Division of Curtin

Curtin Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Curtin (green) in Western Australia
Created:	1949
MP:	Julie Bishop
Party:	Liberal
Namesake:	John Curtin
Area:	104 km² (40 sq mi)
Demographic:	Inner Metropolitan

The Division of Curtin is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. The division was created in 1949 and is named for John Curtin, who was Prime Minister of Australia 1941-45. It is located in the wealthy beachside suburbs of Perth, including Claremont, Cottesloe, Mosman Park, Nedlands, Subiaco and Swanbourne. It has always been a safe seat for the Liberal Party, although it was won by an independent Liberal in 1996 and held until the 1998 election. It currently is the safest metropolitan seat in Western Australia. Its most prominent member has been Paul Hasluck, who was a senior Cabinet minister and then Governor-General of Australia after leaving politics. The current member is Julie Bishop who was the Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues. Her party, now in Opposition has elected her Deputy Leader of the parliamentary Liberal Party, making her the first woman to hold this role. The seat was contested by Labor candidate Sophie van der Merwe in the 2010 Election, and was retained comfortably by the Liberal Party with an increased margin.

Members

Member		Party	Term
	Paul Hasluck	Liberal	1949–1969
	Victor Garland	Liberal	1969–1981
	Allan Rocher	Liberal	1981–1996
		Independent	1995–1998
	Julie Bishop	Liberal	1998–present

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Curtin

Australian federal election, 2010: Curtin
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Julie Bishop	50,024	61.13	+2.17
	Labor	Sophie van der Merwe	15,771	19.27	-5.71
	Greens	George Crisp	14,498	17.72	+4.49
	Christian Democrats	Pat Seymour	1,534	1.87	+0.61
Total formal votes			81,827	97.07	-0.97
Informal votes			2,471	2.93	+0.97
Turnout			84,298	93.25	-0.63
Two-candidate preferred result
	Liberal	Julie Bishop	54,158	66.19	+2.93
	Labor	Sophie van der Merwe	27,669	33.81	-2.93
	Liberal hold		Swing	+2.93

References

• Division of Curtin - Australian Electoral Commission