Australia 2010 Archive

Bendigo is a marginal Labor seat in western Victoria. Bendigo is an original federation electorate which has been held by different parties throughout its history. The seat was held by Prime Minister Billy Hughes from 1917 to 1922, and was the only seat Hughes held outside the Sydney area. The seat was also held by John Brumby from 1984 to 1990, long before he became Victorian premier. The seat was won by the ALP’s Steve Gibbons in 1998, and he was re-elected in 2001, 2004 and 2007.

The seat covers Bendigo itself and surrounding areas, including Castlemaine and Maryborough.

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The seat of Ballarat is a relatively safe Labor seat in northwestern Victoria. The seat covers the town of Ballarat itself and surrounding areas, including towns such as Bacchus Marsh.

The seat has been held by the ALP’s Catherine King since 2001, who won it upon the retirement of previous Liberal member Michael Ronaldson (who has now returned as a Senator). The seat has swung back and forth between the major parties since ever since Alfred Deakin retired from the seat a century ago, but has been solidified by King over the last few years, and she now holds the seat by an 8.2% margin.

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Wannon is a Liberal seat in southwestern Victoria. The seat borders South Australia and runs along Bass Strait as far east as Corangamite Shire. The seat covers the towns of Warrnambool, Ararat, Portland and Stawell, as well as the Grampians.

The seat has been held by David Hawker since 1983. Hawker served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2005 to 2007. The seat was previously held by Malcolm Fraser, who originally lost the seat at his first attempt in 1954 by a 17-vote margin before winning the seat comfortably in 1955.

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Mallee is a safe Nationals seat in northwestern Victoria. Mallee covers the towns of Mildura, Swan Hill, Horsham and Warracknabeal. The seat borders both New South Wales and South Australia.

Mallee is held by Nationals MP John Forrest by a 21% margin. Forrest has held the seat since 1993. Mallee is the safest Coalition seat in the country.

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Indi is a seat in North-Eastern Victoria. The seat covers parts of the Victorian border with New South Wales, and the towns of Wodonga, Wangaratta and Yackandandah.

Indi has always been dominated by conservative parties, and was held by the Country Party’s John McEwen from 1937 to 1949. The seat has been held since 2001 by the Liberal Party’s Sophie Mirabella. The seat was one of the safest in the country after the 2004 election, and is now held by a 9.2% margin.

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Gippsland is a large electorate covering most of the East Gippsland region in Victoria. The seat also covers most of the Latrobe Valley. The seat stretches as far west as Traralgon and Morwell, and contains other towns such as Sale.

The seat is a solid National Party seat, despite a relatively slim 5.9% margin. The seat has been held by the National Party and its predecessor Country Party continously since 1922. It was held by Peter McGauran from 1983 until 2008, when he retired. The following by-election was won by Darren Chester, defeating challenges from the Liberal Party and ALP.

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Flinders is a relatively safe Liberal seat to the south east of Melbourne. The seat covers the Mornington Peninsula and areas around Western Port.

The seat was held by Prime Minister Stanley Bruce until he became the first Prime Minister to lose his own seat at the 1929 election.

The seat has been held by Greg Hunt since 2001. Hunt is now Shadow Minister for the Environment. He holds the seat by an 8.3% margin.

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Corio is a Labor seat covering Geelong and surrounding areas. It has long been a marginal seat, but since the 1970s it has become a solid Labor seat.

The seat was held by Gavan O’Connor from 1993 to 2007, but in 2006 he was challenged for preselection by ACTU Assistant Secretary Richard Marles, who won the seat in 2007, with O’Connor coming third, running as an independent. Marles now serves as Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry in the Labor government.

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Lalor is a safe Labor seat on the western fringe of Melbourne. The seat has been held in the past by a series of prominent Labor figures:  former Chifley government minister Reg Pollard, Whitlam-era Deputy Prime Minister Jim Cairns and Hawke government minister Barry Jones.

The seat has been held by Julia Gillard since 1998. Gillard was recently elected Prime Minister after serving as Deputy Prime Minister since the 2007 election.

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