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Division of Flinders
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The Division of Flinders is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division is one of the original 65 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named after Matthew Flinders, the first man to circumnavigate Australia, and the person credited with giving Australia its name.
Key Information
Originally a country seat south and east of Melbourne, Flinders is now based on the outer southern suburbs on the Mornington Peninsula, including Dromana, Hastings and Portsea. Even though Melbourne's suburban growth has long since spilled onto the peninsula, Flinders is still counted as a rural seat.
Geography
[edit]Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at re-distributions by a re-distribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Re-distributions 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.[1]
When the division was proclaimed in 1900, it included areas south-east of Melbourne such as Dandenong, Frankston and Pakenham, as well as Mornington Peninsula, West Gippsland and South Gippsland. In 1906, it lost some areas of South Gippsland such as the Wilsons Promontory to the Division of Gippsland, but also expanded northwards into areas east of Melbourne, such as Nunawading, Glen Waverley, Belgrave and Ferntree Gully.[2][3]
In 1913, the division was further expanded northwards into the Yarra Valley north-east of Melbourne, replacing the abolished Division of Mernda, as well as areas in the Shire of Eltham. It lost areas around Nunawading to other divisions, as well as further South Gippsland areas (such as Leongatha) to the Division of Gippsland.[2] The division also began to neighbour the Division of Corio at the Diamond Valley area (Eltham, Research and Hurstbridge).[4] Together with Corio, both divisions formed a ring that completely surrounded Melbourne, stretching from Surf Coast on one end to Bass Coast on the other.[2]
In 1922, the northern portion of the division was shifted south-west into the Shire of Heidelberg (previously in the Division of Bourke), Shire of Doncaster & Templestowe and the Shire of Nunawading (later City of Box Hill and City of Nunawading). It lost the areas at Yarra Valley, Ringwood, Research and Warrandyte to the Division of Indi, and further areas of South Gippsland (Korumburra) to the Division of Gippsland.[2] This new northern portion was lost to the new Division of Deakin in 1937 and the division was cut back to roughly the current alignment of Canterbury Road at Vermont and Bayswater.[5] At the same time, the divisions also lost further areas of South Gippsland to the Division of Gippsland, such as San Remo.[2]
The division was further shrunk back in 1949 to the area around Dandenong (but not including). At the same time, majority of West Gippsland and the remaining areas of South Gippsland were also lost to the new Division of McMillan, but Phillip Island and French Island were retained. The division was then further shrunk back to the area around Frankston in 1955. The division lost Cranbourne South and Phillip Island to the Division of Holt and Division of McMillan respectively in 1977, and then regained them along with South Gippsland in 1984. In the same year, it also lost Frankston to the new Division of Dunkley in 1984.[2]
In 1989, the division lost Langwarrin to Dunkley. It also lost Cranbourne South, South Gippsland and Phillip Island for the second time, which became part of the new Division of Corinella, but regained them from Corinella when the latter was abolished in 1994 (excluding Wonthaggi). It also briefly included Cranbourne East and Clyde North between 1994 and 2003. In 2018, it lost Cranbourne South, South Gippsland and Phillip Island for the third time to the Division of Holt, Division of La Trobe and the new Division of Monash.[2]
Since its creation in 1900 until present (as of 2025[update]), the division has always included the Mornington Peninsula and French Island.[2]
As of the 2024 redistribution, the division contains the majority of Shire of Mornington Peninsula and French Island, excluding a portion of Mount Eliza.[6]
History
[edit]
It has usually been a fairly safe seat for the Liberal Party and its predecessors, who have held it for all but six years since its creation. However, it has occasionally been won by the Australian Labor Party, notably at the 1929 federal election when Prime Minister Stanley Bruce was defeated. This was the first of two times an incumbent Australian prime minister lost his own seat at a general election; the second time was not until Liberal Prime Minister John Howard lost his seat of Bennelong at the 2007 federal election.
