Division of Cunningham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cunningham Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Cunningham (green) in New South Wales
Created	1949
MP	Sharon Bird
Party	Labor
Namesake	Allan Cunningham
Electors	100,643 (2010)
Area	721 km2 (278.4 sq mi)
Demographic	Provincial

Allan Cunningham, the division's namesake

The Division of Cunningham is a special area in New South Wales, Australia. People living here get to choose a person to represent them in the Australian Parliament. It's like a voting district. This area was created in 1949. It is named after Allan Cunningham, who was an important explorer and botanist (a plant expert) in New South Wales and Queensland in the 1800s.

This division is located on the coast of New South Wales. It includes parts of the city of Wollongong, like Corrimal, Figtree, and Unanderra. It also includes some suburbs that are part of Sydney, such as Heathcote and Bundeena.

People Who Represented Cunningham

This section lists the people who have been elected to represent the Division of Cunningham in the Australian Parliament. They are called Members of Parliament (MPs).

Some of these members held important jobs in the government. Rex Connor was a Minister in the government led by Gough Whitlam. He was in charge of things like mining and energy. Stephen Martin was the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1993 to 1996. The Speaker is like the referee in Parliament, making sure debates run smoothly. Sharon Bird also held several important roles as a Minister in the governments led by Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd.

Special Elections in Cunningham

Sometimes, a special election, called a by-election, happens if a Member of Parliament leaves their job before the next general election. This lets the people choose a new representative.

There have been two by-elections in Cunningham:

• The first one was in 1956. The member at the time, Billy Davies, passed away. Only one person, Victor Kearney, put their name forward to be elected. So, he was chosen without anyone else running against him. This is called being elected unopposed.
• The second by-election happened in 2002. Stephen Martin resigned from his position. In this election, Michael Organ from the Greens party was elected. This was a big moment because it was the first time the Greens had ever won a seat in the House of Representatives.

Images for kids

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  Allan Cunningham, the division's namesake