| Flynn |
Division of Forde | Forrest |
 Brett Raguse (ALP) His electorate website |  |
Location: South of Brisbane: Beaudesert, Beenleigh, Mount Warren, Waterford Division named for: Rt Hon Frank Forde, Prime Minister of Australia 1945 Median weekly family income: $852 (99th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 6.3% (94th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 18.0% (132nd highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 8.2% (130th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 40.8% (41st highest) Dwellings being purchased: 37.8% (18th highest) Sitting member: Brett Raguse (Labor), elected 2007 Born 24 March 1960, Brisbane. Career: Educated Griffith University. Company director, technical and further education teacher, national sales and marketing manager, ministerial adviser 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 09.7 Effect of 1998 redistribution: 02.4 shift to Liberal 1998 two-party majority: Liberal 05.2 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 07.4 Effect of 2004 redistribution: 00.3 shift to Labor 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 13.0 Effect of 2006 redistribution: no change 2007 notional two-party majority: Liberal 13.0 2007 two-party majority: Labor 02.9 
2004 enrolment: 86,346 2007 enrolment: 87,180 (+00.9%) (new boundaries) Forde was created in 1984, and was originally located in the southern suburbs of Brisbane. Successive redistributions have pushed it southwards, and it now has none of its original territory. On its current boundaries, it is based on the Beenleigh and Waterford areas in the outer south-eastern suburbs, and the rural area south of Brisbane down to the NSW border. The suburban parts of the seat are mortgage belt territory, with high levels of families with dependent children and of dwellings being purchased, and with the usual low level of people in professional occupations. Kay Elson won Forde for the Liberals since 1996 and held it until her retirement in 2007. The loss of her personal vote and the large swing to Labor across Queensland was enough to produce a swing of 15.9%, the largest in any electorate, and to deliver the seat to Labor's Brett Raguse. In 2004 the Liberals won every booth, but in 2007 Labor won nearly all the booths in the urbanised northern part of the seat. The Labor vote hit 67% of the two-party vote at Marsden, and also topped 60% in Beenleigh Central, Bethania, two booths in Eagleby, Loganlean and Waterford West. The swing to Labor reached 18.9% at Jimboomba. The Liberals polled over 70% of the two-party vote at Hillview and Kerry, both small rural booths. | | 
Two-party vote by booth, 2007
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