Division of Higgins

Higgins Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Higgins (green) in Victoria
Created	1949
MP	Kelly O'Dwyer
Party	Liberal
Namesake	H. B. Higgins
Electors	98,241 (2013)
Area	40 km² (15.4 sq mi)
Demographic	Inner Metropolitan

The Division of Higgins is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria.

The division was created in 1949 and is named after Justice H. B. Higgins (1851–1929), who was a Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (1894), president of the Carlton Football Club (1904), a founding Member of Australian House of Representatives (1901–1906) and Justice of the High Court of Australia (1906–1929).

The Division of Higgins is located in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. It covers an area of approximately 40 sq km from Hughesdale in the south-east, South Yarra and Toorak in the north-west, Windsor in the south-west and Ashburton and Glen Iris in the east. The main suburbs include Armadale, Ashburton, Kooyong, Malvern, Malvern East, Prahran and Toorak along with parts of Carnegie, Glen Iris, Hughesdale, Murrumbeena, South Yarra and Windsor.

Historically the seat has been prominent in Australian federal politics, especially for the Liberal Party. The seat's first two members, Harold Holt and Sir John Gorton, were Prime Ministers of Australia in 1966–67 and 1968–71 respectively. Higgins is the only Division to have been held by two Prime Ministers. This occurred when Holt went missing while Prime Minister, and then-Senator Gorton was elected as his replacement.

More recently the Division of Higgins was held by the longest serving Treasurer of Australia and former Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Peter Costello who was a prominent member of the Howard Government. Costello resigned from the seat on 19 October 2009, and was succeeded in the ensuing by-election by current member Kelly O'Dwyer.

Members

	Party	Term
Harold Holt	Liberal	1949–1967
John Gorton	Liberal	1968–1975
John Gorton	Independent	1975–1975
Roger Shipton	Liberal	1975–1990
Peter Costello	Liberal	1990–2009
Kelly O'Dwyer	Liberal	2009–present

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Higgins

Australian federal election, 2013: Higgins
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Kelly O'Dwyer	47,467	54.37	+3.89
	Labor	Wesa Chau	21,027	24.08	−5.22
	Greens	James Harrison	14,669	16.80	−0.97
	Independent	Graeme Weber	1,663	1.90	+1.90
	Palmer United	Phillip Dall	1,385	1.59	+1.59
	Family First	Jamie Baldwin	742	0.85	−0.19
	Rise Up Australia	Leanne Price	354	0.41	+0.41
Total formal votes			87,307	96.42	−0.68
Informal votes			3,239	3.58	+0.68
Turnout			90,546	91.97	−1.89
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Kelly O'Dwyer	52,323	59.93	+4.53
	Labor	Wesa Chau	34,984	40.07	−4.53
	Liberal hold		Swing	+4.53

References

External links

Division of Higgins – Australian Electoral Commission

Electoral divisions of the Australian House of Representatives in Victoria

Aston Ballarat Batman Bendigo Bruce Calwell Casey Chisholm Corangamite Corio Deakin Dunkley Flinders Gellibrand Gippsland Goldstein Gorton Higgins Holt Hotham Indi Isaacs Jagajaga Kooyong Lalor La Trobe Mallee Maribyrnong McEwen McMillan Melbourne Melbourne Ports Menzies Murray Scullin Wannon Wills Abolished: Balaclava Bourke Burke (1949–55) Burke (1969–2004) Corinella (1901–06) Corinella (1990–96) Darebin Diamond Valley Echuca Fawkner Grampians Henty Higinbotham Hoddle Isaacs (1949–69) Laanecoorie Mernda Moira Northern Melbourne Scullin (1955–69) Southern Melbourne Streeton Wimmera Yarra

Divisions in: New South Wales Victoria Queensland Western Australia South Australia Tasmania Australian Capital and Northern Territories

Coordinates: 37°51′32″S 145°02′49″E / 37.859°S 145.047°E / -37.859; 145.047

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