Division of Bradfield

Last updated

Bradfield
Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of BRADFIELD 2016.png
Division of Bradfield in New South Wales, as of the 2016 federal election
Created1949
MP Paul Fletcher
Party Liberal
Namesake John Bradfield
Electors 108,573 (2022)
Area101 km2 (39.0 sq mi)
DemographicInner metropolitan

The Division of Bradfield is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.

Contents

History

John Bradfield, the division's namesake John Bradfield at his desk 01 (cropped).jpg
John Bradfield, the division's namesake

Bradfield was created in the 1949 expansion of Parliament, and was named in honour of John Bradfield, [1] the designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Its first member was Billy Hughes, a former Prime Minister of Australia and the last serving member of the first federal Parliament. The bulk of the seat was carved out of North Sydney, which Hughes represented from 1923 to 1949. After Hughes, its best-known member was Brendan Nelson, a minister in the third and fourth Howard governments and the federal Leader of the Opposition from 2007 to 2008. The current Member for Bradfield, since the 2009 Bradfield by-election, is Paul Fletcher, a member of the Liberal Party of Australia.

Located in the traditional Liberal stronghold of Sydney's North Shore, Bradfield has been in Liberal hands for its entire existence, and for most of that time has been reckoned as a very safe Liberal seat. [2] Most of the territory covered by the seat has been represented by centre-right MPs since Federation.

The Liberal hold on the seat has only been even remotely threatened twice. Af a 1952 by-election triggered by Hughes’ death, the Liberals were held to 58 percent of the two-party vote–the only time that Labor has come anywhere close to winning the seat. Even in 1952, the Liberals still won more than enough primary votes to retain the seat without the need for preferences.

In the 2022 federal election, Voices of Bradfield-endorsed independent candidate Nicolette Boele slashed the Liberal margin in the seat from 16.56% to 4.23%, turning Bradfield into a marginal seat on a two-candidate preferred basis for the first time in its history, amid the collapse of Liberal support in the North Shore. The swing against the Liberals was enough to drop the Liberal margin in a "traditional" two-party contest with Labor to 56 percent, the first time the seat has been marginal against Labor. The Liberal primary vote plummeted to 45.05%, the first time the Liberal Party received less than 50% of the primary vote in Bradfield. The primary vote swing against the Liberal Party of 15.28% was also the largest in the country.

Boundaries

Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned. [3]

The electorate is located in the upper North Shore and covers an area of approximately 101 km2, covering the suburbs Castle Cove, East Killara, East Lindfield, Gordon, Killara, Lindfield, North Turramurra, North Wahroonga, Pymble, Roseville, Roseville Chase, South Turramurra, St Ives, St Ives Chase, Turramurra, Wahroonga, Waitara, Warrawee, and West Pymble; as well as parts of Asquith, Chatswood, Chatswood West, Hornsby, Mount Colah, and Normanhurst. The electorate has undergone minor boundary changes, with the latest redistribution in 2016 shifting slightly south, gaining Castle Cove and parts of Chatswood from North Sydney while losing parts of Thornleigh, Normanhurst and Hornsby.

Demographics

2021 Australian census [4]
Ancestry
ResponseBradfieldNSWAustralia
English 26.6%29.8%33.0%
Chinese 24.5%7.2%5.5%
Australian 21.0%28.6%29.9%
Irish 8.0%9.1%9.5%
Scottish 7.7%7.7%8.6%
Country of birth
ResponseBradfieldNSWAustralia
Australia 51.8%65.4%66.9%
China 11.2%3.1%2.2%
England 4.4%2.9%3.6%
India 3.4%2.6%2.6%
Hong Kong 3.0%0.6%0.4%
South Africa 2.5%0.6%0.7%
Religious affiliation
No religion 40.3%32.8%38.4%
Catholicism 16.7%22.4%20.0%
Anglicanism 13.2%11.9%9.8%
Hinduism 4.3%3.4%2.7%
Language spoken at home
Australian English 58.6%67.6%72.0%
Mandarin 13.6%3.4%2.7%
Cantonese 6.0%1.8%1.2%
Korean 2.8%0.8%0.5%
Hindi 1.5%1.0%0.8%
Persian 1.4%0.3%0.3%

Members

ImageMemberPartyTermNotes
  BillyHughes1945.jpg Billy Hughes
(1862–1952)
Liberal 10 December 1949
28 October 1952
Previously held the Division of North Sydney. Died in office. Currently the longest serving parliamentarian, as well as the oldest to have served
  Harry Turner.jpg Harry Turner
(1905–1988)
20 December 1952
11 April 1974
Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Gordon. Retired
  DavidConnolly1964.jpg David Connolly
(1939–)
18 May 1974
29 January 1996
Lost preselection and retired
  Brendan Nelson (3).jpg Brendan Nelson
(1958–)
2 March 1996
19 October 2009
Served as minister under Howard. Served as Opposition Leader from 2007 to 2008. Resigned to retire from politics
  Paul Fletcher headshot.jpg Paul Fletcher
(1965–)
5 December 2009
present
Served as minister under Turnbull and Morrison. Incumbent

