Psephos - Adam Carr's Election Archive

Adam Carr's Election Archive

Australian federal election, 2022
Division of Cunningham, New South Wales

Named for: Allan Cunningham (1791-1839), explorer of NSW and Queensland


< Cowper previous seat | next seat Curtin >
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South of Sydney: Bulli, Corrimal, Port Kembla, Unanderra, Wollongong
State seats: All of Keira, parts of Heathcote, Shellharbour and Wollongong
Local government areas: Parts of Wollondilly and Wollongong
Borders with: Hughes, Hume, Macarthur and Whitlam
Enrolment at 2019 election: 115,312
Enrolment at 2022 election: 117,309 (+01.7)
1999 republic referendum: Yes 53.6
2018 same-sex marriage survey: Yes 65.7


Sitting member: Hon Sharon Bird (Labor): Elected 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019. Retiring 2022

2007 Labor majority over Liberal: 18.1%
2010 Labor majority over Liberal: 13.2%
2013 Labor majority over Liberal: 9.9%
2016 Labor majority over Liberal: 13.3%
2019 Labor majority over Liberal: 13.4%

Liberal two-party vote 1983-2019

Status: Safe Labor

Best Labor booths, two-party vote: Warrawang (77.8) Warrawang Central (76.9), Port Kembla Central (76.5), Lake Heights (76.3), Bellambi (75.8)
Best Liberal booths, two-party vote: Helensburgh (48.9), Unanderra West (44.4), Figtree Heights (42.3), Wollongong PPVC (42.0), Cordeaux Heights (41.4)


  • 2019 results
  • Statistics and history

  • Candidates in ballot-paper order:

    1. Marcus Uren
    Liberal Party
    2. Ben Britton
    United Australia Party
    3. Alison Byrnes
    Australian Labor Party
    4. Alexis Garnaut-Miller
    Citizens Party
    5. Dylan Green
    Australian Greens
    6. Michael Glover
    Liberal Democrats
    7. Thomas Grogan
    Pauline Hanson's One Nation

    Candidate websites:

    Benjamin Britton
    Alison Byrnes
    Alexis Garnaut-Miller
    Michael Glover
    Dylan Green
    Thomas Grogan
    Marcus Uren

    Division of Cunningham

    Cunningham was created in 1949, based on the industrial centre of Wollongong, south of Sydney. As the region's heavy industry has declined, however, Wollongong has become a signicantly less working-class city, and the creation in 1984 of the new seat of Throsby (now Whitlam) removed some of the most blue-collar parts of the electorate. Today more of Cunningham's workforce work in government services for the Illawarra region than work in manufacturing. This is why the electorate has a higher proportion of people with professional and managerial occupations and a higher median income level than most regional city seats.

    All this explains the gradual decline in Labor strength in Cunningham, although the seat is still fairly reliably Labor. Its members have included Labor cabinet ministers Rex Connor and Stewart West and Speaker of the House Stephen Martin. In 2002 Martin abruptly resigned his seat, and the ensuing by-election found Labor with a new leader, Simon Crean, whose standing with the public was low, and a candidate, Sharon Bird, who many Labor activists in the seat did not support. The result was a shock win for the Green candidate Michael Organ, a blow from which Crean's leadership never recovered. At the 2004 election things returned to normal and Bird easily regained the seat for Labor.

    Sharon Bird, Labor MP for Cunningham since 2004, was a senior project officer with the NSW Department of Juvenile Justice before her election. Earlier she had been a member of Shellharbour City Council. She became a parliamentary secretary in 2012 and was a minister in the last months of the Rudd-Gillard Government. She was a shadow minister until 2016. In November 2021 she announced her retirement. The new Labor candidate is Alison Byrnes, who is currently Bird's electorate officer. The Liberal candidate is Marcus Uren, an account manager. The Greens candidate is Dylan Green, whose occupation is not stated.

    Demographics:

    Median weekly household income: $1,372 (Australia $1,438)
    People over 65: 17.4% (Australia 15.8%)
    Indigenous: 2.2% (Australia 2.8%)
    Australian born: 71.8% (Australia 66.7%)
    Non-English-speaking households: 21.1% (Australia 22.2%)
    Catholics 25.2% (Australia 22.6%)
    No religion 29.0% (Australia 29.6%)
    University graduates: 23.0% (Australia 22.0%)
    Professional and managerial employment: 37.0% (Australia 35.2%)
    Employed in manufacturing and construction: 23.3% (Australia 22.9%)
    Paying a mortgage: 29.7% (Australia 34.5%)
    Renting: 32.2% (Australia 30.9%)
    Traditional families: 31.5% (Australia 32.8%) <



    Gallery of Members for Cunningham



    Boundaries following most recent redistribution:



    See full-size map of this Division



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