- Division of Stirling
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This article is about the Australian federal electorate. For the former Western Australian state electorate, see Electoral district of Stirling.
Stirling
Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Stirling (green) in Western AustraliaCreated: 1955 MP: Michael Keenan Party: Liberal Namesake: James Stirling Area: 77 km² (30 sq mi) Demographic: Inner Metropolitan The Division of Stirling is an Australian Electoral Division in the inner northern and beachside suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It includes the suburbs of Balcatta, Balga, Carine, Innaloo, Nollamara, North Beach, Scarborough, Stirling, Trigg and Yokine.
The electorate was created in a 1955 redistribution, and was named after Sir James Stirling, the 19th-century founding lieutenant governor and governor of Western Australia. Stirling covers a demographically diverse area, including several affluent beachside suburbs, as well as some poorer areas further inland. As a result, Stirling has often been a marginal seat, swinging between the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party of Australia.
Unlike some marginal seats on the east coast, such as Eden-Monaro, Stirling has not often been seen as a barometer for winning government, as although probably a result of coincidence, its members have more often than not been in opposition.
Opinion polls in the leadup to the 2004 election had suggested a close result in Stirling, leaning towards the possibility of sitting Labor member Jann McFarlane retaining her seat. This had been thought to be more likely after Paul Afkos, the original Liberal candidate, was forced to resign after he was revealed to have borrowed money from a convicted drug dealer. A local businessman, Michael Keenan was brought in as his replacement, and maintained the close difference in polling. However, on election day, the swing to the Liberal Party statewide and nationwide was stronger than expected, and Keenan was ultimately successful in unseating McFarlane. The Stirling Times, a local newspaper, speculated in October 2006 that McFarlane, at that time a Stirling councillor, might contest the seat again in 2007. On 28 November 2006 former SAS officer and outspoken opponent of the Iraq War Peter Tinley accepted an offer from Kim Beazley to run as the ALP candidate in the 2007 election.[1] Ahead of the 2010 election, Labor preselected Louise Durack, a social worker and executive director of People With Disabilities (WA) and past candidate for the state seat of Ocean Reef, to run for the seat. Michael Keenan was re-elected at the 2010 Federal Election.
Members
Member Party Term Harry Webb Labor 1955–1958 Doug Cash Liberal 1958–1961 Harry Webb Labor 1961–1972 Ian Viner Liberal 1972–1983 Ron Edwards Labor 1983–1993 Eoin Cameron Liberal 1993–1998 Jann McFarlane Labor 1998–2004 Michael Keenan Liberal 2004–present Election results
Main article: Electoral results for the Division of StirlingAustralian federal election, 2010: Stirling Party Candidate Votes % ±% Liberal Michael Keenan 40,228 49.91 +2.71 Labor Louise Durack 25,688 31.87 -8.54 Greens Chris Martin 10,399 12.90 +5.25 Independent Elizabeth Re 1,824 2.26 +2.26 Christian Democrats Jenny Whately 1,630 2.02 +0.26 Family First Peter Clifford 838 1.04 +0.39 Total formal votes 80,607 94.98 -0.11 Informal votes 4,259 5.02 +0.11 Turnout 84,866 92.52 -1.08 Two-candidate preferred result Liberal Michael Keenan 44,775 55.55 +4.28 Labor Louise Durack 35,832 44.45 -4.28 Liberal hold Swing +4.28 References
Electoral Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives in Western Australia Divisions in: New South Wales · Victoria · Queensland · Western Australia · South Australia · Tasmania · Australian Capital and Northern TerritoriesCategories:- Electoral divisions of Australia
- Federal politics in Western Australia
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