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| Adam Carr's Election Archive
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Australian federal election, 2019
Division of Nicholls, Victoria
Northern Victoria: Echuca, Nagambie, Seymour, Shepparton, Yarrawonga
State seats: All of
Shepparton, parts of
Euroa,
Murray Plains and
Ovens Valley
Local government areas: All of Campaspie, Greater Shepparton and Moira, parts of
Mitchell and Strathbogie
Enrolment at close of rolls: 111,170
1999 republic referendum: No 69.5
2018 same-sex marriage survey: Yes 57.6
Sitting member: Hon Damian Drum (Nationals):
Elected 2016
2007 Nationals majority over Labor: 18.3% *
2010 Nationals majority over Labor: 20.4% *
2013 Nationals majority over Labor: 20.9% *
2016 Nationals majority over Liberal: 5.1% *
2016 notional Nationals majority over Labor: 24.9% *
2019 notional Nationals majority over Liberal: 5.1%
* as Murray
Status: Very safe Nationals over Labor
2016 results
Statistics and history
Candidates in ballot-paper order:
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1. Hon Damian Drum
The Nationals |
2. Jeremy Parker
Independent |
3. Andrew Bock
Independent |
4. Stewart Hine
United Australia Party |
5. Bill Lodwick
Australian Labor Party |
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6. Nickee Freeman
Australian Greens |
7. Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell
Pauline Hanson's One Nation |
8. Nigel Hicks
Independent |
Candidate websites:
Hon Damian Drum
Nickee Freeman
Bill Lodwick
Division of Nicholls
Nicholls is the new name for the former seat of Murray, which was created in 1949, and has always occupied the central part
of the Murray Valley, based on Shepparton. This is one of the most heavily agricultural parts of Australia, and also one
of the most politically conservative. Murray has always been an ulra-safe seat for the non-Labor parties. Like most rural
seats, it has a low level of median family income, and a low proportion of people born in non English speaking
countries. The 2018 redistribution has expanded the seat southwards to take in Seymour and Broadford, without changing
its political character.
The Murray Valley was one of the birthplaces of the Country Party, and the old seat of Echuca, which covered much the same
territory, first elected a Country Party member in 1919. The loss of Murray to the Liberals in 1996 was thus a shock, and
a symbol of the decline of the Nationals in Victoria. The Nationals' recovery of Murray in 2016 may be seen as a sign of
a revival of the party's fortunes in regional Victoria.
The first member for Murray was Sir John McEwen, who was briefly Prime Minister in 1967-68 (McEwen had previously been
member for Echuca and Indi since 1934). The last time the seat was vacant, in 1996, Dr Sharman Stone won it for the
Liberals. Stone was a minister in the Howard Government, but was not included in the
Abbott ministry. She retired in 2016, creating a three-cornered contest. Labor came third and directed its preferences to
the Nationals candidate, Damian Drum. Although Drum had a fairly narrow win over the Liberal, he will now be perfectly safe
in this seat.
Damian Drum, Nationals MP for Murray since 2016, was a Shepparton businessman, Geelong footballer and Fremantle coach before
entering politics. In 2002 he was elected a Nationals member of the Victorian Legislative Council, and was a minister in the
Baillieu-Napthine government. He was Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister (Barnaby Joyce) from December 2017 to
March 2018, when he was dropped after Joyce's demise.
The Labor candidate is Bill Lodwick, a scientist and Mitchell Shire councillor. The Greens candidate is Nickee
Freeman, a small-business owner.
Demographics:
Median weekly household income: $1,080 (Australia $1,438)
People over 65: 21.6% (Australia 15.8%)
Indigenous: 2.6% (Australia 2.8%)
Australian born: 79.7% (Australia 66.7%)
Non-English-speaking households: 9.1% (Australia 22.2%)
Catholics 24.8% (Australia 22.6%)
No religion 27.7% (Australia 29.6%)
University graduates: 10.7% (Australia 22.0%)
Professional and managerial employment: 28.8% (Australia 35.2%)
Employed in manufacturing and construction: 32.1% (Australia 22.9%)
Employed in agriculture: 17.0% (Australia 3.3%)
Paying a mortgage: 31.9% (Australia 34.5%)
Renting: 25.2% (Australia 30.9%)
Traditional families: 27.3% (Australia 32.8%)
Members for Murray:
Rt Hon Sir John McEwen (CP) 1949-71
Bruce Lloyd (CP, NCP, NPA) 1971-96
Hon Dr Sharman Stone (Lib) 1996-
Hon Damian Drum (Nat) 2016-
Boundaries following 2018 redistribution:
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