| Macarthur |
Division of McEwen | Mackellar |
 Hon Fran Bailey (Lib) Her electorate website |  |
Location: North of Melbourne: Diamond Creek, Kilmore, Warburton, Whittlesea Division named for: Rt Hon Sir John McEwen, Prime Minister of Australia 1967-68 Median weekly family income: $978 (54th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 5.4% (98th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 26.0% (66th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 9.0% (125th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 45.9% (14th highest) Dwellings being purchased: 38.4% (15th highest) Sitting member: Hon Fran Bailey (Liberal), elected 1990, defeated 1993, elected 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 Born: 21 May 1946, Brisbane. Career: School teacher, business manager, retailer, goat breeder, business consultant. Member, Opposition Shadow Ministry 1992-93. Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition on Fightback! Co-ordination and Marketing and Secretary of the Fightback! Group 1992, Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs and Secretary of the Fightback! Group 1992-93. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence 2001-04, Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence 2004, Minister for Employment Services 2004, Minister for Small Business and Tourism 2004-07. 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 02.2 1998 two-party majority: Liberal 01.0 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 01.2 Effect of 2004 redistribution: 01.0 shift to Liberal 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 06.4 2007 two-party majority: Liberal 00.0 
2004 enrolment: 95,402 2007 enrolment: 104,509 (+09.5%) McEwen was created in 1984, covering an expanse of rural Victoria north and north-east of Melbourne, as well as some fast-growing outer suburbs. Although most of its area is rural, it has the social characteristsics of an outer-suburban mortgage belt seat - very high proportions of families with dependent children and of dwellings being purchased, and a low level of people born in non English speaking countries. The seat has always been politically marginal, with its orientation usually being determined by which suburbs are included at each successive redistribution. The 2006 redistribution removed Labor-voting Craigieburn, boosting the Liberal majority. Fran Bailey won McEwen for the Liberals in 1990, lost it 1993 and won it back in 1996. She was Minister for Small Business and Tourism in the last term of the Howard Government. In 2007 she suffered a swing 6.4%, producing the closest result of the election - after a prolonged recount, Bailey held the seat by 31 votes. Labor polled 72% of the two-party vote at Christmas Hills, and topped 60% at Kinglake, Mill Park Lakes, Millgrove, Warburton and Warburton East. The Liberals polled 76% at Puckapunyal. | |  Two-party vote by booth, 2007
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