| Newcastle |
Division of North Sydney | O'Connor |
 Hon Joe Hockey (Lib) His electorate website |  |
Location: Sydney: Lane Cove, Neutral Bay, North Sydney, Willoughby Division named for: The suburb of North Sydney, and more generally the northern region of Sydney Median weekly family income: $1,788 (1st highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 18.8% (38th highest) Persons in professional occupations: 51.1% (1st highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 12.8% (81st highest) Couple families with dependent children: 33.2% (127th highest) Dwellings being purchased: 16.7% (143rd highest) Dwellings are flat, unit or apartment: 53.8% (3rd highest) Sitting member: Hon Joe Hockey (Liberal), elected 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 Born: 2 August 1965, Sydney. Career: Banking and finance lawyer, Director of Policy to the Premier of NSW. Minister for Financial Services and Regulation 1998-2001, Minister for Small Business and Tourism 2001-04, Minister for Human Services 2004-07, Minister Assisting the Minister for Workplace Relations 2006-07, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations 2007, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service 2007. Member, Opposition Shadow Ministry from 2007. Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing 2007-2008. Shadow Minister for Finance, Competition Policy and Deregulation from 22 September 2008 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 15.6 1998 two-party majority: Liberal 12.2 Effect of 2001 redistribution: 00.5 shift to Liberal 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 13.3 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 10.0 Effect of 2006 redistribution: no change 2007 notional two-party majority: Liberal 10.0 2007 two-party majority: Liberal 05.4 
2004 enrolment: 89,083 2007 enrolment: 94,163 (+05.7%) (new boundaries) North Sydney has existed since 1901, and when it was created it ran from Kirribilli to the outskirts of Newcastle. Successive redistributions cut it back, first to cover most of the North Shore, and more recently to a small block of densely populated inner suburbia directly across Sydney Harbour from the city. The seat now consists mainly of affluent singles, couples and families living in expensive apartments - it has the third-highest proportion of apartment-dwellers of any seat. Because it has so few families with dependent children, North Sydney is the country's wealthiest electorate in terms of median family income, and has the highest proportion of people in professional occupations. It is hardly surprising then that North Sydney is a safe Liberal seat. The real surprise is that it is as marginal as it is. North Sydney is perhaps the leading example of the slow drift to Labor in wealthy electorates, caused by increasing concern about social issues among affluent voters. North Sydney was held by Prime Minister Billy Hughes, representing several different parties, from 1922 to 1949. Joe Hockey won it for the Liberals in 1996. He was promoted to Cabinet in 2004 and in 2007 became Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. During the 2007 election campaign local polls showed Hockey to be in danger of defeat, but he escaped with a swing of 4.6% against him. Since the election he has been a senior member of the Opposition frontbench. In 2007 the Liberals polled 69% of the two-party vote at Hunters Hill, and also topped 60% at Henley, Longueville, Middle Harbour, Northbridge East and Woolwich. Labor polled 55% at Chatswood South. | | 
Two-party vote by booth, 2007
Click to enlarge map
|
