Lalor                 |
Division of Leichhardt |                 Lilley |
Jim Turnour (ALP) His electorate website | Location: North Qld: Cairns, Cooktown, Mossman, Trinity Division named for: Ludwig Leichhardt, explorer Median weekly family income: $891 (83rd highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 8.1% (82nd highest) Persons in professional occupations: 22.2% (108th highest) Persons employed in tourism: 11.1% (2nd highest) Persons of Indigenous origin: 13.3% (3rd highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 9.3% (119rd highest) Couple families with dependent children: 37.1% (92nd highest) Dwellings being purchased: 21.3% (114th highest) Sitting member: Jim Turnour (Labor), elected 2007 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 04.2 Effect of 1998 redistribution: 00.4 shift to Liberal 1998 two-party majority: Liberal 04.1 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 06.4 Effect of 2004 redistribution: no change 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 10.0 Effect of 2006 redistribution: 00.3 shift to Liberal 2007 notional two-party majority: Liberal 10.3 2004 enrolment: 90,542 2007 enrolment: 94,271 (+04.1%) (new boundaries) Leichhardt was created in 1949 and its boundaries have changed very little since - it consists of the fast-growing tourist centre of Cairns and the remote communities of Cape York as far north as Torres Strait. The tourist boom has given the seat a higher level of median family income than most regional seats, though it still has a low level of people born in non English speaking countries and people in professional occupations. It has the seccond-highest level of people working in tourism of any seat, and also the the third-highest proportion of people of Indigeous origin. For most of its history Leichhardt was a fairly safe Labor seat, dominated by the pastoral workforce and the Australian Workers Union, but the decline of the rural working-class has changed the seat's demography and politics. Leichhardt is now a marginal seat, and has elected a government member at every election since 1972. Warren Entsch won the seat for the Liberals in 1996. Entsch, a colourful and unpredictable character who has built up a large personal vote, retired in 2007. The loss of Entsch's personal vote, combined with the strong swing to Labor across Queensland, produced a swing of over 14% in Leichhardt, handing the seat to Labor's Jim Turnour. Labor polled 85% of the two-party vote at Lockhart River and also topped 70% at Bamaga, Bloomfield, Hope Vale, Horn Island, Injinoo, Napranum, Pormpuraaw and Tamwoy - mostly Indigenous communities. The Liberals polled 56% at Clifton Beach. |   |
Two-party vote by booth, 2007
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