Division of Mitchell

Mitchell Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Mitchell in New South Wales, as of the 2016 federal election.
Created	1949
MP	Alex Hawke
Party	Liberal
Namesake	Sir Thomas Mitchell
Electors	110,402 (2019)
Area	101 km2 (39.0 sq mi)
Demographic	Outer Metropolitan

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

History[]

Sir Thomas Mitchell, the division's namesake

The division is named after Major Thomas Mitchell, surveyor and explorer who was the first European to explore large areas of New South Wales and Victoria. The division was proclaimed at the redistribution of 11 May 1949, and was first contested at the 1949 federal election. The majority of the electorate is fairly conservative, and it has been a safe seat for the Liberal Party of Australia for most of its existence. Labor has won it twice, for one term each. Labor last won it in 1972 in the swing that brought Gough Whitlam to power. However, proving this seat's conservative nature, the Liberals took it back in 1974 and have held it without serious difficulty since then. A 1984 redistribution cut out Richmond and the Hawkesbury River area, making this already safely conservative seat even more so. The current Member for Mitchell, since the 2007 federal election, is Liberal Alex Hawke.

The seat includes most of the Hills District, a region with a large evangelical Christian population that has pushed the seat further to the right. However, the southernmost suburbs of North Rocks, Northmead and Winston Hills are located in the Parramatta local government area, and share that LGA's bellwether tendencies. They been won by Labor at high-tide elections such as at the 2007 federal election. After the 2013 federal election, Mitchell replaced nearby Bradfield as the safest Coalition seat in metropolitan Australia, with Labor needing a 22-point swing to win it.^[1] As of the 2016 federal election, it is now the third-safest metropolitan Coalition seat, behind Bradfield and Curtin, with a 17-point swing needed for Labor to win it.

Boundaries[]

The division is located in the Hills District of Sydney, and includes the entire suburbs of Baulkham Hills, Beaumont Hills, Bella Vista, Norwest, Box Hill, Kellyville, North Kellyville, Nelson, and Winston Hills. The division also includes parts of Castle Hill, Glenhaven, Maraylya, North Rocks, Northmead, Old Toongabbie, Rouse Hill, and West Pennant Hills.

Members[]

	Image	Member	Party	Term	Notes
		Roy Wheeler (1909–1971)	Liberal	10 December 1949 – 9 December 1961	Lost seat
		John Armitage (1920–2009)	Labor	9 December 1961 – 30 November 1963	Lost seat. Later elected to the Division of Chifley in 1969
		Les Irwin (1898–1985)	Liberal	30 November 1963 – 2 December 1972	Lost seat. Last veteran of the First World War to serve in the House of Representatives
		Alfred Ashley-Brown (1907–1993)	Labor	2 December 1972 – 18 May 1974	Lost seat
		Alan Cadman (1937–)	Liberal	18 May 1974 – 17 October 2007	Served as Chief Government Whip in the House under Howard. Retired
		Alex Hawke (1977–)	Liberal	24 November 2007 – present	Incumbent. Currently a minister under Morrison

Election results[]

References[]

External links[]

• Division of Mitchell - Australian Electoral Commission

Coordinates: 33°42′36″S 150°57′36″E / 33.710°S 150.960°E / -33.710; 150.960