Division of Gorton

History

The division was created in 2004 to replace the abolished Division of Burke, and is named in honour Sir John Gorton, who served as the 19th prime Minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971. Gorton had served in the Senate from 1949 to 1968, before switching houses to represent the Victorian federal seat of Higgins until 1975.

The constituency of Gorton features a high proportion of young families and new suburban developments in the working-class outer western suburbs of the Melbourne metropolitan area.

Burke had been held by the Australian Labor Party for its entire existence, though it had become increasingly marginal since the 1980s. On its creation, it was a comfortably safe Labor seat with a majority of almost 20 percent. The last member for Burke, Brendan O'Connor, successfully transferred to Gorton in the 2004 federal election with only a small swing against him. He held it afterwards on fairly safe to safe margins until his retirement in 2025, when he was replaced by Alice Jordan-Baird, also representing Labor.

Boundaries

Federal electoral division boundaries in Australia are 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.

Gorton is located in the outer western suburbs of Melbourne. As of 2021, it includes the suburbs of Aintree, Bonnie Brook, Burnside, Burnside Heights, Caroline Springs, Deanside, Deer Park, Delahey, Grangefields, Fieldstone, Fraser Rise, Keilor, Keilor Downs, Kings Park, Ravenhall, Rockbank, Sydenham, Taylors Hill, Taylors Lakes, Thornhill Park, Truganina and parts of Deer Park, Derrimut, Hillside and Mount Cottrell.

It previously included the suburbs of Albanvale, Brookfield, Cairnlea, Cobblebank, Harkness, Kurunjang, Melton, Melton South, Plumpton and Strathtulloh; parts of Diggers Rest, Parwan, and Toolern Vale; as well as the townships of Exford and Eynesbury prior to past redistributions.

Members

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Gorton

References

References

1. (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide".
2. "July 2021 MAP OF COMMONWEALTH ELECTORAL DIVISION OF GORTON".
3. "augmented Electoral Commission for Victoria, Redistribution of Victoria into electoral divisions". augmented Electoral Commission for Victoria.