Division of Parkes

This article is about the current federal electorate. For the previous electorate, see Division of Parkes (1901–1969).

Parkes Australian House of Representatives Division
Interactive map of electorate boundaries from the 2025 federal election
Created	1984
MP	Jamie Chaffey
Party	Nationals
Namesake	Sir Henry Parkes
Electors	130,913 (2025)
Area	406,755 km2 (157,049.0 sq mi)
Demographic	Rural
Electorates around Parkes: Grey (SA) Maranoa (QLD) Maranoa (QLD) Grey (SA) Parkes New England Farrer Riverina Calare

The Division of Parkes is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. Located in the northwestern part of the state, it is its largest division by land area at 406,755 km² (157,049.0 sq mi), bordering both Queensland and South Australia.

Since its inception in 1984, the division has continuously been held by the National Party. Since 2025 its MP has been Jamie Chaffey.

History

Sir Henry Parkes, the division's namesake

The former Division of Parkes (1901–1969) was located in suburban Sydney, and was not related to this division, except in name.

The division is named after Sir Henry Parkes, seventh Premier of New South Wales and sometimes known as the 'Father of Federation'. The division was proclaimed at the redistribution of 11 October 1984, and was first contested at the 1984 federal election. The seat is currently a safe Nationals seat. It was substantially changed by the 2006 redistribution and is now considered by many observers as the successor to the abolished Division of Gwydir. As a result, the then member for Parkes, John Cobb, instead contested the Division of Calare. The current Member for Parkes, since the 2007 federal election, is Mark Coulton, a member of the National Party of Australia. ^[1]

According to the 2011 census, approximately 78 per cent of the population within the division identify as Christian, ^[2] more than any other electorate in Australia at that time. ^[3]

The 2015 redistribution resulted in Parkes expanded westwards to cover the state's Far West, including Broken Hill. ^[4] The seat previously lost this area to the Division of Farrer in the 2006 redistribution. ^[5]

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. ^[6]

The largest electorate in the state, it is located in the far north west of the state, adjoining the border with Queensland in the north and with South Australia in the west. Its largest population centre is Dubbo. It also includes the towns of Broken Hill, Dunedoo, Coonabarabran, Coonamble, Walgett, Narrabri, Moree, Warren, Nyngan, Cobar and Bourke. Since the 2024 distribution, it has also included the towns of Parkes, Forbes and West Wyalong. ^[7]

Redistribution	Map	Interactive	Elections	Notes
1984 11 October			1984 1987 1990
1992 31 January			1993 1996 1998
2000 31 January			2001 2004
2006			2007
2009			2010 2013
2016 25 February			2016 2019 2022
2024 10 October			2025

Members

Image		Member	Party	Term	Notes
		Michael Cobb (1945–)	Nationals	1 December 1984 – 31 August 1998	Retired
		Tony Lawler (1961–)		3 October 1998 – 8 October 2001	Retired
		John Cobb (1950–)		10 November 2001 – 24 November 2007	Served as minister under Howard. Transferred to the Division of Calare
		Mark Coulton (1958–)		24 November 2007 – 28 March 2025	Served as minister under Morrison. Retired
		Jamie Chaffey		3 May 2025 – present	Incumbent

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Parkes

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2025 Australian federal election in New South Wales § Parkes.[ edit ]

2025 Australian federal election: Parkes ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Jamie Chaffey	41,912	39.96	−9.02
	Labor	Nathan Fell	20,630	19.67	+0.14
	One Nation	Mark Carter	14,320	13.65	+5.93
	Shooters, Fishers, Farmers	Stephen Pope	6,776	6.46	+4.36
	Greens	Trish Frail	6,404	6.11	+1.37
	Libertarian	Sally Edwards	3,885	3.70	−2.66
	Indigenous-Aboriginal	Bob Wilson	3,117	2.97	−1.21
	Family First	Maurice Davey	2,690	2.56	+2.56
	Independent	Stuart Howe	2,597	2.48	+0.44
	Trumpet of Patriots	Petrus Van Der Steen	2,556	2.44	+2.44
Total formal votes			104,887	89.85	−2.43
Informal votes			11,855	10.15	+2.43
Turnout			116,742	89.22	+0.72
Two-party-preferred result
	National	Jamie Chaffey	66,047	62.97	−5.18
	Labor	Nathan Fell	38,840	37.03	+5.18
	National hold		Swing	−5.18

References

1. Murray, Robyn (1 February 2013). "Candidates welcome September election". Mudgee Guardian. Fairfax Media . Retrieved 14 April 2013.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Parkes, NSW (Commonwealth Electoral Division)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
3. "Percentage religion Christian". Mumble census gallery. Peter Brent. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
4. "Proposed federal redistribution moves far west out of Farrer electorate". ABC News. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
5. "Redistribution of New South Wales into 49 electoral divisions" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
6. Muller, Damon (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
7. "Map of Commonwealth Electoral Division of Parkes" (PDF). October 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
8. Parkes, NSW, 2025 Tally Room, Australian Electoral Commission.

External links

• Division of Parkes – Australian Electoral Commission

30°53′13″S147°22′23″E / 30.887°S 147.373°E / -30.887; 147.373