- Division of Barton
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Barton
Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Barton (green) in New South WalesCreated: 1922 MP: Robert McClelland Party: Labor Namesake: Sir Edmund Barton Area: 44 km² (17 sq mi) Demographic: Inner Metropolitan The Division of Barton is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1922 and is named for Sir Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia. It 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 and Kingsgrove. For most of its history Barton has been a marginal seat, changing hands regularly, but in recent years it has grown safer for the Australian Labor Party.
Barton's most prominent member has been Dr H.V. Evatt, who was Leader of the Labor Party 1951-60. Evatt nearly lost the seat in 1951 and 1955, and in 1958 he transferred to the safe seat of Hunter.
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.[1] Ley was later found to be insane and died in Broadmoor Asylum in Britain. The current member for Barton is the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland.
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 Leonard Reynolds Labor 1958–1966 William Arthur Liberal 1966–1969 Leonard Reynolds Labor 1969–1975 James Bradfield Liberal 1975–1983 Gary Punch Labor 1983–1996 Robert McClelland Labor 1996–present Election results
Main article: Electoral results for the Division of BartonAustralian federal election, 2010: Barton Party Candidate Votes % ±% Labor Robert McClelland 38,149 48.48 -8.80 Liberal John La Mela 31,998 40.67 +9.76 Greens Simone Francis 8,536 10.85 +2.61 Total formal votes 78,683 90.18 -3.25 Informal votes 8,572 9.82 +3.25 Turnout 87,255 91.61 -3.44 Two-candidate preferred result Labor Robert McClelland 44,742 56.86 -8.08 Liberal John La Mela 33,941 43.14 +8.08 Labor hold Swing -8.08 References
- ^ Lateline History Challenge: Minister for Murder, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2004.
Categories:- Electoral divisions of Australia
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