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| Australian federal election, 2016
Division of Newcastle, New South Wales
North Central New South Wales: Adamstown, Newcastle, Wallsend, Waratah
Sitting member: Sharon Claydon (Labor), elected 2013
Enrolment at close of rolls: 113,386
2013 Labor majority over Liberal: 8.8%
2016 notional Labor majority over Liberal: 9.4%
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Candidates in ballot-paper order:
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1. Sharon Claydon
Australian Labor Party |
2. David Compton
Liberal Party |
3. John Mackenzie
Australian Greens |
4. Stuart Southwell
Democratic Labour Party |
5. Karen Burge
Drug Law Reform |
6. Rod Holding
Independent |
7. Milton Caine
Christian Democrats |
2013 results
Statistics and history
Newcastle has existed since Federation, and has always been based on the industrial port of the same name. It has the distinction of being the only federal electorate to have been held by the same political party for the entire 115 years since the first federal election: in that time it has had only five members, all Labor. Newcastle has been in decline for many years as its traditional coal-and-steel industrial base disappears. It has an ageing population (high proportion of over-65s, low proportion of families with dependent children), and thus a low level of median family income. On the other hand it has relatively high proportions of people born in non English speaking countries and people in professional occupations, both usually signs of dynamism.
Newcastle has always been safe for Labor and remains so today. Yet only one Labor member for Newcastle has been a minister, Charles Jones in the Whitlam Government. For the 30 years after his retirement Newcastle was held by two inconspicuous backbenchers, Allan Morris and Sharon Grierson, who retired in 2013.
Sharon Claydon, Labor MP for Newcastle since 2013, was a disability support worker and social anthropologist before her election. She was also a member of Newcastle City Council. The 2016 redistribution has strengthened the seat for Labor.
The Liberal candidate is David Compton, a member of Newcastle City Council.
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Prospective pendulum, showing all candidates
State and territory maps, showing new boundaries
The thirty seats that will decide the election
Other seats of interest
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