Adam Carr's Election Archive

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Australian federal election, 2019
Division of Mackellar, New South Wales

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< McEwen previous seat | next seat McMahon >
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Northern Sydney: Collaroy, Frenchs Forest, Mona Vale, Narrabeen, Palm Beach
State seats: All of Pittwater, parts of Davidson and Wakehurst
Local government areas: All of Pittwater, parts of Warringah

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Enrolment at close of rolls: 110,899

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1999 republic referendum: No 50.6
2018 same-sex marriage survey: Yes 68.0

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Sitting member: Jason Falinksi (Liberal): Elected 2016

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2007 Liberal majority over Labor: 12.4%
2010 Liberal majority over Labor: 15.7%
2013 Liberal majority over Labor: 18.8%
2016 Liberal majority over Labor: 15.7%

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Status: Safe Liberal

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2016 results

Statistics and history

Candidates in ballot-paper order:

1. David Lyon United Australia Party	2. Suzanne Daly Sustainable Australia	3. Alice Thompson Independent	4. Pru Wawn Australian Greens	5. Declan Steele Australian Labor Party

6. Jason Falinksi Liberal Party	7. Greg Levitt Christian Democratic Party

Candidate websites:

Jason Falinksi
Declan Steele
Alice Thompson
Pru Wawn

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Division of Mackellar

Mackellar was created in 1949, based on the northern beaches suburbs of Sydney, and its boundaries have not changed much since. This is an affluent area and the seat has always been safe for the Liberal Party. It is among the top 10% of electorates in terms of median family incomes, although its proportion of people in professional occupations is not as high as those in seats closer to the city centre. In 2013 the Liberal Party won every polling booth except Scotland Island, which has 270 voters. Between 1949 and 2016 Mackellar has had only three members, all ministers in Liberal governments.

Bronwyn Bishop, Liberal MP for Mackellar since 1994, was elected to the Senate in 1987, and was on the opposition front bench from 1989. She shifted to the House of Representatives at a 1994 by-election. She was a junior minister in the Howard government but was dropped after the 2001 election. She was elected Speaker during the Abbott government. She was highly partisan in this role, and found little sympathy when she was accused of abusing her entitlements. She denied this, but resigned in August 2015.

Bishop was determined to stand again in 2016, but at 73 she could not rally support and was defeated in a party ballot. She was the longest-serving female member in the history of the Australian Parliament.

Jason Falinksi, Liberal MP for Mackellar since 2016, was managing director of CareWell Health, a medical equipment supplier and a Warringah councillor before his election. Falinksi, who has three foreign-born grandparents,* was lucky to avoid entanglement in the 2018 citizenship saga. His Labor opponent is be Declan Steele, a student. The Greens candidate is Pru Wawn, a high-school teacher. Alice Thompson, a former staffer to Malcolm Turnbull, is running as an independent.

Demographics:

Median weekly household income: $2,056 (Australia $1,438)
People over 65: 18.8% (Australia 15.8%)
Australian born: 68.4% (Australia 66.7%)
Non-English-speaking households: 18.0% (Australia 22.2%)
Catholics 24.1% (Australia 22.6%)
No religion 31.8% (Australia 29.6%)
University graduates: 27.8% (Australia 22.0%)
Professional and managerial employment: 43.4% (Australia 35.2%)
Employed in manufacturing and construction: 23.1% (Australia 22.9%)
Paying a mortgage: 36.9% (Australia 34.5%)
Renting: 21.5% (Australia 30.9%)
Traditional families: 40.8% (Australia 32.8%)

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Members:

Hon William Wentworth (Lib) 1949-77
Hon Jim Carlton (Lib) 1977-94
Hon Bronwyn Bishop (Lib) 1994b-2016
Jason Falinski (Lib) 2016-

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Boundaries following 2016 redistribution:

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