Division of Barton
| Barton Australian House of Representatives Division | |
|---|---|
|
Division of Barton (green) in New South Wales | |
| Created | 1922 |
| MP | Nickolas Varvaris |
| Party | Liberal |
| Namesake | Sir Edmund Barton |
| Electors | 98,688 (2013)[1] |
| Area | 44 km2 (17.0 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Inner metropolitan |
The Division of Barton is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The division was created in 1922 and is named for Sir Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia.
The division has always been based in the inner southern suburbs of Sydney, and currently includes the suburbs of Arncliffe, Banksia, Bardwell Valley, Beverley Park, Bexley, Bexley North, Brighton-Le-Sands, Carss Park, Dolls Point, Kogarah, Kogarah Bay, Kyeemagh, Monterey, Ramsgate, Ramsgate Beach, Rockdale, Sandringham, Sans Souci, Turrella and Wolli Creek and parts of Beverly Hills, Carlton, Earlwood, Marrickville, and Kingsgrove.
The current Member for Barton, since the 2013 federal election, is Nickolas Varvaris, a member of the Liberal Party of Australia.[1]
History
For most of its history, Barton has been a marginal seat. It was held by the Australian Labor Party for most of the time after 1940, though it has been taken by the Liberals (or their predecessors) at high-tide elections.
Barton's most prominent member has been Dr H. V. Evatt, who was Leader of the Australian Labor Party between 1951 and 1960. Evatt nearly lost the seat in 1951 and 1955, and in 1958 he transferred to the safe seat of Hunter. A former minister in the Hawke and Keating ministries, Gary Punch, held the seat for Labor between 1983 and 1986. Robert McClelland, a former Attorney-General, held the seat for Labor between 1996 and 2013.
The Division of Barton is linked to one of the more unusual episodes in Australian politics. The first member for Barton, Labor's Frederick McDonald, disappeared after his 1925 defeat by Nationalist Thomas Ley, and it is now believed that Ley had him murdered.[2] Ley was later found to be insane and died in Broadmoor Asylum in Britain.
Members
| Member | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick McDonald | Labor | 1922–1925 | |
| Thomas Ley | Nationalist | 1925–1928 | |
| James Tully | Labor | 1928–1931 | |
| Albert Lane | United Australia | 1931–1940 | |
| H. V. Evatt | Labor | 1940–1958 | |
| Len Reynolds | Labor | 1958–1966 | |
| William Arthur | Liberal | 1966–1969 | |
| Len Reynolds | Labor | 1969–1975 | |
| Jim Bradfield | Liberal | 1975–1983 | |
| Gary Punch | Labor | 1983–1996 | |
| Robert McClelland | Labor | 1996–2013 | |
| Nickolas Varvaris | Liberal | 2013–present | |
Election results
| Australian federal election, 2013: Barton[1] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal | Nickolas Varvaris | 33,881 | 42.35 | +1.68 | |
| Labor | Steve McMahon | 32,345 | 40.43 | −8.05 | |
| Greens | Jackie Brooker | 4,788 | 5.98 | −4.87 | |
| Palmer United | Edward Caruana | 3,114 | 3.89 | +3.89 | |
| Independent | Michael Nagi | 3,071 | 3.84 | +3.84 | |
| Christian Democrats | Kylie French | 1,549 | 1.94 | +1.94 | |
| One Nation | Perry Theo | 686 | 0.86 | +0.86 | |
| Katter's Australian | Rodney Wyse | 567 | 0.71 | +0.71 | |
| Total formal votes | 80,001 | 87.96 | −2.22 | ||
| Informal votes | 10,948 | 12.04 | +2.22 | ||
| Turnout | 90,949 | 92.16 | +0.54 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Nickolas Varvaris | 40,245 | 50.31 | +7.17 | |
| Labor | Steve McMahon | 39,756 | 49.69 | −7.17 | |
| Liberal gain from Labor | Swing | +7.17 | |||
References
- 1 2 3 "Barton, NSW". Election 2013. Australian Electoral Commission. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ↑ O'Neill, Margot; Evans, Brett (26 April 2004). "Lateline History Challenge: Minister for Murder" (transcript). Lateline (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 6 November 2013.
External links
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Coordinates: 33°57′22″S 151°07′44″E / 33.956°S 151.129°E