Division Of Parkes
History
The former Division of Parkes (1901–1969) was located in suburban Sydney, and was not related to this division, except in name.
The division is named after Sir Henry Parkes, seventh Premier of New South Wales and sometimes known as the 'Father of Federation'. The division was proclaimed at the redistribution of 11 October 1984, and was first contested at the 1984 federal election. The seat is currently a safe Nationals seat. It was substantially changed by the 2006 redistribution and is now considered by many observers as the successor to the abolished Division of Gwydir. As a result, the then member for Parkes, John Cobb, instead contested the Division of Calare. The current Member for Parkes, since the 2007 federal election, is Mark Coulton, a member of the National Party of Australia.
According to the 2011 census, approximately 78 per cent of the population within the division identify as Christian, more than any other electorate in Australia at that time.
The 2015 redistribution resulted in Parkes expanded westwards to cover the state's Far West, including Broken Hill. The seat previously lost this area to the Division of Farrer in the 2006 redistribution.
Boundaries
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.
The largest electorate in the state, it is located in the far north west of the state, adjoining the border with Queensland in the north and with South Australia in the west. Its largest population centre is Dubbo. It also includes the towns of Broken Hill, Dunedoo, Coonabarabran, Coonamble, Walgett, Narrabri, Moree, Warren, Nyngan, Cobar and Bourke. The division does also include the namesake towns of Parkes, Forbes and West Wyalong by a redistribution since October 2024 - ready for the 2025 federal elections when called apon by May.
Members
| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Michael Cobb (1945–) |
Nationals | 1 December 1984 – 31 August 1998 |
Retired | |
|
|
Tony Lawler (1961–) |
3 October 1998 – 8 October 2001 |
Retired | ||
|
John Cobb (1950–) |
10 November 2001 – 24 November 2007 |
Served as minister under Howard. Transferred to the Division of Calare | ||
|
Mark Coulton (1958–) |
24 November 2007 – present |
Served as minister under Morrison. Incumbent |
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | Mark Coulton | 43,931 | 49.32 | −1.44 | |
| Labor | Jack Ayoub | 18,009 | 20.22 | −3.34 | |
| One Nation | Deborah Swinbourn | 6,662 | 7.48 | +7.48 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Rothwell | 5,723 | 6.42 | −1.64 | |
| Indigenous-Aboriginal | Derek Hardman | 4,466 | 5.01 | +5.01 | |
| Greens | Trish Frail | 4,214 | 4.73 | +0.56 | |
| United Australia | Petrus Van Der Steen | 2,372 | 2.66 | −3.63 | |
| Independent | Stuart Howe | 2,191 | 2.46 | +2.46 | |
| Informed Medical Options | Benjamin Fox | 1,512 | 1.70 | +1.70 | |
| Total formal votes | 89,080 | 92.31 | −1.83 | ||
| Informal votes | 7,421 | 7.69 | +1.83 | ||
| Turnout | 96,501 | 88.53 | −2.60 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| National | Mark Coulton | 60,433 | 67.84 | +0.93 | |
| Labor | Jack Ayoub | 28,647 | 32.16 | −0.93 | |
| National hold | Swing | +0.93 | |||
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
- Liberal
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
References
- ^ Murray, Robyn (1 February 2013). "Candidates welcome September election". Mudgee Guardian. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Parkes, NSW (Commonwealth Electoral Division)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "Percentage religion Christian". Mumble census gallery. Peter Brent. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "Proposed federal redistribution moves far west out of Farrer electorate". ABC News. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Redistribution of New South Wales into 49 electoral divisions" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Muller, Damon (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Parkes, NSW, 2022 Tally Room, Australian Electoral Commission.
