Division of McEwen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids McEwen Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of McEwen (green) in Victoria
Created	1984
MP	Rob Mitchell
Party	Labor
Namesake	John McEwen
Electors	115,811 (2010)
Area	10,675 km2 (4,121.6 sq mi)
Demographic	Rural

The Division of McEwen is an area in Victoria where people vote for a member of the Australian Parliament. It is located north of Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria.

This area includes several towns like Broadford, Craigieburn, Doreen, Kilmore, Lancefield, New Gisborne, Riddells Creek, Romsey, Seymour, Sunbury, Wallan and Whittlesea.

The Division of McEwen was created in 1984. It is named after Sir John McEwen, who was a very important politician. He led the Country Party of Australia. Sir John McEwen also served as the caretaker Prime Minister of Australia for a short time in 1967. This happened after the disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt.

In 2007, there was a very close election in McEwen. Fran Bailey, who was the member at the time, seemed to lose by just six votes. She asked for all the votes to be counted again. After the recount, she won by 12 votes! The result was checked by the High Court of Australia and then the Federal Court of Australia. After seven months of careful checking, the court confirmed that Fran Bailey had won by 31 votes. This close election showed how important every single vote can be.

Who Represents McEwen?

This section lists the people who have been elected to represent the Division of McEwen in the Australian Parliament. These members work to make sure the voices of the people in McEwen are heard in Canberra.

Fran Bailey was a minister in the government led by John Howard. She was in charge of things like employment services, helping small businesses, and promoting tourism. This shows how members of parliament can take on different important roles.

Images for kids

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  Sir John McEwen, the person the McEwen division is named after.