution) electorates to have never been held by the opposing Labor party and always by the Nationals or whilst in a coalition agreement, the Nationalists, the other districts being Tamworth and Oxley.
Members for Upper Hunter
First incarnation (1856–1880, 1 member) |
Member |
Party |
Term |
|
John Robertson |
None |
1859–1861 |
|
Thomas Dangar |
None |
1861–1864 |
|
James White |
None |
1864–1868 |
|
Archibald Bell |
None |
1868–1872 |
|
John Creed |
None |
1872–1874 |
|
Francis White |
None |
1874–1875 |
|
Thomas Hungerford |
None |
1875–1875 |
|
John McElhone |
None |
1875–1880 |
(1880—1894, 2 members) |
Member |
Party |
Term |
Member |
Party |
Term |
|
John McLaughlin |
None |
1880–1885 |
|
John McElhone |
None |
1880–1885 |
|
Robert FitzGerald |
None |
1885–1887 |
|
Thomas Hungerford |
None |
1885–1887 |
|
Free Trade |
1887–1889 |
|
John McElhone |
Free Trade |
1887–1889 |
|
Protectionist |
1889–1894 |
|
William Abbott |
Protectionist |
1889–1891 |
|
Thomas Williams |
Labor |
1891–1894 |
Election results
New South Wales state election, 2011: Upper Hunter[3] |
Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
|
National |
George Souris |
24,555 |
54.7 |
-5.5 |
|
Independent |
Tim Duddy |
8,653 |
19.3 |
+19.3 |
|
Labor |
Michael Gibbons |
8,047 |
17.9 |
-13.4 |
|
Greens |
Chris Parker |
2,563 |
5.7 |
-2.8 |
|
Christian Democrats |
Fred Cowley |
1,109 |
2.5 |
+2.5 |
Total formal votes |
44,927 |
97.2 |
-0.7 |
Informal votes |
1,276 |
2.8 |
+0.7 |
Turnout |
46,203 |
93.7 |
|
Two-candidate preferred result |
|
National |
George Souris |
26,179 |
68.3 |
+3.5 |
|
Independent |
Tim Duddy |
12,161 |
31.7 |
+31.7 |
|
National hold |
Swing |
+3.5 |
|
References