Division of Grayndler

Grayndler Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Grayndler in New South Wales, as of the 2016 federal election.
Created	1949
MP	Anthony Albanese
Party	Labor
Namesake	Edward Grayndler
Electors	109,645 (2019)
Area	32 km2 (12.4 sq mi)
Demographic	Inner Metropolitan

The Division of Grayndler is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.

History[]

The division was created in 1949 and is named for Edward Grayndler (1867–1943), a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1921 to 1934 and 1936 to 1943, and General Secretary of the Australian Workers' Union from 1912 to 1941. The division was originally a solidly working-class area, although migration and gentrification have since radically changed its demography. Despite the demographic changes, it has been held by the Australian Labor Party for its entire existence; the Liberals have only once received 40 percent of the two-party vote. Grayndler also has a very high percentage of Australian Greens voters with 23 percent of the primary vote at the 2013 election. At the 2010 election, the two-party-preferred vote was between Labor and the Greens, one of only 3 in Australia (the others being Batman and the Greens held Melbourne).

Its most prominent members have been Fred Daly, who was a minister in the Whitlam government, Leo McLeay, who was Speaker of the House 1989–93, and Anthony Albanese. Albanese, a minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments, Deputy Prime Minister for three months in 2013, and currently the leader of the Australian Labor Party and Opposition Leader.

Daly was succeeded by Gough Whitlam's son, Tony Whitlam, who served only one term before the neighbouring Division of Lang was abolished, and lost preselection to Frank Stewart, the last member for Lang. Stewart himself retired in 1979 and handed the seat to McLeay.

When Transport Minister Graham Richardson was briefly forced out of cabinet due to the Marshall Islands affair before the 1993 election, left-wing power-broker Anthony Albanese arranged for fellow left-winger Jeannette McHugh to be promoted to the ministry. McHugh's seat of Phillip had been abolished, and she transferred to Grayndler. Since being a minister entitled McHugh to a seat, McLeay was forced to transfer to Watson. McHugh retired in 1996 and handed the seat to Albanese,^[1] who still holds it today.

Boundaries[]

At 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi), it is Australia's smallest electorate,^[2] located in the inner-southern Sydney metropolitan area, including parts of the inner-west. The electorate includes the suburbs of Balmain, Balmain East, Birchgrove, Dobroyd Point, Enmore, Haberfield, Leichhardt, Lewisham, Lilyfield, Petersham, Rodd Island, Rozelle, and Sydenham; as well as parts of Annandale, Ashfield, Camperdown, Canterbury, Cockatoo Island, Drummoyne, Dulwich Hill, Hurlstone Park, Macdonaldtown, Marrickville, Newtown, Spectacle Island, St Peters, Stanmore and Summer Hill.

Members[]

	Image	Member	Party	Term	Notes
		Fred Daly (1912–1995)	Labor	10 December 1949 – 11 November 1975	Previously held the Division of Martin. Served as minister under Whitlam. Retired
		Tony Whitlam (1944–)	Labor	13 December 1975 – 10 December 1977	Lost preselection. Failed to win the Division of St George
		Frank Stewart (1923–1979)	Labor	10 December 1977 – 16 April 1979	Previously held the Division of Lang. Died in office
		Leo McLeay (1945–)	Labor	23 June 1979 – 13 March 1993	Served as Speaker during the Hawke and Keating Governments. Transferred to the Division of Watson
		Jeannette McHugh (1934–)	Labor	13 March 1993 – 29 January 1996	Previously held the Division of Phillip. Served as minister under Keating. Retired
		Anthony Albanese (1963–)	Labor	2 March 1996 – present	Served as minister under Rudd and Gillard. Served as Deputy Prime Minister under Rudd. Incumbent. Currently the Opposition Leader

Election results[]

References[]

External links[]

• Division of Grayndler – Australian Electoral Commission

Coordinates: 33°53′49″S 151°08′53″E / 33.897°S 151.148°E / -33.897; 151.148