| Bennelong |
Division of Berowra | Blair |
 Hon Philip Ruddock (Lib) His electorate website |  |
Location: Sydney: Berowra, Galston, Hornsby, Pennant Hills Division named for: suburb of Berowra, on Berowra Waters Median weekly family income: $1,549 (8th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 17.2% (45th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 40.2% (13th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 10.3% (111th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 48.7% (2nd highest) Dwellings being purchased: 32.5% (120th highest) Sitting member: Hon Philip Ruddock (Liberal), elected (for Parramatta) 1973by, 1974, 1975, (for Dundas) 1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1990, (for Berowra) 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 Born: 12 March 1943, Canberra. Career: Solicitor. Member, Opposition Shadow Ministry 1983-85 and 1989-96. Shadow Minister for the Australian Capital Territory and Shadow Minister Assisting the Opposition Leader on Public Service Matters 1983-84, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 1984-85 and 1989-93, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader of the Opposition on Ethnic Affairs 1990-93, Shadow Minister for Social Security 1993-1996, Shadow Minister for Senior Citizens 1995-96. Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs 1996-2001, Minister for Administrative Services 1997, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs 2001-03, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation 1998-2001, Minister for Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs 2001, Attorney-General 2003-07. 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 18.4 1998 two-party majority: Liberal 13.5 Effect of 2001 redistribution: 00.2 shift to Labor 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 15.7 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 12.2 Effect of 2006 redistribution: No change 2007 notional two-party majority: Liberal 12.2 2007 two-party majority: Liberal 08.9 
2004 enrolment: 87,078 2007 enrolment: 91,685 (+05.3%) (new boundaries) Berowra was created in 1969, in the fast-growing outer north-western suburbs of Sydney, and its boundaries have not changed much since, although it has gradually expanded out to the north-west. It is one of the wealthiest seats in Australia, with one of the highest levels of people in professional occupations, and also a high level of traditional families with children (it has the second-highest proportion of families with dependent children of any electorate). These factors make it a safe Liberal seat, and indeed Labor has never come close to winning it. In common with all upper-income seats, however, Berowra is drifting slowly towards Labor, as issues such as refugees and climate change increasingly influence upper-middle-class opinion. Members for Berowra have been Tom Hughes, Attorney-General in the Gorton government, Dr Harry Edwards, and Phillip Ruddock. Edwards has the dubious distinction of being the only person to have been on the Opposition front bench during both the Whitlam government and the Hawke government, without having held office in the intervening Fraser government. Ruddock, who was member for Parramatta 1973-77 and Dundas 1977-93 before moving to Berowra in 1993, is now at 65 the longest-serving member of the House. He was an opposition frontbencher 1983-85 and 1989-96, and was in Cabinet 1998-2007, first as Immigration Minister then as Attorney-General. At the 2007 election the Liberals won all but six booths, polling 76% at Hillside Centrasl and over 70% at Dural, Glenorie, Kenthurst and Middle Dural. Labor polled 81% at the small booth on Dangar Island, and also won three booths in Hornsby, as well as Brooklyn and Cowan. Ruddock will by 67 at the next election, but in 2008 he announced that he would seek another term. | | 
Two-party vote by booth, 2007
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