Election results

2022 Australian federal election: Bradfield [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Paul Fletcher 43,56245.05−15.28
Independent Nicolette Boele20,19820.89+20.89
Labor David Brigden16,90217.48−3.70
Greens Martin Cousins8,9609.27−4.44
Independent Janine Kitson3,0183.12+3.12
United Australia Rob Fletcher2,4962.58+0.74
One Nation Michael Lowe1,5681.62+1.62
Total formal votes96,70496.40+0.45
Informal votes3,6163.60−0.45
Turnout 100,32092.43−0.95
Notional two-party-preferred count
Liberal Paul Fletcher 54,68556.55−10.01
Labor David Brigden42,01943.45+10.01
Two-candidate-preferred result
Liberal Paul Fletcher 52,44754.23−12.33
Independent Nicolette Boele44,25745.77+45.77
Liberal hold 

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hornsby, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Hornsby is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 23 kilometres (14 mi) north-west of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of Hornsby Shire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ku-ring-gai Council</span> Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

Ku-ring-gai Council is a local government area in Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The area is named after a fictional Aboriginal language group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Ives, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

St Ives is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia 18 kilometres north of the Sydney Central Business District in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council. St Ives Chase is a separate adjacent area, designated suburb, to the west and north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Shore (Sydney)</span> Region in New South Wales, Australia

The North Shore is a region within Northern Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia, generally referring to suburbs located on the northern side of Sydney Harbour up to Wahroonga, and suburbs between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Shore railway line</span> Railway line in Australia

The North Shore Line is a railway line serving the North Shore in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The North Shore Line extends from Sydney Central station through the western limb of the City Circle, across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and through the North Shore area to Hornsby where it joins the Main North Line. Services on the line are primarily provided by the T1 North Shore & Western Line and T9 Northern Line, with some services to Wyong during peak hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killara</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Killara is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Killara is located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council. East Killara is a separate suburb and West Killara is a locality within Killara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Division of North Sydney</span> Australian federal electoral division

The Division of North Sydney is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Division of Bennelong</span> Australian federal electoral division

The Division of Bennelong is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named after Woollarawarre Bennelong, an Aboriginal man befriended by the first Governor of New South Wales, Arthur Phillip. The seat is represented by Jerome Laxale since the 2022 Australian federal election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Division of Berowra</span> Australian federal electoral division

The Division of Berowra is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The Division covers the northern parts of the Greater Sydney area with the local government areas of the Hornsby Shire and the Hills Shire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornleigh, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Thornleigh is a suburb in the Upper North Shore region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Thornleigh is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. The source of the Lane Cove River is located in Thornleigh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Pymble, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

West Pymble is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north-west of the Sydney Central Business District in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council. Pymble is a separate suburb to the east, sharing the postcode of 2073.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wahroonga railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Wahroonga railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Wahroonga. The station is located in the Ku-ring-gai Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services. It was built from 1890 to 1910 by E. Pritchard & Co., contractor. It is also known as Wahroonga Railway Station group and Pearce's Corner; Noonan's Platform. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Davidson</span> State electoral district of New South Wales, Australia

Davidson is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Matt Cross of the Liberal Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Ku-ring-gai</span> Former New South Wales electoral district

Ku-ring-gai was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. The electorate covers the suburbs and parts of the suburbs of Gordon, Hornsby, Killara, Lindfield, Normanhurst, North Turramurra, North Wahroonga, Pymble, South Turramurra, Thornleigh, Turramurra, Wahroonga, Waitara, Warrawee and West Pymble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon RFC</span> Australian rugby union club, based in Sydney

Gordon Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based on the North Shore of Sydney. The club, known as the Gordon Highlanders, plays out of Chatswood Oval and competes in the New South Wales Rugby Union grade competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Sydney</span> Region of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia

Northern Sydney is a large metropolitan area in Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the north shore of Sydney Harbour and Parramatta River. The region embraces suburbs in Sydney's north-east, north and inner north west. Northern Sydney is divided into distinctive regions such as the North Shore, Northern Beaches and Forest District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Tigers FC</span> Football club

Northern Tigers FC is a semi-professional Association football club based in the northern suburbs area of Sydney, spanning the Lower North Shore, Upper North Shore and reaching up to Brooklyn on the banks of the Hawkesbury River. The Northern Tigers enter teams in the Football NSW League One, National Premier Leagues NSW Women's, FNSW Skills Acquisition Program.

Deanes Coaches was an Australian bus company operating route bus services and charter coaches on Sydney's North Shore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Wahroonga</span> Australian electorate

Wahroonga is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was contested for the first time at the 2023 election.

References

  1. "Profile of the electoral division of Bradfield (NSW)". Australian Electoral Commission. 22 February 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  2. Green, Antony (2010). "Bradfield". Australia votes 2010. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  3. Muller, Damon (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  4. "2021 Bradfield, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics".
  5. Bradfield, NSW, 2022 Tally Room, Australian Electoral Commission.

33°43′55″S151°08′46″E / 33.732°S 151.146°E / -33.732; 151.146