| Fraser |
Division of Fremantle | Gellibrand |
 Melissa Parke (ALP) Her ALP website |  |
Location: Perth: Cockburn, Coolbelup, Fremantle, Palmyra Division named for: The City of Fremantle, named for Captain Charles Fremantle who established the town Median weekly family income: $936 (67th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 14.6% (53rd highest) Persons born in the UK and Ireland: 10.5% (12th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 24.8% (78th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 12.0% (98th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 37.1% (93rd highest) Dwellings being purchased: 32.6% (30th highest) Sitting member: Melissa Parke (Labor), elected 2007 Born 11 August 1966, Bunbury, WA. Career: Educated Curtin University, University of NSW, Murdoch University (LLM), Sydney University of Technology. Solicitor. Lecturer, School of Law, Murdoch University 1999. Senior International Lawyer, United Nations (Kosovo, Gaza, Lebanon, Cyprus, New York) 1999-2007. 1996 two-party majority: Labor 04.3 Effect of redistribution: no change 1998 two-party majority: Labor 10.0 Effect of 2001 redistribution: 02.5 shift to Labor 2001 two-party majority: Labor 10.7 2004 primary votes: Labor 44.6, Liberal 35.9, Green 11.8 2004 two-party majority: Labor 07.8 2007 two-party majority: Labor 09.1 
2004 enrolment: 83,698 2007 enrolment: 89,014 (+06.4%) Fremantle has existed since Federation, and has always been based on the port city of Fremantle and surrounding suburbs. Before 1949 it extended northwards into some of the wealthy areas which are now in the seat of Curtin, and this made the seat politically marginal. After 1949, however, it was among the safest Labor seats in Australia, although Labor majorities have slowly fallen as blue-collar employment has declined and the Fremantle area has become colonised by middle-class people. Thus Fremantle now has a fairly high level of median family income for a safe Labor seat, and a lower proportion of people born in non English speaking countries than Perth, Stirling or Swan. Nevertheless Labor is in no danger of losing Fremantle, a traditional "leadership seat." Fremantle has been held by four Labor Cabinet ministers in a row: Prime Minister John Curtin, Kim Beazley senior, John Dawkins and former WA Premier Dr Carmen Lawrence, who won a by-election in 1994. Lawrence was a Cabinet minister in the Keating government. She retired in 2007, and was succeeded by Melissa Parke, a former UN lawyer. In 2007 there was a small swing to Labor despite the loss of Lawrence's substantial personal vote. Labor polled 76% of the two-party vote at Hilton and also topped 70% at two booths in Coolbellup and at Hamilton Hill South. The Liberals polled 58% at Bicton. | | 
Two-party vote by booth, 2007
Click to enlarge map
|