The seat's most prominent member was Bruce, who held it for all but two years from 1918 to 1933. Other prominent former members include Jack Holloway, the Labor challenger who ousted Bruce and later a senior minister in the Curtin and Chifley governments (though he was the member for Melbourne Ports by then) and two deputy Liberal leaders – Sir Phillip Lynch (a minister in the Gorton, McMahon and Fraser governments) and Peter Reith (a minister in the Howard government).
Members
[edit]| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Arthur Groom (1852–1922) |
Free Trade | 29 March 1901 – 23 November 1903 |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Gippsland West. Retired | |
|
James Gibb (1843–1919) |
16 December 1903 – 1906 |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Mornington. Did not contest in 1906. Failed to win the Division of Hume | ||
| Anti-Socialist | 1906 – 12 December 1906 | ||||
|
Sir William Irvine (1858–1943) |
12 December 1906 – 26 May 1909 |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Lowan. Served as minister under Cook. Resigned to become Chief Justice of the Victorian Supreme Court | ||
| Liberal | 26 May 1909 – 17 February 1917 | ||||
| Nationalist | 17 February 1917 – 5 April 1918 | ||||
|
Stanley Bruce (1883–1967) |
11 May 1918 – 12 October 1929 |
Served as minister under Hughes. Served as Prime Minister from 1923 to 1929. Lost seat | ||
|
Jack Holloway (1875–1967) |
Labor | 12 October 1929 – 19 December 1931 |
Transferred to the Division of Melbourne Ports | |
|
Stanley Bruce (1883–1967) |
United Australia | 19 December 1931 – 6 October 1933 |
Served as minister under Lyons. Resigned to become the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom | |
|
James Fairbairn (1897–1940) |
11 November 1933 – 13 August 1940 |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Warrnambool. Served as minister under Menzies. Died in office. | ||
|
Rupert Ryan (1884–1952) |
21 September 1940 – 21 February 1945 |
Died in office | ||
| Liberal | 21 February 1945 – 25 August 1952 | ||||
|
Keith Ewert (1918–1989) |
Labor | 18 October 1952 – 29 May 1954 |
Lost seat | |
|
Robert Lindsay (1905–2000) |
Liberal | 29 May 1954 – 31 October 1966 |
Retired | |
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|
Sir Phillip Lynch (1933–1984) |
26 November 1966 – 22 October 1982 |
Served as minister under Gorton, McMahon and Fraser. Resigned due to ill health | ||
|
Peter Reith (1950–2022) |
4 December 1982 – 5 March 1983 |
Lost seat | ||
|
Bob Chynoweth (1941–) |
Labor | 5 March 1983 – 1 December 1984 |
Transferred to the Division of Dunkley | |
|
|
Peter Reith (1950–2022) |
Liberal | 1 December 1984 – 8 October 2001 |
Served as minister under Howard. Retired | |
|
Greg Hunt (1965–) |
10 November 2001 – 11 April 2022 |
Served as minister under Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison. Retired | ||
 |
100px]] | Zoe McKenzie (1972–) |
21 May 2022 – present |
Incumbent | |
Election results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Zoe McKenzie | 47,375 | 41.22 | −2.07 | |
| Labor | Sarah Race | 25,622 | 22.29 | −0.56 | |
| Independent | Ben Smith | 24,406 | 21.24 | +21.24 | |
| Greens | Adam Frogley | 7,305 | 6.36 | −3.15 | |
| One Nation | Mike Brown | 6,091 | 5.30 | +2.01 | |
| Trumpet of Patriots | Jason Smart (withdrawn) | 3,144 | 2.74 | +2.25 | |
| Independent | Joseph Toscano | 980 | 0.85 | +0.85 | |
| Total formal votes | 114,923 | 96.44 | +1.75 | ||
| Informal votes | 4,246 | 3.56 | −1.75 | ||
| Turnout | 119,169 | 93.44 | +1.65 | ||
| Notional two-party-preferred count | |||||
| Liberal | Zoe McKenzie | 62,957 | 54.78 | −1.38 | |
| Labor | Sarah Race | 51,966 | 45.22 | +1.38 | |
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Zoe McKenzie | 60,090 | 52.29 | −3.88 | |
| Independent | Ben Smith | 54,833 | 47.71 | +47.71 | |
| Liberal hold | |||||
References
[edit]- ^ Muller, Damon (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Flinders". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Gippsland". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Corio". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Deakin". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Map of Commonwealth Electoral Division of Flinders" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. October 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ Flinders, Vic, 2025 Tally Room, Australian Electoral Commission.
