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| Adam Carr's Election Archive
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Australian federal election, 2019
Division of Hunter, New South Wales
Northern New South Wales: Branxton, Cessnock, Muswellbrook, Singleton, Toronto
State seats: All of
Lake Macquarie, parts of
Cessnock and
Upper Hunter
Local government areas: All of Muswellbrook and Singleton, parts of Cessnock and Lake Macquarie
Enrolment at close of rolls: 121,560
1999 republic referendum: No 63.2
2018 same-sex marriage survey: Yes 64.4
Sitting member: Hon Joel Fitzgibbon (Labor):
Elected 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2103, 2016
2007 Labor majority over Liberal: 15.9%
2010 Labor majority over Liberal: 12.5%
2013 Labor majority over Liberal: 3.7%
2016 Labor majority over National 12.5%
Status: Safe Labor
2016 results
Statistics and history
Candidates in ballot-paper order:
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1. Stuart Bonds
Pauline Hanson's One Nation |
2. Josh Angus
The Nationals |
3. James Murphy
Animal Justice Party |
4. Paul Davies
United Australia Party |
5. Janet Murray
Australian Greens |
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6. Richard Stretton
Christian Democratic Party |
7. Hon Joel Fitzgibbon
Australian Labor Party |
8. Max Boddy
Socialist Equality Party |
Candidate websites:
Stuart Bonds
Hon Joel Fitzgibbon
Janet Murray
Division of Hunter
Hunter has existed since Federation, and has always occupied most of the Hunter Valley upstream from
Newcastle. Before 1949 its largest centre was usually Maitland, since then it has been dominated by
Cessnock and the small mining communities around it, although it has usually included at least
some of the farming and wine-growing towns of the Upper Hunter as well. From 1993 Maitland was split between
Hunter and Patersonn, and the 2016 redistrubution removed Maitland altogether from the seat. Hunter has a
fairly high median family income for a regional seat, reflecting high wages in the mining industry, but a
very low proportion of people born in non English speaking countries and of people in professional
occupations. Hunter is one of the least multi-cultural of Labor-held seats.
The 2016 redistribution abolished the adjoining seat of Charlton, causing Hunter to be moved sharply to the
south, taking in the Lake Macquarie towns such as Morriset and Toronto, while shedding rural areas in the
north around Merriwa and Scone. This increased the Labor majority and rendered the seat reasonably safe.
Hunter's first and most distinguished member was the first Prime Minister of Australia, Sir Edmund Barton,
who was elected unopposed in 1901. Not longer after his departure, however, Labor began to contest the seat,
and it has been held continously by Labor since 1910. Two Federal Labor Leaders have held Hunter: Matthew
Charlton from 1910 to 1928 and Dr H V Evatt from 1958 to 1960, at the end of his career: Hunter and
Kooyong are the only seats to have been held by three party leaders.
Joel Fitzgibbon, Labor MP for Hunter since 1996, was an electorate officer to his father Eric, a business
operator and member of Cessnock City Council before his election. He was on the opposition front bench
from 1998 and was Minister for Defence from 2007 until June 2009, when he became the first ministerial
casualty of the Rudd Government. After Rudd's demise in 1010 he became the chief organiser of Rudd's
return in 2013. His reward was to be Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for the last two
months of the Labor government. He is now shadow minister for the same portfolio.
The Nationals candidate is Josh Angus, a Maitland cafe owner. The Greens candidate is Janet
Murray, a chemical engineer. The One Nation candidate is Stuart Bonds, a farmer.
Demographics:
Median weekly household income: $1,294 (Australia $1,438)
People over 65: 18.2% (Australia 15.8%)
Indigenous: 5.9% (Australia 2.8%)
Australian born: 84.5% (Australia 66.7%)
Non-English-speaking households: 5.2% (Australia 22.2%)
Catholics 20.8% (Australia 22.6%)
No religion 25.6% (Australia 29.6%)
University graduates: 10.9% (Australia 22.0%)
Professional and managerial employment: 24.1% (Australia 35.2%)
Employed in manufacturing and construction: 23.4% (Australia 22.9%)
Employed in agriculture: 2.5% (Australia 3.3%)
Paying a mortgage: 35.9% (Australia 34.5%)
Renting: 26.6% (Australia 30.9%)
Traditional families: 31.4% (Australia 32.8%)
Members:
Rt Hon Edmund Barton (Prot) 1901-03
Dr Frank Liddell (FT, AS, Lib) 1903-10
Matthew Charlton (ALP) 1910-28
Rowland James (ALP, ALP-NSW, ALP) 1928-58
Rt Hon Dr Herbert Evatt (ALP) 1958-60
Albert James (ALP) 1960b-80
Robert Brown (ALP) 1980-84
Eric Fitzgibbon (ALP) 1984-96
Hon Joel Fitzgibbon (ALP) 1996-
Boundaries following 2016 redistribution:
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