Adam Carr's guide to
The 2007 Australian federal election
The House of Representatives
New South Wales
New South Wales
| Hume |
Division of Hunter | Indi |
| Hume |
Division of Hunter | Indi |
 Joel Fitzgibbon (ALP) His ALP website and his campaign website  Beth Black (Nat) Her Nationals website  Jan Davis (Grn) Her Greens website |
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Location: North Central NSW: Cessnock, Kurri Kurri, Muswellbrook, Singleton Division named for: The Hunter River, named for John Hunter, Governor of New South Wales 1795-99 Median weekly family income: $861 (94th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 2.4% (147th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 19.5% (125th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 12.2% (95th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 39.3% (59th highest) Dwellings being purchased: 25.7% (79th highest) Sitting member: Joel Fitzgibbon (Labor), elected 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004 Born: 16 January 1962, Bellingen, NSW. Career: Automotive electrician, electorate officer to Eric Fitzgibbon MHR 1990-96, part-time TAFE lecturer, small business operator. Councillor, Cessnock City Council 1987-95, Deputy Mayor 1989-90. Director Hunter-Manning Tourist Authority 1987-89, Delegate Hunter Region Association of Councils 1994-95. Campaign Director, NSW State Elections 1991 and 1995. Member, Opposition Shadow Ministry since 1998. Shadow Minister for Small Business and Tourism 1998-2001, Shadow Minister for Resources 2001-03, Shadow Minister for Tourism 2003, Shadow Minister for Mining, Energy and Forestry 2003-04, Shadow Minister for Banking and Financial Services 2004-05, Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Revenue 2004-2006, Shadow Minister for Small Business and Competition 2005-06 Shadow Minister for Defence from 10 December 2006 1996 two-party majority: Labor 07.0 1998 two-party majority: Labor 14.7 Effect of 2001 redistribution: 00.8 shift to Liberal 2001 two-party majority: Labor 10.9 2004 primary votes: Labor 53.6, National 26.8, Green 6.4 2004 two-party majority: Labor 13.8 Effect of 2006 redistribution: 02.6 shift to National 2007 notional two-party majority: Labor 11.2 2004 enrolment: 88,996 2007 enrolment: 90,202 (+01.4%) (new boundaries) Hunter has existed since Federation, and has always occupied most of the Hunter Valley upstream from Newcastle. Before 1949 its largest centre was usually Maitland, since then it has been dominated by Cessnock and the small mining communities around it, although it has usually included at least some of the farming and wine-growing towns of the Upper Hunter as well. The 1984 redistribution put Maitland back into the seat, although from 1993 that city was been split between Hunter and Paterson. On its present boundaries only 4.3% of Hunter's workforce is engaged in agriculture. Hunter has a fairly high median family income for a regional seat, reflecting high wages in the mining industry, but a very low proportion of people born in non English speaking countries and of people in professional occupations. Hunter is one of the least "ethnic" of Labor-held seats. In 2004 Labor carried all of the booths in the Cessnock and Kurri Kurri mining districts with large majorities: 76% in Cessnock East, 77% in Kurri Kurri, Stanford Merthyr, Weston and North Rothbury. Labor carried every booth in Maitland and, more surprisingly, in Muswellbrook and Singleton. The Nationals carried only a scattering of small rural booths (75% at Martindale). The 2006 redistribution has moved all of Maitland back into Paterson. Hunter's first and most distinguished member was the first Prime Minister of Australia, Sir Edmund Barton, who was elected unopposed in 1901. Not longer after his departure, however, Labor began to contest the seat, and it has been held continously by Labor since 1910. Two Federal Labor Leaders have held Hunter: Matthew Charlton from 1910 to 1928 and Dr H.V. Evatt from 1958 to 1960, at the end of his career: Hunter and Kooyong are the only seats to have been held by three party leaders. Joel Fitzgibbon has held the seat since 1996, in succession to his father. Fitzgibbon has been on the Opposition front bench since 1998 and is currently shadow minister for defence. Candidates in ballot-paper order |
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