Division of New England
| New England Australian House of Representatives Division | |
|---|---|
 Division of New England (green) within New South Wales | |
| Created | 1901 |
| MP | Barnaby Joyce |
| Party | National |
| Namesake | New England |
| Electors | 102,132 (2013)[1] |
| Area | 59,344 km2 (22,912.8 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Rural |
The Division of New England is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The division is located in the north-east of the state, adjoining the border with Queensland. The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 75 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. It is named after the New England region in northern New South Wales.
The division includes such towns as Armidale, Ashford, Barraba, Bingara, Bundarra, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Guyra, Inverell, Manilla, Quirindi, Tamworth, Uralla, Werris Creek, Walcha and Tenterfield. The Division covers a largely rural area, with agriculture the main industry.
The current Member for New England, since the 2013 federal election, is Barnaby Joyce, the Federal Leader of the National Party of Australia and a former Senator for the state of Queensland.
History
Historically, New England has been one of the most conservative seats in Australia. Only one Labor member has ever won it.
From 1922 to 2001, the seat was held by the National Party, and for most of that time it was comfortably safe for that party. However, between 2001 and 2013, it was represented by independent Tony Windsor. Windsor retired in 2013, and former Queensland Senator Joyce reclaimed it for the Nationals.
The seat's best-known member was Ian Sinclair, leader of the National Party from 1984 to 1989, a minister in the Menzies, Holt, Gorton, McMahon and Fraser governments and Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives for a few months in 1998.
2015 abolition of Hunter
In 2015 the Australian Electoral Commission announced plans to abolish the federation seat of Hunter. Electors in the north of Hunter will join New England. The roughly 40 percent remainder will become part of Paterson. As Hunter is a federation seat, first contested at the inaugural 1901 federal election, the name of Hunter is required to be retained. The commission proposes renaming Charlton to Hunter, and in honour of deceased Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, renaming Throsby to Whitlam. Due to changing populations, overall New South Wales loses a seat while Western Australia gets an extra seat.[2]
Members
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | Barnaby Joyce | 49,486 | 54.21 | +28.99 | |
| Independent | Rob Taber | 12,574 | 13.77 | +13.77 | |
| Labor | Stephen Hewitt | 10,825 | 11.86 | +3.73 | |
| Independent | Jamie McIntyre | 6,059 | 6.64 | +6.64 | |
| Palmer United | Phillip Girle | 4,746 | 5.20 | +5.20 | |
| Greens | Pat Schultz | 4,184 | 4.58 | +1.01 | |
| One Nation | Brian Dettmann | 1,566 | 1.72 | +0.85 | |
| Christian Democrats | Aaron Evans | 1,496 | 1.64 | +1.64 | |
| Citizens Electoral Council | Richard Witten | 353 | 0.39 | +0.05 | |
| Total formal votes | 91,289 | 93.95 | −2.51 | ||
| Informal votes | 5,881 | 6.05 | +2.51 | ||
| Turnout | 97,170 | 95.14 | +0.26 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| National | Barnaby Joyce | 64,551 | 70.71 | +3.91 | |
| Labor | Stephen Hewitt | 26,738 | 29.29 | −3.91 | |
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| National | Barnaby Joyce | 58,846 | 64.46 | +35.98 | |
| Independent | Rob Taber | 32,443 | 35.54 | +35.54 | |
| National gain from Independent | Swing | N/A | |||
References
- ^ a b "NSW Division - New England, NSW". Virtual Tally Room, Election 2013. Australian Electoral Commission. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ Australian Electoral Commission to abolish Federal NSW seat of Hunter: ABC 16 October 2015