Division of Braddon
| Braddon Australian House of Representatives Division | |
|---|---|
 Division of Braddon (Green) in Tasmania | |
| Created | 1955 |
| MP | Brett Whiteley |
| Party | Liberal |
| Namesake | Sir Edward Braddon |
| Electors | 71,677 (2013) |
| Area | 20,826 km2 (8,041.0 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Rural |
The Division of Braddon is an Australian electoral division in the state of Tasmania. The division was created at the Tasmanian redistribution of 30 August 1955 to replace the abolished Division of Darwin, and is named for Sir Edward Braddon, a Premier of Tasmania and one of Tasmania's five original federal members of parliament.
Braddon is a rural electorate covering approximately 20,826 square kilometres (8,041 sq mi) in the north-western and west of Tasmania and includes King Island. The cities of Burnie and Devonport are major population centres in the division. Other towns include Currie, Latrobe, Penguin, Queenstown, Rosebery, Smithton, Somerset, Stanley, Strahan, Ulverstone, Waratah, Wynyard and Zeehan.[1]
The current Member for the Division of Braddon, since the 2013 federal election, is Brett Whiteley, a member of the Liberal Party of Australia.
History
Following the election of the Whitlam government and the period following the Franklin Dam controversy, Braddon became a relatively safe seat for the Liberal Party. In more recent years, the division has usually been a marginal seat, changing hands between the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party. Its most prominent member was Ray Groom. Groom was later to represent Denison in the Tasmanian Parliament 1986-2001 and served as Tasmanian Premier 1992-96.[2]
Members
| Member | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aubrey Luck | Liberal | 1955–1958 | |
| Ron Davies | Labor | 1958–1975 | |
| Ray Groom | Liberal | 1975–1984 | |
| Chris Miles | Liberal | 1984–1998 | |
| Sid Sidebottom | Labor | 1998–2004 | |
| Mark Baker | Liberal | 2004–2007 | |
| Sid Sidebottom | Labor | 2007–2013 | |
| Brett Whiteley | Liberal | 2013–present | |
Election results
| Australian federal election, 2013: Braddon[3] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal | Brett Whiteley | 30,904 | 46.86 | +7.51 | |
| Labor | Sid Sidebottom | 24,791 | 37.59 | −11.09 | |
| Palmer United | Kevin Morgan | 6,125 | 9.29 | +9.29 | |
| Greens | Melissa Houghton | 3,410 | 5.17 | −6.79 | |
| Rise Up Australia | Bernard Shaw | 726 | 1.10 | +1.10 | |
| Total formal votes | 65,956 | 96.45 | +0.77 | ||
| Informal votes | 2,428 | 3.55 | −0.77 | ||
| Turnout | 68,384 | 95.41 | −0.24 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Brett Whiteley | 34,668 | 52.56 | +10.04 | |
| Labor | Sid Sidebottom | 31,288 | 47.44 | −10.04 | |
| Liberal gain from Labor | Swing | +10.04 | |||
References
- ↑ "Profile of the electoral division of Braddon (Tas)". Current federal electoral divisions. Australian Electoral Commission. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ↑ Green, Antony (11 October 2013). "Federal election 2013: Braddon results". Australia Votes (Australia: ABC). Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ↑ "Two Party Preferred by division for Braddon, Tas". Virtual Tally Room, Election 2013. Australian Electoral Commission. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
External links
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Coordinates: 41°38′53″S 145°24′50″E / 41.648°S 145.414°E