Division of Bendigo

Bendigo Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Bendigo (green) in Victoria
Created:	1900
MP:	Steve Gibbons
Party:	Labor
Namesake:	Bendigo, Victoria
Area:	7,286 km² (2,813 sq mi)
Demographic:	Provincial

The Division of Bendigo is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the city of Bendigo. In the early years of federation the seat consisted of little more than Bendigo itself, but on later boundaries the seat has included towns such as Echuca, Castlemaine, Maryborough and Seymour. Today it includes Bendigo, Castlemaine, Kyneton and Maldon. Bendigo has always been a marginal seat, changing hands regularly between the Australian Labor Party and the conservative parties. Bendigo has had 15 members, the second-highest number (with Denison) of any federal electorate. Its most notable members have been its first member, Sir John Quick, who was a leading federalist, and Prime Minister Billy Hughes, who although from Sydney represented Bendigo for two terms at a time when the federal Parliament met in Melbourne. John Brumby, who held the seat from 1983 to 1990, later became Premier of Victoria.

Members

Member		Party	Results
	John Quick	Protectionist	1901–1906
		Independent Protectionist	1906–1909
		Commonwealth Liberal	1909–1913
	John Arthur	Labor	1913–1914
	Alfred Hampson	Labor	1915–1917
	Billy Hughes	Nationalist	1917–1922
	Geoffry Hurry	Nationalist	1922–1929
	Richard Keane	Labor	1929–1931
	Eric Harrison	United Australia	1931–1937
	George Rankin	Country	1937–1949
	Percy Clarey	Labor	1949–1960
	Noel Beaton	Labor	1960–1969
	David Kennedy	Labor	1969–1972
	John Bourchier	Liberal	1972–1983
	John Brumby	Labor	1983–1990
	Bruce Reid	Liberal	1990–1998
	Steve Gibbons	Labor	1998–present

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Bendigo

Australian federal election, 2010: Bendigo
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Steve Gibbons	43,965	47.65	+0.51
	Liberal	Craig Hunter	33,067	35.84	-2.58
	Greens	Kymberlie Dimozantos	11,341	12.29	+5.04
	Family First	Alan Howard	3,892	4.22	+0.67
Total formal votes			92,265	96.26	-0.20
Informal votes			3,588	3.74	+0.20
Turnout			95,853	95.19	-0.84
Two-candidate preferred result
	Labor	Steve Gibbons	54,928	59.53	+3.40
	Liberal	Craig Hunter	37,337	40.47	-3.40
	Labor hold		Swing	+3.40

References

• Division of Bendigo, Australian Electoral Commission