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Division of Kingsford Smith

Coordinates: 33°56′56″S 151°13′52″E / 33.949°S 151.231°E / -33.949; 151.231
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Kingsford Smith
Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Kingsford Smith in Sydney, as of the 2016 federal election
Created1949
MPMatt Thistlethwaite
PartyLabor
NamesakeSir Charles Kingsford Smith
Electors115,317 (2022)
Area91 km2 (35.1 sq mi)
DemographicInner metropolitan

The Division of Kingsford Smith is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. It is located south and south-east of Sydney CBD, comprising mostly City of Randwick and the suburbs of Bayside Council that were governed by the former City of Botany Bay.

History

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Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, the division's namesake

The division is named after Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, a pioneer aviator, who was the first pilot to fly across the Pacific Ocean. The Kingsford Smith International Airport (Sydney International), and the suburb of Kingsford, both of which are located within the division, are also named after him. The division was proclaimed at the redistribution of 11 May 1949[citation needed], and was first contested at the 1949 federal election.

Kingsford Smith has been in Labor hands for its entire existence. A redistribution ahead of the 1969 election made it one of the safest Labor seats in both Sydney and the nation[citation needed], and it remained a comfortably safe Labor seat for most of the next four decades. However, demographic changes since 2010, have made the seat much less secure for Labor. It has previously been held by Lionel Bowen, a minister in the Whitlam government, Deputy Leader of the Labor Party from 1977 to 1990, and Deputy Prime Minister for most of the Hawke government, and by Laurie Brereton, a minister in the Keating government. It was then held by Peter Garrett, a former lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, former President of the Australian Conservation Foundation, and a minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments. Garrett announced his retirement on 26 June 2013.[1]

The Division was originally known as the Division of Kingsford-Smith (with a hyphen), based upon a misspelling of Sir Charles's surname. However, this was corrected at the redistribution in 2001.[2]

The current Member for Kingsford Smith, since the 2013 federal election, is Matt Thistlethwaite, a member of the Australian Labor Party who resigned from the Senate prior to the election.[3]

Boundaries

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Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.[4]

The division is located to the south and south-east of Sydney CBD, on the north shore of Botany Bay, and the coast of the Tasman Sea. The division includes the suburbs of Banksmeadow, Botany, Chifley, Coogee, Daceyville, East Botany, Eastgardens, Eastlakes, Hillsdale, Kensington, Kingsford, La Perouse, Little Bay, Malabar, Maroubra, Maroubra Junction, Mascot, Matraville, Pagewood, Phillip Bay, Port Botany, and South Coogee; as well as parts of Clovelly, Randwick, and Rosebery. Bare Island, Prince Henry Hospital, and the University of New South Wales are also located in the electorate.

Members

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Image Member Party Term Notes
  Gordon Anderson
(1897–1958)
Labor 10 December 1949
4 November 1955
Retired
  Dan Curtin
(1898–1980)
10 December 1955
29 September 1969
Previously held the Division of Watson. Retired
  Lionel Bowen
(1922–2012)
25 October 1969
19 February 1990
Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Randwick. Served as minister under Whitlam and Hawke. Served as Deputy Prime Minister under Hawke. Retired
  Laurie Brereton
(1946–)
24 March 1990
31 August 2004
Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Heffron. Served as minister under Keating. Retired
  Peter Garrett
(1953–)
9 October 2004
5 August 2013
Served as minister under Rudd and Gillard. Retired
  Matt Thistlethwaite
(1972–)
7 September 2013
present
Previously a member of the Senate. Incumbent

Election results

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2022 Australian federal election: Kingsford Smith[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Matt Thistlethwaite 46,697 47.91 +2.74
Liberal Grace Tan 27,929 28.66 −7.77
Greens Stuart Davis 16,401 16.83 +4.73
United Australia Anthony Tawaf 3,388 3.48 +1.73
One Nation Darrin Marr 3,051 3.13 +3.13
Total formal votes 97,466 95.52 +1.31
Informal votes 4,572 4.48 −1.31
Turnout 102,038 88.50 −1.67
Two-party-preferred result
Labor Matt Thistlethwaite 62,868 64.50 +5.69
Liberal Grace Tan 34,598 35.50 −5.69
Labor hold Swing +5.69

References

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  1. ^ "Garrett quits as Rudd returns". Nine News. Australian Associated Press. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  2. ^ [1] Archived 9 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Bashan, Yoni (20 July 2013). "NSW Labor senator Matt Thistlethwaite to replace Peter Garrett in NSW seat of Kingsford Smith". Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  4. ^ Muller, Damon (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  5. ^ Kingsford Smith, NSW, 2022 Tally Room, Australian Electoral Commission.
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33°56′56″S 151°13′52″E / 33.949°S 151.231°E / -33.949; 151.231