| Mackellar |
Division of McMillan | McPherson |
 Russell Broadbent (Lib) His electorate website |  |
Location: Eastern Vic: Leongatha, Moe, Pakenham, Wonthaggi Division named for: Angus McMillan, explorer and pioneer Median weekly family income: $775 (125th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 5.3% (101st highest) Persons in professional occupations: 27.7% (54th highest) Persons engaged in agriculture: 13.1% (16th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 14.3% (47th highest) Couple families with dependent children: 38.4% (73rd highest) Dwellings being purchased: 28.4% (53rd highest) Sitting member: Russell Broadbent (Liberal), elected (for Corinella) 1990, defeated 1993, elected (for McMillan) 1996, defeated 1998, elected 2004, 2007 Born: 25 December 1950, Kooweerup, Victoria. Career: Retailer, company director. Councillor, Shire of Pakenham 1981-87, Shire President 1984-85. 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 02.1 1998 two-party majority: Labor 00.6 2001 two-party majority: Labor 02.9 Effect of 2004 redistribution: 05.4 shift to Liberal 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 05.0 2007 two-party majority: Liberal 04.8 
2004 enrolment: 82,357 2007 enrolment: 87,092 (+05.7%) McMillan was created in 1949, located in the rural West Gippsland region of Victoria. Although it included the coal-mining towns of the La Trobe Valley, it was a safe Liberal seat until the 1970s, and was not won by Labor until 1980. Since then it has been a marginal seat, changing hands several times. Since 1972, eight members for McMillan in succession have been defeated. Socially, the seat consists of several parts. Pakenham is a mortgage-belt outer suburb, full of families with dependent children and dwellings being purchased. The La Trobe Vally has declining working-class towns like Moe, with low-income families and high unemployment. South Gippsland is a dairy farming area, with its coastal areas being colonised by urban exiles. Russell Broadbent won McMillan for the Liberals in 1996, was defeated in 1998, and regained the seat in 2001. On paper the seat was at risk in 2007, but in fact Broadbent sustained a swing of only 0.2%, helped by Labor's unpopularity in the Gippsland area at state level and by his reputation as a backbench rebel against the Howard government's policies on refugees. The Liberals won most of the small rural booths by wide margins, polling 84% at Hallora and also topping 75% at Berrys Creek, Cora Lynn, Labertouche, Nerrena and Ripplebrook. The Liberals also won all the booths in Pakenham. Labor polled 72% at Moe Central and Yallourn North, but won only four booths outside the Moe and Wonthaggi areas. | |  Two-party vote by booth, 2007
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