| McPherson |
Division of Macquarie | Makin |
 Hon Bob Debus (ALP) His ministerial website and his electorate website |  |
Location: Central NSW: Bathurst, Katoomba, Lithgow, Springwood Division named for: Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of NSW 1810-21 Median weekly family income: $1,000 (50th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 5.2% (103rd highest) Persons in professional occupations: 29.8% (42nd highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 11.9% (100th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 40.3% (45th highest) Dwellings being purchased: 30.2% (45th highest) Sitting member: Hon Bob Debus (Labor), elected 2007 Born: 16 September 1943, Sydney. Career: Educated Sydney University. Solicitor. ABC radio producer and presenter, 1973-80. NSW MLA for Blue Mountains 1981-88, 1995-2007. Minister for Employment 1984-86, Minister for Finance 1984-88, Minister for Co-operative Societies 1986-88, Assistant Minister for Education 1986-88, Minister for Emergency Services 1995-97 and 1998-2003, Minister for Corrective Services 1995-2001, Minister Assisting the Minister for Arts 1996-99, Minister for Energy 1997-99, Minister for Tourism 1997-99, Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts 1999-2003, Minister for the Environment 1999-2007, Attorney General 2000-07, Minister for the Arts 2005-07. National Director, Australian Freedom From Hunger Campaign and Community Aid Abroad 1988-1994. Minister for Home Affairs from 3 December 2007 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 06.4 1998 two-party majority: Liberal 04.1 Effect of 2001 redistribution: 01.7 shift to Liberal 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 08.7 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 08.9 Effect of 2006 redistribution: 09.4 shift to Labor 2007 notional two-party majority: Labor 00.5 2007 two-party majority: Labor 07.0 
2004 enrolment: 87,517 2007 enrolment: 94,670 (+08.2%) (new boundaries) Macquarie has existed since Federation, and from 1901 to 1977 it was a regional seat based on Bathurst, Australia's oldest inland city. On these boundaries it was a Labor seat more often than not - its most distinguished member was Labor Prime Minister Ben Chifley. The 1977 redistribution made it a Blue Mountains and Penrith seat, and the 1984 redistribution removed Penrith and added the Hawkesbury, a strong Liberal area. On the 2004 boundaries, Macquarie had a high level of median family income and a fairly high proportion of people in professional occupations, reflecting the popularity of the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury for affluent exurbanites. It also had fairly high levels of families with dependent children and of dwellings being purchased, making it a mortgage belt seat. The 2006 redistribution returned Macquarie to its old status as a regional seat, removing the Hawkesbury and restoring Bathurst and Lithgow, which were previously in Calare. This change reduced the median income level of the seat, and made it more like other NSW regional seats. Kerry Bartlett won the seat for the Liberals in 1996. Bartlett strengthened the Liberal hold on the seat while also becoming Chief Government Whip. The redistribution, however, gave Macquarie a small notional Labor majority, and Bartlett was unable to overcome this given the strong statewide swing to Labor. He was succeeded by Bob Debus, a veteran Labor politician who had represented the Blue Mountains in the NSW Parliament on and off for more than 20 years, and had held a number of state ministries. Debus gained a swing of 6.5%. Labor polled 76% of the two-party vote at Katoomba Street and also topped 70% in Cullen Bullen, Katoomba, Oakey Park, Portland and Tweed Mills. The Liberals polled 68% at Trunkey. | |  Two-party vote by booth, 2007
Click to enlarge map
|
