Division of Braddon

This article is about the federal electorate. For the state electorate, see Division of Braddon (state).
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

MemberPartyTerm
  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

  1. "Profile of the electoral division of Braddon (Tas)". Current federal electoral divisions. Australian Electoral Commission. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  2. Green, Antony (11 October 2013). "Federal election 2013: Braddon results". Australia Votes (Australia: ABC). Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  3. "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

Coordinates: 41°38′53″S 145°24′50″E / 41.648°S 145.414°E