Electoral district of Polwarth
| Polwarth Victoria—Legislative Assembly | |
|---|---|
 Location of Polwarth (dark green) in Victoria | |
| State | Victoria |
| Created | 1889 |
| MP | Richard Riordan |
| Party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Electors | 43,856 (2015) |
| Area | 12,561 km2 (4,849.8 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Rural |
The Electoral district of Polwarth is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is located in south-west rural Victoria, west of Geelong, and covers the Colac and Corangamite local government areas (LGA), parts of the Moyne, Golden Plains and Surf Coast LGAs, and slivers of the Ararat and Greater Geelong LGAs, running along the Great Ocean Road taking in Anglesea, Cape Otway, Peterborough, Aireys Inlet, Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Campbell, covering the inland towns of Winchelsea, Colac, Camperdown and Terang along the Princes Highway, and Inverleigh, Cressy, Lismore and Mortlake on the Hamilton Highway, and finally, includes the Otway Ranges and Lake Corangamite.[1]
The seat has existed since 1889 and has always been held by conservative parties. The Liberal Party of Australia has held the seat continuously since 1970, although the Nationals have provided strong challenges on occasions, such as at the 1999 election when election night figures suggested retired AFL Footballer Paul Couch would win the seat. [1] Although ultimately Couch failed to finish ahead of the Labor Party candidate and the Liberals Terry Mulder won after receiving preferences from Couch. [2]
The 2014 Victorian election saw the Liberal's Terry Mulder retain his seat,[2] with a 3.2% swing to Labor.[3] Mulder resigned from parliament on 3 September 2015. The 2015 Polwarth by-election occurred on 31 October, electing Richard Riordan as the new member.
Members for Polwarth
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Richard Riordan | 17,760 | 49.7 | −5.7 | |
| Greens | Joe Miles | 5,689 | 15.9 | +4.9 | |
| National | David O'Brien | 4,287 | 12.0 | +12.0 | |
| Democratic Labour | Carmel Kavanagh | 2,900 | 8.1 | +8.1 | |
| Sex Party | Meredith Doig | 2,135 | 6.0 | +6.0 | |
| Country | Melinda Cass | 2,039 | 5.7 | +0.1 | |
| Christians | Geoff Rogers | 574 | 1.6 | +1.6 | |
| Independent | Brendan Eckel | 373 | 1.0 | +1.0 | |
| Total formal votes | 35,757 | 94.8 | −1.3 | ||
| Informal votes | 1,948 | 5.2 | +1.3 | ||
| Turnout | 37,705 | 86.0 | (−8.9) | ||
| After distribution of preferences | |||||
| Liberal | Richard Riordan | 17,976 | 50.3 | n/a | |
| Greens | Joe Miles | 5,829 | 16.3 | n/a | |
| National | David O'Brien | 4,409 | 12.3 | n/a | |
| Democratic Labour | Carmel Kavanagh | 3,115 | 8.7 | n/a | |
| Sex Party | Meredith Doig | 2,246 | 6.3 | n/a | |
| Country | Melinda Cass | 2,182 | 6.1 | n/a | |
| Liberal hold | Swing | n/a | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Terry Mulder | 21,861 | 55.4 | −0.5 | |
| Labor | Libby Coker | 11,045 | 28.0 | +1.1 | |
| Greens | Simon Northeast | 4,352 | 11.0 | +2.8 | |
| Country Alliance | Philip Edge | 2,206 | 5.6 | +1.7 | |
| Total formal votes | 39,464 | 96.1 | −0.1 | ||
| Informal votes | 1,599 | 3.9 | +0.1 | ||
| Turnout | 41,063 | 94.9 | +1.8 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Terry Mulder | 23,944 | 60.6 | −3.2 | |
| Labor | Libby Coker | 15,541 | 39.4 | +3.2 | |
| Liberal hold | Swing | −3.2 | |||
Historical maps
-
Location of Polwarth in Victoria, circa 1889
See also
References
- ^ "Victorian Electoral Commission". Polworth District Profile. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ "Victorian Electoral Commission". State Election 2014 : Polwarth District. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ "ABC Victoria Votes". Victoria Votes. Retrieved February 2015.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ State District By-elections 2015: Polwarth District, VEC.
- ^ State Election 2014: Polwarth District, VEC.