Division of Flinders facts for kids
Quick facts for kids FlindersAustralian House of Representatives Division |
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Division of Flinders (green) in Victoria
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| Created | 1900 |
| MP | Greg Hunt |
| Party | Liberal |
| Namesake | Matthew Flinders |
| Area | 1,955 km2 (754.8 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Rural |
The Division of Flinders is an area in Victoria that elects a person to represent it in the Australian Parliament. This area is called an electoral division.
Flinders was one of the first 75 electoral divisions created for Australia's very first federal election in 1901. It used to cover rural areas south and east of Melbourne. Today, these areas are outer southern suburbs on the Mornington Peninsula. These include towns like Dromana, Hastings, and Portsea.
The division is named after Matthew Flinders. He was a famous explorer who was the first person to sail all the way around Australia. He is also the person who gave Australia its name!
People Who Have Represented Flinders
An electoral division like Flinders chooses a person to be its voice in the Australian Parliament. This person is called a Member of Parliament (MP). Here are some of the people who have been the MP for Flinders:
| Member | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Groom | Free Trade | 1901–1903 | |
| James Gibb | Free Trade, Anti-Socialist | 1903–1906 | |
| (Sir) William Irvine | Anti-Socialist | 1906–1909 | |
| Commonwealth Liberal | 1909–1917 | ||
| Nationalist | 1917–1918 | ||
| Stanley Bruce | Nationalist | 1918–1929 | |
| Jack Holloway | Labor | 1929–1931 | |
| Stanley Bruce | United Australia | 1931–1933 | |
| James Fairbairn | United Australia | 1933–1940 | |
| Rupert Ryan | United Australia | 1940–1944 | |
| Liberal | 1944–1952 | ||
| Keith Ewert | Labor | 1952–1954 | |
| Robert Lindsay | Liberal | 1954–1966 | |
| (Sir) Phillip Lynch | Liberal | 1966–1982 | |
| Peter Reith | Liberal | 1982–1983 | |
| Bob Chynoweth | Labor | 1983–1984 | |
| Peter Reith | Liberal | 1984–2001 | |
| Greg Hunt | Liberal | 2001–present | |
Flinders has usually been a safe seat for the Liberal Party. Before that, it was often won by similar conservative parties.
In 1929, something very unusual happened. The Prime Minister, Stanley Bruce, lost his own seat in Flinders. This was the first time an Australian Prime Minister had ever lost their seat in a general election. It has only happened one other time since then.
James Fairbairn, who was an MP for Flinders, was Australia's first Minister for Air. Sadly, he was one of three government ministers who died in a plane crash in Canberra in 1940. This event is known as the Canberra air disaster.
Sir Phillip Lynch and Peter Reith were both important leaders in the Liberal Party. They both served as Deputy Liberal leaders.
The current MP for Flinders, Greg Hunt, was the Minister for the Environment in the Abbott Government.
Images for kids
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Matthew Flinders, the famous explorer who the division is named after.
