Adam Carr's guide to
The 2007 Australian federal election
The House of Representatives
Tasmania
Tasmania
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| Lyne |
Division of Lyons | Macarthur |
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| Lyne |
Division of Lyons | Macarthur |
 Dick Adams (ALP) His ALP website and his campaign website  Geoff Page (Lib) His Liberal Party website  Karen Cassidy (Grn) Her Greens website  Amy Parsons (FF) Her Family First website  Ben Quin (Ind) His website |
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Location: Central Tas: Deloraine, Longford, New Norfolk, Sorell Division named for: Rt Hon Joseph Lyons, Prime Minister 1932-39, and his wife Hon Dame Enid Lyons, first woman federal MP Median weekly family income: $684 (142nd highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 2.3% (149th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 22.7% (101st highest) Persons engaged in agriculture: 13.9% (15th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 12.1% (96th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 38.2% (77th highest) Dwellings being purchased: 28.5% (52nd highest) Sitting member: Hon Dick Adams (Labor), elected 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004 Born: 29 April 1951, Launceston, Tasmania. Career: Meat worker and rural worker, organiser Australian Meat Industries Employees' Union, Liquor and Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers' Union. Tasmanian state MP for Franklin 1979-82, Minister for National Parks, Lands, Aged Persons and Community Welfare 1981-82 1996 two-party majority: Labor 01.3 1998 two-party majority: Labor 10.6 Effect of 2001 redistribution: 00.6 shift to Labor 2001 two-party majority: Labor 08.2 2004 primary votes: Labor 44.6, Liberal 42.3, Green 10.0 2004 two-party majority: Labor 03.7 2004 enrolment: 65,950 2007 enrolment: 68,376 (+03.7%) Lyons was created in 1984, when the old electorate of Wilmot, which had existed since 1903, was renamed. At various times this electorate has occupied most parts of Tasmania: since 1984 it has extended from the northern suburbs of Hobart west to the mining centres of Queenstown and Zeehan, north to Deloraine and east to the coastal towns of St Helens and St Marys. It has among Australia's lowest levels of median income, and among the lowest levels of people born in non English speaking countries. It has the highest proportion of people working in agriculture of any Labor-held electorate. The Lyons electorate is thus largely working-class but also parochial and conservative. The future of the timber industry has been an important issue in this seat. Labor's strength lies in the semi-suburban areas north and west of Hobart, as well as in the timber and mining towns. The Liberals dominate the farming areas in the north around Deloraine. In 2004 Labor polled over 70% of the two-party vote at Tully, Mathinna and Rosebery, while the Liberals polled over 60% at Hagley, Ti Tree and Campania. The old seat of Wilmot was held by Prime Minister Joe Lyons from 1928 to 1939: it was renamed after him in 1984. Dick Adams, a former state minister, won Lyons for Labor in 1993. Adams has a large personal vote, which is why Labor retained this seat in the face of the adverse swing in 2004 caused by Mark Latham's anti-logging forestry policy (which Adams described as "a sell-out of a state on behalf of a few city dwellers"). The seat will be fairly secure for Labor so long as Adams is the candidate. It might not be so when he retires. In October the endorsed Liberal candidate, Ben Quin, resigned because of his opposition to the proposed Gunns pulp mill in the Tamar Valley. Candidates in ballot-paper order Campaign news | 
Two-party vote by booth, 2004
Click to enlarge map
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