Psephos - Adam Carr's Election Archive

Adam Carr's Election Archive

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

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Inner western Sydney: Concord, Drummoyne, Lidcombe, Silverwater, Strathfield
State seats: All of Drummoyne, parts of Auburn and Strathfield
Local government areas: All of Canada Bay, parts of Ashfield, Auburn, Burwood and Strathfield
Enrolment at close of rolls: 108,964
1999 republic referendum: No 51.0
2018 same-sex marriage survey: Yes 52.7

Sitting member: Hon Craig Laundy (Liberal): Elected 2013, 2016. Retiring 2019

2007 Labor majority over Liberal: 16.8%
2010 Labor majority over Liberal: 2.7%
2013 Liberal majority over Labor: 0.8%
2016 Liberal majority over Labor: 4.8%

Status: Marginal Liberal

Best Liberal booths, two-party vote: Strathfield Central (70.1), Strathfield West (69.0), Mortlake (62.9), Concord City (60.0), Wareemba (59.8)
Best Labor booths, two-party vote: Flemington (60.2), Ashfield North (60.1), Silverwater (58.4), Lidcombe (56.5), Croydon South (53.9)

  • 2016 results
  • Statistics and history

  • Candidates in ballot-paper order:

    1. Leith Piper
    Christian Democratic Party
    2. Charles Jago
    Australian Greens
    3. Sam Crosby
    Australian Labor Party
    4. Fiona Martin
    Liberal Party
    5. Young Lee
    United Australia Party
    6. Rohan Laxmanalal
    Animal Justice Party



    Candidate websites:

    Sam Crosby
    Charles Jago
    Fiona Martin

    Division of Reid

    Reid was created in 1922, and for most of its history it occupied a block of western suburban Sydney, based on the working-class suburbs of Granville and Auburn. Successive redistributions expanded the seat somewhat without changing its character. But the 2010 redistribution shifted the seat eastwards following the abolition of Lowe, adding Concord and Drummoyne while losing Granville, and becoming a marginal seat for the first time. In fact, the seat had more Lowe voters than Reid voters, and was only called Reid to preserve the name of a former Prime Minister. Lowe was the seat of Prime Minister Bill McMahon.

    As a result of this change, the Liberals won Reid for the first time at the 2013 election. The 2016 redistribution removed most of Auburn from the seat and added parts of Strathfield and Burwood, increasing the Liberal majority further.

    The old Reid was one of Australia's most heavily multi-cultural seats, with a very low level of median family income, and a high proportion of families with dependent children. But the new Reid has a much older and more middle-class demographic profile, taking in old established upper-income areas such as Concord.

    Reid was held by a succession of Labor luminaries, including NSW Premier Jack Lang, Whitlam Government Minister Tom Uren and Laurie Ferguson, who was a Parliamentary Secretary in the Rudd Government. In 2010 Ferguson contested Werriwa so that John Murphy, Labor MP for Lowe, could stand in Reid. Murphy won easily in 2010, but was defeated on a large swing to the Liberals in 2013.

    Craig Laundy, Liberal MP for Reid since 2013, comes from a prominent family of Sydney hoteliers, and worked for his family business before entering politics. A moderate Liberal, he was a favourite of Prime Minister Turnbull. In February 2016 Turnbull appointed him an assistant minister. He is now Minister for Small and Family Business, the Workplace and Deregulation. He gained a 1.4% swing towards him in 2016. Following Turnbull's removal there were repeated suggestions that Laundy would not stand again, but he waited until mid March to announce his retirement.

    The new Liberal candidate is Fiona Martin, a child psychologist. The Labor candidate is Sam Crosby, executive director of the McKell Institute. The Greens candidate is Charles Jago, an adult educator and Canada Bay City councillor.


    Demographics:

    Median weekly household income: $1,898 (Australia $1,438)
    People over 65: 12.6% (Australia 15.8%)
    Australian born: 43.7% (Australia 66.7%)
    Ancestry: Chinese 18.2%, Italian 7.6%, Korean 5.6%
    Non-English-speaking households: 56.4% (Australia 22.2%)
    Catholics 26.8% (Australia 22.6%)
    Hindu 7.1%
    No religion 28.3% (Australia 29.6%)
    University graduates: 37.6% (Australia 22.0%)
    Professional and managerial employment: 47.0% (Australia 35.2%)
    Employed in manufacturing and construction: 15.7% (Australia 22.9%)
    Paying a mortgage: 28.1% (Australia 34.5%)
    Renting: 41.5% (Australia 30.9%)
    Traditional families: 34.5% (Australia 32.8%)

    Members:

    Percy Coleman (ALP) 1922-31
    Joseph Gander (ALP-NSW, ALP, ALP-NC) 1931-40
    Charles Morgan (ALP) 1940-46
    Jack Lang (ALP-NC) 1946-49
    Charles Morgan (ALP) 1949-58
    Hon Tom Uren (ALP) 1958-90
    Hon Laurie Ferguson (ALP) 1990-2010
    Hon John Murphy (ALP) 2010-13
    Hon Craig Laundy (Lib) 2013-19

    Boundaries following 2016 redistribution:




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