|
|
|
|
| Australian federal election, 2016
Division of Calare, New South Wales
Central West New South Wales: Bathurst, Lithgow, Orange, Parkes
Sitting member: Hon John Cobb (Nationals), elected 2001. Retiring 2016
Enrolment at close of rolls: 113,025
2013 Nationals majority over Labor: 16.0%
2016 notional Nationals majority over Labor: 15.0%
|
Candidates in ballot-paper order:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
1. Delaney Sky
Australian Greens |
2. Andrew Gee
The Nationals |
3. Glen Davis
Liberal Democratic Party |
4. Bernie Gesling
Christian Democrats |
5. Anthony Craig
Independent |
6. Rod Bloomfield
Nick Xenophon Team |
7. Jess Jennings
Australian Labor Party |
2013 results
Statistics and history
Calare has existed since 1906, when the old seat of Canobolas was renamed, and for most that time has been in the Central West of NSW, based on towns like Orange, Forbes, Parkes and Cowra. Like all rural seats, it had a low level of median family income and a low level of people born in non English speaking countries. Although it was occasionally won by Labor, Calare on those boundaries was usually a conservative seat. At the 1977 redistribution it was dragged eastwards, losing its western rural areas and gaining the (then) Labor strongholds of Bathurst and Lithgow, which had previously been in Macquarie.
David Simmons won Calare for Labor in 1983. In 1996 he retired, and the seat went to an independent, local media identity Peter Andren. Andren held the seat without difficulty. He retired in 2007, and Calare was won by the sitting National member for Parkes, John Cobb.
John Cobb, Nationals MP for Parkes from 2001 to 2007 and for Calare since 2007, was a farmer and president of the NSW Farmers Association before his election. He was briefly a junior minister in the Howard Government, and on the opposition frontbench from 2007 to 2013, but was not included in the Abbott ministry. He is retiring at this election.
The 2016 redistribution has removed the western part of the seat around Forbes and Parkes, and added territory to the north around Kandos, Mudgee and Wellington. Kandos is a strong Labor town and this has slightly reduced the Nationals majority, but it is still a safe seat. At the end of April the Nationals announced that their candidate would be Andrew Gee, a barrister who has been state member for Orange since 2011. The Labor candidate is Dr Jess Jennings, a Bathurst City Councillor.
Back to main page
Prospective pendulum, showing all candidates
State and territory maps, showing new boundaries
The thirty seats that will decide the election
Other seats of interest
|
|