Psephos - Adam Carr's Election Archive

Adam Carr's Election Archive

Australian federal election, 2025
Division of Barton, New South Wales

Named for: Rt Hon Sir Edmund Barton (1849-1920), NSW MP 1879-94, 1897-1900, federal MP 1901-03, Prime Minister 1901-03 (first Prime Minister)


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Southern Sydney: Bexley, Carlton, Earlwood, Hurstville, Rockdale

Enrolment at 2019 election: 108,992
Enrolment at 2022 election: 110,371 (+01.4)
1999 republic referendum: Yes 51.8
2018 same-sex marriage survey: No 56.4
2023 Voice referendum: No 55.0


Sitting member: Hon Linda Burney (Labor): Elected 2016, 2019, 2022


2007 Labor majority over Liberal: 12.1%
2010 Labor majority over Liberal: 6.9%
2013 Liberal majority over Labor: 0.3%
2016 Labor majority over Liberal: 8.3%
2019 Labor majority over Liberal: 9.4%
2022 Labor majority over Liberal: 15.5%
2025 notional Labor majority over Liberal: 12.0%

Status: Fairly safe Labor


  • 2022 results
  • Statistics and history

  • Division of Barton

    Barton was created in 1922 in the southern suburbs of Sydney, and has been a very stable seat in terms of both its borders and its social composition. It is relatively wealthy for a Labor-held seat, with a high proportion of home-owners and university graduates. Its increasing strength for Labor is explained by its high proportion of people born in non English speaking countries: Barton is one of the most multi-cultural seats in Australia, with over 60% of households speaking a non-English language.

    The expansion of the seat to the north by recent redistributions has strengthened Labor's position. The 2016 redistribution made these characteristics even stronger by removing the more affluent suburbs along the Georges River and pushing the seat into strong Labor areas. The 2024 redistribution has partly reversed this, by removing Marrickville and adding most of Korarah in the south. This has reduced the Labor majority.

    Barton has usually been held by Labor, its most prominent member being Dr H.V. Evatt, External Affairs Minister under Curtin and Chifley and later Opposition Leader. Robert McClelland, son of Whitlam government minister Senator Douglas McClelland, won the seat in 1996. McClelland was a minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments, before retiring in 2013, when the seat fell to the Liberals for the first time since 1977. Nickolas Varvaris held the seat for one term until he was defeated by a combination of the 2016 redistribution and the swing to Labor at that election.

    Linda Burney, Labor MP for Barton since 2016, was a teacher and public servant before entering politics. She was Director General of the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs 2000-03. She was then MLA for Canterbury in the NSW Parliament 2003-16, and was a minister in the last NSW Labor government 2007-11. She is the first Indigenous woman to sit in the House of Representatives, and was Minister for Indigenous Australians 2022-24. She will retire in 2025.

    Boundaries following most recent redistribution:



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