| Hunter |
Division of Indi | Isaacs |
 Sophie Mirabella (Lib) Her electorate website |  |
Location: Northern Vic: Benalla, Mansfield, Wangaratta, Wodonga Division named for: Indigenous name for the upper Murray River Median weekly family income: $804 (116th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 5.0% (104th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 27.9% (51st highest) Persons engaged in agriculture: 10.1% (19th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 13.6% (64th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 37.8% (86th highest) Dwellings being purchased: 26.1% (73rd highest) Sitting member: Sophie Mirabella (Liberal), elected 2001, 2004, 2007 Born: 27 October 1968, Melbourne. Career: Barrister and solicitor 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 17.8 1998 two-party majority: Liberal 10.1 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 11.2 Effect of 2004 redistribution: 00.5 shift to Labor 2004 primary votes: Labor 26.3, Liberal 62.6, Green 6.4 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 16.3 2007 two-party majority: Liberal 09.2 
2004 enrolment: 89,355 2007 enrolment: 90,871 (+01.7%) Indi has existed since Federation, and has always occupied the north-eastern corner of Victoria. Like all rural seats, it has a low level of median family income and a low proportion of people born in non English speaking countries. Its proportion of people in professional occupations is higher than in most rural seats, while it also has a high proportion engaged in agriculture. Labor has not won Indi since 1929, and although there are pockets of Labor support, the main centres, Wangaratta, Wodonga and Benalla, vote heavily Liberal. The National Party used to win the seat on occasions, and was a threat until the 1980s, but since then it has faded away in this region. Sophie Panopoulos (now Sophie Mirabella) won Indi for the Liberals in 2001. Panopoulos, a Melbourne lawyer and the daughter of Greek immigrants, was an outsider when she ran for Liberal selection, but has now entrenched herself. In 2007 the Liberals won all the booths in Benalla, Wangaratta and Wodonga and also won most of the small rural booths, polling 80% of the two-party vote in Molyullah and toppping 75% in Bullioh, Dederang, Eskdale, Gooroombat and Tallangatta Valley. Labor won only four booths, polling 61% of the two-party vote in Stanley and 58% in Beechworth. | |  Two-party vote by booth, 2007
Click to enlarge map
|
