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Division of Bendigo | Bennelong |
 Steve Gibbons (ALP) His electorate website |  |
Location: Central Victoria: Bendigo, Castlemaine, Heathcote, Maryborough Division named for: The City of Bendigo, founded 1851 and originally named Bendigo's Creek after an employee on a local property who was nicknamed "Bendigo" after the famous English prize fighter William "Bendigo" Thompson Median weekly family income: $749 (130th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 2.6% (143rd highest) Persons in professional occupations: 24.4% (83rd highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 15.0% (38th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 36.2% (105th highest) Dwellings being purchased: 28.4% (55th highest) Sitting member: Steve Gibbons (Labor), elected 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 Born: 11 September 1949, Melbourne. Career: Union official, small business proprietor 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 00.9 1998 two-party majority: Labor 03.5 2001 two-party majority: Labor 03.7 Effect of 2004 redistribution: no change 2004 two-party majority: Labor 01.0 2007 two-party majority: Labor 06.1 
2004 enrolment: 94,295 2007 enrolment: 97,197 (+03.1%) Bendigo has existed since Federation and has always occupied a block of territory in central Victoria around the historic goldfields city. Like most country seats, it combines a fairly low income level with a very low proportion of people born in non English speaking countries. From 1937 to 1949 it included Echuca and the Murray Valley and was a safe Country Party seat, but for the rest of its history it has been politically marginal. In recent times the seat has been trending towards Labor as the area is colonised by wealthy professionals from Melbourne: even in the Liberal landslide year of 1996, the Liberal majority was less than 1%. Labor's strength lies in the city of Bendigo and in Castlemaine and Maryborough. The Liberals win most of the smaller rural booths. Bendigo's most distinguished member was Nationalist Prime Minister Billy Hughes, who held the seat 1917-22 before moving back to Sydney. John Brumby, now Premier of Vioctoria, held Bendigo for Labor 1983-90. Steve Gibbons won the seat for Labor in 1998. Gibbons's margin was sharply reduced in 2004, but in 2007 he gained a 5% swing. Labor polled 77% of the two-party vote at Sparrowhawk, and also polled over 70% at Chewton and Long Gully. Labor won most of the Bendigo booths and polled over 65% at both Daylesford booths. The Liberals polled 62% at Elmore and won most of the small rural booths. Despite Labor's improved psotion in 2007, this is still a marginal seat and will be at risk in 2010. | |  Two-party vote by booth, 2007
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