Division of North Sydney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids North Sydney Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of North Sydney in New South Wales, as of the 2016 federal election
Created	1901
MP	Kylea Tink
Party	Independent
Namesake	North Sydney
Electors	117,710 (2022)
Area	53 km2 (20.5 sq mi)
Demographic	Inner metropolitan

The Division of North Sydney is an area in New South Wales, Australia. People living here vote to choose a person to represent them in the Australian Parliament. This area is called an "electoral division."

The Australian Electoral Commission has suggested that this division might not exist anymore after the next election.

History of the North Sydney Division

The suburb of North Sydney, which the division is named after

The North Sydney division was created in 1900. It was one of the first 75 areas to vote in Australia's very first federal election in 1901. At first, it covered a much larger area, even reaching the Northern Beaches. But in 1922, some of that land became part of the Warringah division.

This division is known for having many families with high incomes. It has almost always been a very safe area for the Liberal Party of Australia. A "safe seat" means that one political party usually wins by a large number of votes. The Labor Party has rarely won here. They came closest to winning in 1943 and 1961.

North Sydney and another division called Wentworth are the only two original divisions in New South Wales that have never been held by the Labor Party.

The Liberal Party's strong hold on the seat was broken in 1990. An "independent" politician named Ted Mack won the seat. An independent politician does not belong to a major political party. Ted Mack had represented this area before in the state parliament. He held the seat for two terms, which means two election periods. He then retired in 1996 because he wanted to avoid getting a parliamentary pension. He had done the same thing when he left state parliament.

After Ted Mack retired, Joe Hockey won the seat back for the Liberal Party in 1996. He won with many votes, making it a safe Liberal seat again. Joe Hockey held the seat easily until 2015. He was an important minister, serving as the Treasurer from 2013 to 2015. After a change in Liberal Party leadership in 2015, Joe Hockey decided to leave parliament.

A special election, called a "by-election," was held in North Sydney in December 2015 to choose a new representative. Trent Zimmerman, who used to work for Joe Hockey, won the seat for the Liberal Party. He received 48.2 percent of the first votes. This was only the second time in North Sydney's history that the winning Liberal candidate did not get more than half of the first votes. He had to rely on "preferences," which are extra votes from people who voted for other candidates first.

Trent Zimmerman became the first openly LGBTI member of the House of Representatives. He won the seat again in 2016 and 2019. However, in 2022, he lost the seat to Kylea Tink. Kylea Tink is a "teal independent." Teal independents are independent politicians who often focus on issues like climate change and government honesty. The change in votes against the Liberals was big. This made the seat much closer for the Liberal Party in a contest against the Labor Party.

One of the most famous people to represent North Sydney was Billy Hughes. He was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923. He later served as a minister in several other governments. Billy Hughes is the longest-serving politician in Australian history. He moved to another division called Bradfield in 1949 and died while representing that seat in 1952. Other important members include Ted Mack, Joe Hockey, and Dugald Thomson.

The Australian Electoral Commission has suggested that this division might not exist anymore after the next election.

What are the Boundaries of North Sydney?

The boundaries of federal electoral divisions in Australia are decided by a special committee. This committee is part of the Australian Electoral Commission. Boundaries are reviewed about every seven years. They can also change if a state's number of representatives changes.

The North Sydney division is located along Sydney's Lower North Shore. It is named after the suburb of North Sydney. The division also includes many other suburbs. Some of these are Artarmon, Cammeray, Crows Nest, Greenwich, Hunters Hill, Kirribilli, Lane Cove, Lavender Bay, McMahons Point, Milsons Point, Naremburn, Northbridge, St Leonards, Waverton, Willoughby, and Wollstonecraft. It also includes parts of Chatswood, Cremorne, and Neutral Bay.

Members of North Sydney

	Image	Member	Party	Term	Notes
		Dugald Thomson (1849–1922)	Free Trade	29 March 1901 – 1906	Was a member of the New South Wales Parliament before. Served as a minister. Retired.
			Anti-Socialist	1906 – 26 May 1909
			Liberal	26 May 1909 – 19 February 1910
		George Edwards (1855–1911)		13 April 1910 – 4 February 1911	Was a member for the South Sydney division before. Died while in office.
		(Sir) Granville Ryrie (1865–1937)		11 March 1911 – 17 February 1917	Was a member of the New South Wales Parliament before. Moved to the Warringah division.
			Nationalist	17 February 1917 – 16 December 1922
		Billy Hughes (1862–1952)		16 December 1922 – September 1929	Was a member for the Bendigo division before. Served as Prime Minister from 1915 to 1923. Served as a minister in several governments. Was a leader of the United Australia Party. Moved to the Bradfield division.
			Independent Nationalist	September 1929 – 2 December 1929
			Australian	2 December 1929 – 7 May 1931
			United Australia	7 May 1931 – 14 April 1944
			Independent	14 April 1944 – 13 September 1945
			Liberal	13 September 1945 – 10 December 1949
		William Jack (1890–1982)		10 December 1949 – 31 October 1966	Retired.
		Bill Graham (1919–1995)		26 November 1966 – 19 September 1980	Was a member for the St George division before. Retired.
		John Spender (1935–2022)		18 October 1980 – 24 March 1990	Lost his seat in the election.
		Ted Mack (1933–2018)	Independent	24 March 1990 – 29 January 1996	Was a member of the New South Wales Parliament before. Retired.
		Joe Hockey (1965–)	Liberal	2 March 1996 – 23 October 2015	Served as a minister in different governments. Resigned from politics.
		Trent Zimmerman (1968–)		5 December 2015 – 21 May 2022	Lost his seat in the election. Was the first openly LGBTI member of the House of Representatives.
		Kylea Tink (1970–)	Independent	21 May 2022 – present	The current member.

Election results