| Makin |
Division of Mallee | Maranoa |
 John Forrest (Nat) His electorate website |  |
Location: North-west Vic: Horsham, Mildura, Swan Hill, Warracknabeal
Division named for: The Mallee region, an Indigenous word meaning "dwarf eucalypt" Median weekly family income: $752 (128th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 4.2% (127th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 33.5% (28th highest) Persons engaged in agriculture: 23.9% (3rd highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 15.8% (26th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 38.0% (83rd highest) Dwellings being purchased: 21.8% (110th highest) 2004 enrolment: 90,678 2007 enrolment: 90,112 (-00.6%) Sitting member: John Forrest (National), elected 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 Born: 24 August 1949, Mildura, Victoria. Career: Design engineer State Electricity Commission, lecturer Ballarat College of Advanced Education, consulting engineer. Councillor, Swan Hill City Council. Nationals Chief Whip 1998-2006. Member, Opposition Shadow Minister from 2007. Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Trade 2007-08. Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development from 22 September 2008 1996 two-party majority: National 23.5 1998 two-party majority: National 19.4 2001 two-party majority: National 19.9 Effect of 2004 redistribution: 01.0 shift to National 2004 two-party majority: National 24.8 2007 two-party majority: National 21.3 
Mallee was created in 1949, from the northern part of the federation seat of Wimmera. Wimmera was abolished in 1977 and Mallee now has nearly identical borders to the old seat. It covers the north-western quarter of Victoria, including the Murray Valley and the wheat country of the Wimmera. It has one of the highest proportions of its workforce engaged in agriculture of any seat, and like all such seats it has a relatively low median family income level and a low proportion of people born in non English speaking countries, although it has a surprisingly high proportion of people in professional occupations. Mallee has always been a safe seat for the Country Party and its successor the Nationals, although the Liberals nearly pinched it in 1993 and might do so the next time it falls vacant. It is now the safest Coalition seat in Australia. John Forrest won Mallee for the Nationals in 1993. A respected backbencher, he resigned as Nationals whip in 2006 in opposition to the Howard government's immigration bill. He was appointed to the shadow ministry in 2007. In 2004 the Nationals achieved at least 60% of the two-party vote in all but three booths, and polled over 80% in most of the small rural booths (94% in Yanac). Labor polled 42% in Mildura City Central. | |  Two-party vote by booth, 2007 (north) Click to enlarge map Two party swing by booth, 2007 (north) Click to enlarge map |
