Division of Ballarat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids BallaratAustralian House of Representatives Division |
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Division of Ballarat in Victoria, as of 2016 federal election.
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| Created | 1901 |
| MP | Catherine King |
| Party | Labor |
| Namesake | Ballaarat (from a Wathaurong Aboriginal word: balla arat, thought to mean "resting place".) |
| Electors | 110,793 (2016) |
| Area | 4,652 km2 (1,796.1 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Provincial |
The Division of Ballarat (called Ballaarat until 1977) is an area in Victoria, Australia. This area elects a person to represent its people in the Australian Parliament. It was one of the first 75 voting areas created in 1900. It was set up for Australia's very first federal election in 1901. The division is named after the city of Ballarat.
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Where is the Division of Ballarat?
The Division of Ballarat includes several towns. These are Ballarat, Bacchus Marsh, Ballan, Daylesford, Creswick, Trentham, and Clunes. In the past, it also included towns like Ararat, Maryborough, and Stawell.
A Very Close Election
Ballarat once had the closest election result in Australian history! In 1919, a politician named Edwin Kerby from the Nationalist Party won by just one vote. He beat the Labor member, Charles McGrath.
However, McGrath believed the election was not fair. A court looked into it, and a new election was held in 1920. McGrath won that new election.
Who Has Represented Ballarat?
Many different people have been elected to represent the Division of Ballarat. They come from various political parties.
| Member | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Deakin | Protectionist | 1901–1909 | |
| Commonwealth Liberal | 1909–1913 | ||
| Charles McGrath | Labor | 1913–1919 | |
| Edwin Kerby | Nationalist | 1919–1920 | |
| Charles McGrath | Labor | 1920–1931 | |
| United Australia | 1931–1934 | ||
| Archibald Fisken | United Australia | 1934–1937 | |
| Reg Pollard | Labor | 1937–1949 | |
| Alan Pittard | Liberal | 1949–1951 | |
| Robert Joshua | Labor | 1951–1955 | |
| Labor (Anti-Communist) | 1955–1955 | ||
| Dudley Erwin | Liberal | 1955–1975 | |
| Jim Short | Liberal | 1975–1980 | |
| John Mildren | Labor | 1980–1990 | |
| Michael Ronaldson | Liberal | 1990–2001 | |
| Catherine King | Labor | 2001–present | |
The most famous person to represent Ballarat was Alfred Deakin. He was the Prime Minister of Australia three times! Another interesting fact is that Michael Ronaldson was the grandson of Archibald Fisken. Both of them represented Ballarat.
Images for kids
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The city of Ballarat, which the division is named after.
