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Division of Denison facts for kids

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This page is about the federal electorate. For the state electorate, see Division of Denison (state).
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Denison
Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Denison 2016.png
The area of Denison in Tasmania, as it looked in 2016
Created 1903
Abolished 2019
Namesake Sir William Denison
Electors 74,963 (2016)
Area 288 km2 (111.2 sq mi)
Demographic Inner metropolitan

The Division of Denison was a special area in Tasmania where people voted for their representative in the Australian Parliament. It was like a voting district. This area was later changed and is now called the Division of Clark.

What Was the Division of Denison?

William Denison
Sir William Denison, who the Denison area was named after

The Division of Denison was created a long time ago, on 2 October 1903. It was one of five new voting areas made when the original "Division of Tasmania" was split up. It was named after Sir William Denison, who was the Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land (which is now Tasmania) from 1847 to 1855.

This voting area was located in the middle of Hobart, the capital city of Tasmania. It was on the western side of the River Derwent. By 2016, which was the last time people voted in Denison, it included the cities of Hobart and Glenorchy. It also covered the northern parts of Kingborough Council, including a place called Taroona. A famous mountain, kunanyi / Mount Wellington, was a big part of the area's western side.

Important People from Denison

Denison was often a "marginal seat." This means that the election results were usually very close, and it was hard to predict which party would win. However, the Australian Labor Party held the seat for a long time, from 1987 to 2010.

Some important politicians who represented Denison include:

  • Sir Philip Fysh: He was part of Australia's very first government.
  • Athol Townley: He was the Minister for Defence, which means he was in charge of Australia's military, during the Menzies Government.
  • Duncan Kerr: He was a minister in the governments led by Keating, Rudd, and Gillard.
  • Andrew Wilkie: He was an independent politician, meaning he didn't belong to a major political party. He was elected in 2010.

Denison had 16 different people represent it in Parliament over the years. This is one of the highest numbers for any voting area in Australia! When Denison was officially closed in 2019, Andrew Wilkie continued to represent the new area, the Division of Clark.

Images for kids

  • Philip Fysh - Swiss Studios (cropped)

    Sir Philip Fysh

  • William Laird Smith

    William Laird Smith

  • David O'Keefe

    David O'Keefe

  • John Gellibrand portrait

    Sir John Gellibrand

  • Portrait of Charles Ernest Culley (cropped)

    Charles Culley

  • Arthur Hutchin

    Arthur Hutchin

  • Gerald Mahoney

    Gerald Mahoney

  • Arthur Beck

    Arthur Beck

  • John Gaha

    Frank Gaha

  • AtholTownley1957

    Athol Townley

  • AdrianGibson1964

    Adrian Gibson

  • Robert Solomon 1970

    Robert Solomon

  • John Coates 1973

    John Coates

  • Michael Hodgman

    Michael Hodgman

  • Duncan Kerr

    Duncan Kerr

  • Andrew Wilkie 2

    Andrew Wilkie

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