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| Adam Carr's Election Archive
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Australian federal election, 2025
Division of Cowper, New South Wales
Named for: Hon Sir Charles Cowper (1807-75), NSW MP 1843-50, 1851-67, 1869-70, Premier 1856, 1857-59, 1861-63, 1865-66, 1870. (Sir Charles pronounced his name Cooper, but the electorate has always been pronounced Cow-per.)
Northern New South Wales: Coffs Harbour, Dorrigo, Kempsey, Nambucca Heads, Port Macquarie
Enrolment at 2019 election: 124,507
Enrolment at 2022 election: 129,688 (+04.3)
1999 republic referendum: No 60.6
2018 same-sex marriage survey: Yes 60.0
2023 Voice referendum: No 66.0
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Sitting member: Pat Conaghan (Nationals): Elected 2019, 2022
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2007 Nationals majority over Labor: 1.2%
2010 Nationals majority over Labor: 9.3%
2013 Nationals majority over Labor: 11.7%
2016 Nationals majority over Independent: 4.6%
2019 Nationals majority over Independent: 6.8%
2022 Nationals majority over Independent: 2.3%
2025 notional Nationals majority over Independent: 2.3%
2025 notional Nationals majority over Labor: 9.5%
Status 2022: Very marginal Nationals (over Independent)
Nationals two-candidate vote 1983-2022
2022 results
Statistics and history
Division of Cowper
Cowper has existed since Federation, at one time occupying virtually the whole North Coast of NSW, which in the early
years of the Commonwealth was a remote and thinly settled area. Since 1949 it has been steadily cut back as the North
Coast has grown rapidly, so that it now comprises little more than the tourism and retirement centres of Coffs Harbour
and Port Macquarie and a few adjacent rural areas: once one of the most rural seats in Australia, it now has only 4.9%
of its workforce engaged in agriculture, while 8.5% work in tourism.
Cowper's large retired population means it has the 4th highest proportion of over-65s of any electorate, and this
combined with its rural element give it the 7th lowest median family income level of any electorate. Like most regional seats
Cowper is very monocultural, with no large ethnic or religious minorities.
The Nationals majority in Cowper is seldom very large, but both Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie are fairly reliable for them.
Labor support comes from some coastal towns, hippy colonies and small saw-milling towns.
Cowper was one of the birthplaces of the Country Party.
Sir Earle Page, leader of the party from 1921 to 1939 and
briefly Prime Minister in 1939, was member for Cowper from 1919 to 1961. His defeat in 1961 was one of the great
upsets of Australian electoral history. After the Country Party regained the seat in 1963, it was held for 56 years
by three backbenchers,
Ian Robinson,
Garry Nehl and
Luke Hartsuyker.
Pat Conaghan, Nationals MP for Cowper since 2019, was a Port Macquarie solicitor before entering politics. He was born in Kempsey and
was previously a police officer and public prosecutor in Sydney, and a member of North Sydney Council.
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