| Forde |
Division of Forrest | Fowler |
 Nola Marino (Lib) Her Liberal Party website  Peter MacFarlane (ALP) His ALP website  Noel Brunning (Ind) His website  Kingsley Gibson (Grn) His Greens website  John Lewis (CDP) His Christian Democrats website |
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Location: Southern WA: Bunbury, Bussleton, Collie, Harvey Division named for: Rt Hon Sir John Forrest, explorer, first Premier of Western Australia and member of the first federal Parliament Median weekly family income: $847 (100th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 4.4% (121st highest) Persons in professional occupations: 22.5% (105th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 10.9% (109th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 39.4% (56th highest) Dwellings being purchased: 30.1% (46th highest) Sitting member: Hon Geoff Prosser (Liberal), elected 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004. Retiring 2007 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 13.6 Effect of 1998 redistribution: 00.5 shift to Liberal 1998 two-party majority: Liberal 06.9 Effect of 2001 redistribution: 02.3 shift to Labor 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 07.6 2004 primary votes: Labor 27.9, Liberal 53.4, Green 8.4 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 10.4 2004 enrolment: 87,145 2007 enrolment: 93,678 (+07.5%) Forrest was created in 1922, occupying the rural south-western corner of WA, whose largest centre is Bunbury. Although this is still an important agricultural area, tourism is becoming an increasingly important industry, employing 5.9% of the workforce. Forrest has the typical characteristics of a rural seat: low median icome level, low level of people from non English speaking countries and low proportion of people in professional occupations. In 2004 the Liberals carried nearly every booth, polling 84% of the two-party vote at Yoongarillup, while Labor carried only the three booths in the old coal-mining town of Collie and nearby Allanson. Forrest has a usually been a safe seat for the non-Labor parties: Labor has only won it three times, most recently in 1969. Before 1949 it usually a Country Party seat but the Nationals are no longer a serious threat to Liberal dominance. Members for Forrest have included Labor Cabinet minister Nelson Lemmon and Liberal Cabinet minister Gordon Freeth. Geoff Prosser won the seat for the Liberals in 1987. Prosser is retiring at this election. The first Liberal candidate endorsed, Busselton Shire Deputy President Philippa Reid, was forced to withdraw after her associations with former Senator Noel_Crichton-BrowneNoel Crichton-Browne were revealed. In September there were media reports (no link available) that the Liberals were worried about losing Forrest to Noel Brunning, a conservative independent with a high local profile. This was confirmed in October by a report (see link below) that the Liberals were considering finding a new candidate. Candidates in ballot-paper order Campaign news | 
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