Division of Forrest

Coordinates: 33°42′00″S 115°42′22″E / 33.700°S 115.706°E / -33.700; 115.706
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Forrest
Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Forrest in Western Australia, as of the 2021 redistribution.
Created1922
MPNola Marino
PartyLiberal
NamesakeSir John Forrest
Electors113,148 (2022)
Area11,072 km2 (4,274.9 sq mi)
DemographicRural

The Division of Forrest is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia.

Geography[edit]

Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.[1]

History[edit]

Sir John Forrest, the division's namesake

The division was created in 1922 and is named for Sir John Forrest, the first Premier of Western Australia and a federal Cabinet minister. It is located in the South West region of the state and, as of the 2022 election, includes the Cities of Bunbury and Busselton along with the Shires of Augusta-Margaret River, Capel, Dardanup, Donnybrook-Balingup, and Harvey. The Shire of Nannup was previously part of the seat, but was transferred to the neighbouring electorate of O'Connor following a 2021 redistribution.[2]

Before the 1943 election, it was a Country Party seat, but since the 1949 election it has been held by the Liberals for all but one term. Labor has only held the seat for three terms, during the high-tide elections of 1943 and 1946, and in the midst of the Coalition's near-defeat of 1969. It reverted to the Liberals in 1972 even as Labor won government. The seat was marginal for most of the 1980s, but a 1990 redistribution made the seat much more secure for the Liberals. In 2022, amidst a statewide collapse of Liberal Party support, the seat was made marginal with sitting member Nola Marino holding the seat on a 4.29 percent margin.

Notable members include Nelson Lemmon, a minister in the Chifley Government, Gordon Freeth, a minister in the Menzies, Holt and Gorton governments, and Geoff Prosser, a minister in the Howard government.

Members[edit]

Image Member Party Term Notes
  John Prowse
(1871–1944)
Country 16 December 1922
21 August 1943
Previously held the Division of Swan. Lost seat
  Nelson Lemmon
(1908–1989)
Labor 21 August 1943
10 December 1949
Served as minister under Chifley. Lost seat. Later elected to the Division of St George in 1954
  Gordon Freeth
(1914–2001)
Liberal 10 December 1949
25 October 1969
Served as minister under Menzies, Holt, McEwen and Gorton. Lost seat
  Frank Kirwan
(1937–1976)
Labor 25 October 1969
2 December 1972
Lost seat
  Peter Drummond
(1931–2013)
Liberal 2 December 1972
5 June 1987
Retired
  Geoff Prosser
(1948–)
Liberal 11 July 1987
17 October 2007
Served as minister under Howard. Retired
  Nola Marino
(1954–)
Liberal 24 November 2007
present
Served as Chief Government Whip in the House under Turnbull and Morrison. Incumbent

Election results[edit]

2022 Australian federal election: Forrest[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Nola Marino 41,006 43.12 −9.36
Labor Bronwen English 26,092 27.44 +6.29
Greens Christine Terrantroy 12,780 13.44 +0.60
One Nation Shane Mezger 5,020 5.28 −0.67
Great Australian Tracy Aitken 2,907 3.06 +3.06
United Australia Helen Allan 2,426 2.55 +0.82
Western Australia Greg Stephens 2,130 2.24 +0.95
Liberal Democrats Paul Markham 1,577 1.66 +1.66
Australian Federation Mailee Dunn 1,152 1.21 +1.21
Total formal votes 95,090 94.78 +0.42
Informal votes 5,234 5.22 −0.42
Turnout 100,324 88.78 −2.36
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal Nola Marino 51,625 54.29 −10.29
Labor Bronwen English 43,465 45.71 +10.29
Liberal hold Swing −10.29

References[edit]

  1. ^ Muller, Damon (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  2. ^ https://www.aec.gov.au/Electorates/Redistributions/2021/wa/files/redistribution-of-western-australia-into-electoral-divisions-august-2021.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ Forrest, WA, 2022 Tally Room, Australian Electoral Commission.

External links[edit]

33°42′00″S 115°42′22″E / 33.700°S 115.706°E / -33.700; 115.706