Division of Bennelong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids BennelongAustralian House of Representatives Division |
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Division of Bennelong (green) in New South Wales
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| Created | 1949 |
| MP | John Alexander |
| Party | Liberal |
| Namesake | Bennelong |
| Electors | 98,915 (2010) |
| Area | 58 km2 (22.4 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Inner Metropolitan |
The Division of Bennelong is an area in New South Wales, Australia. It is a special area that votes for a person to represent them in the Australian Parliament. This area was created in 1949.
It is named after Bennelong, an Indigenous Australian man. He became a friend of Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales. The Bennelong area includes suburbs like Eastwood, Carlingford, Epping and Ryde.
History of Voting in Bennelong
When the Bennelong area was first created in 1949, it included richer suburbs like Ryde, Hunters Hill, and Lane Cove. Because of this, it was usually a "safe" area for the Liberal Party. This means the Liberal Party almost always won the vote there.
Over time, the boundaries of Bennelong have changed. It now includes different suburbs, like Eastwood, Epping, Carlingford, and Ermington. These changes mean that the area is no longer a "safe" seat for one party. It has become a "marginal" seat, which means the election results can be very close.
In the 2007 federal election, something very rare happened. The person representing Bennelong was John Howard, who was also the Prime Minister at the time. He had held the seat for 33 years. However, he lost the election in Bennelong to Maxine McKew from the Labor Party. This was only the second time in Australia's history that a Prime Minister lost their own seat in Parliament. The first time was in 1929.
People Who Represented Bennelong
| Member | Party | Term | |
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| (Sir) John Cramer | Liberal | 1949–1974 | |
| John Howard | Liberal | 1974–2007 | |
| Maxine McKew | Labor | 2007–2010 | |
| John Alexander | Liberal | 2010–present | |
One of the most famous people to represent Bennelong was John Howard. He was the second longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia. In 2010, the seat was won by John Alexander, who used to be a tennis star.
