| Griffith |
Division of Groom | Hasluck |
 Hon Ian Macfarlane (Lib) His electorate website |  |
Location: South-east Qld: Darling Heights, Middle Ridge, Oakey, Toowoomba Division named for: Sir Littleton Groom, federal MP 1901-29, 1931-36 Median weekly family income: $840 (104th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 3.3% (135th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 25.4% (74th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 12.5% (88th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 39.6% (53rd highest) Dwellings being purchased: 27.1% (66th highest) Sitting member: Hon Ian Macfarlane (Liberal), elected 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 Born: 5 April 1955, Kingaroy, Queensland. Career: Farmer, president, Queensland Graingrowers Association. Minister for Small Business 2001, Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources 2001-07. Member, Opposition Shadow Ministry from 2007. Shadow Minister for Trade 2007-08. Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources from 22 September 2008 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 21.3 Effect of 1998 redistribution: no change 1998 two-party majority: Liberal 13.0 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 15.1 Effect of 2004 redistribution: no change 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 19.0 Effect of 2006 redistribution: no change 2007 notional two-party majority: Liberal 19.0 2007 two-party majority: Liberal 08.2 
2004 enrolment: 89,546 2007 enrolment: 89,917 (+00.4%) (new boundaries) Groom was created in 1984, when the old seat of Darling Downs, which had existed since Federation, was renamed. It has always been based on the provincial centre of Toowoomba, and successive redistributions have cut the seat back so that now it consists of little more than the city and a few rural areas to the west. Toowoomba, a fairly prosperous town that serves as the administrative and economic centre of the Downs region, is one of the most conservative large centres in Australia. The seat has never come close to electing a Labor member in its history. Its most eminent member has been Sir Arthur Fadden, Country Party leader and briefly Prime Minister in 1941, who held the seat 1936-49 before shifting to McPherson. Toowoomba's conservatism is partly explained by its fairly low level of median family income and its very low level of people born in non English speaking countries, although as an administrative centre it has more people in professional occupations than most rural cities. In the past the seat has been held by the Country Party and its successors the Nationals, but today it seems secure for the Liberals. Ian Macfarlane has held the seat since 1998. He was rapidly promoted and was in the Cabinet from 2001. He has been an opposition frontbencher since 2007. In 2007 there was a hefty 10.8% swing to Labor, but despite this Labor still only won six booths, all in central Toowoomba. The Liberals won most of the small rural booths with large majorities, passing 80% of the two- party vote at Bowenville, Brookstead, Felton East and Quinalow. Labor polled 58% at Harlaxton North. | |  Two-party vote by booth, 2007
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