External links
[edit]Division of Flinders
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Geography
Boundaries and key features
The Division of Flinders covers the majority of the Mornington Peninsula Shire in southern Victoria, Australia, extending southward from areas near Frankston to the peninsula's tip, and including the unincorporated French-Elizabeth-Sandstone Islands in western Bass Strait.[5] Its boundaries follow coastal lines along Port Phillip Bay to the west and Bass Strait to the east, incorporating approximately 2,169 square kilometers of land characterized by undulating terrain, sandy beaches, and forested hinterlands.[6] Major population centers include Mornington, the division's largest urban area with over 30,000 residents focused around commercial hubs and residential suburbs; Rosebud, a key coastal town known for its beaches and retail precinct; Sorrento, featuring heritage limestone buildings and waterfront esplanades; and Flinders, a smaller seaside village at the southern extremity with scenic cliffs and blowholes.[7] The 2024 federal redistribution added a substantial portion of Mount Eliza, previously in the Division of Dunkley, enhancing the division's northern extent with additional semi-rural and waterfront communities.[8] Key geographic features encompass extensive coastlines with popular swimming beaches like those at Rosebud and Sorrento, agricultural zones supporting vineyards and farms in the hinterland around Balnarring and Red Hill, and natural reserves such as the Nepean National Park and Arthurs Seat elevation providing panoramic views.[9] The peninsula's terrain mixes affluent coastal properties with tourism infrastructure, including marinas and eco-tourism sites, alongside semi-rural expanses that transition to rugged bushland toward Cape Schanck.[10]History
Establishment and early development
The Division of Flinders was proclaimed as one of the 75 original electoral divisions for the Australian House of Representatives, coinciding with the federation of the Commonwealth on 1 January 1901, with boundaries determined by the Parliament of Victoria under section 29 of the Constitution.[11][12] It was named in honour of Captain Matthew Flinders (1774–1814), the British navigator who led the first circumnavigation of Australia aboard HMS Investigator from 1801 to 1803, charting extensive portions of the southern and eastern coasts and popularizing the name "Australia" for the continent.[5] Flinders' surveys provided foundational geographic knowledge that informed early colonial settlement patterns in the division's region. The division's initial boundaries encompassed coastal and rural districts south-east of Melbourne, including portions of the Mornington Peninsula, Frankston, and surrounding shires such as Flinders and Mornington, areas characterized by agricultural pursuits, fishing communities, and emerging seaside resorts in the early 20th century.[13] These boundaries reflected the sparse population distribution and reliance on primary industries in Victoria's southern fringe, with an enrolment of 12,156 voters at the inaugural poll.[14] The first federal election for Flinders occurred on 29–30 March 1901, resulting in victory for Arthur Champion Groom, a Free Trade Party candidate aligned with fiscal conservatism and opposition to protectionist tariffs, who secured the seat over rivals from the Protectionist and Labour parties.[15] With a turnout of 47.24%, Groom's win established an early precedent of non-Labor representation in the division, mirroring broader patterns in rural Victorian electorates where free trade and anti-Labour sentiments prevailed amid debates over tariffs and federation-era economic policies.[14] This outcome underscored the division's orientation toward conservative-leaning voters in its formative years, prior to subsequent redistributions.Boundary redistributions and changes
The Division of Flinders was recreated as part of the 1949 federal redistribution, following its initial abolition in 1906, and initially encompassed coastal and rural areas of the Mornington Peninsula, including towns such as Mornington, Rosebud, and Flinders itself.[5] This reconfiguration maintained the division's focus on semi-rural and seaside communities, distinct from Melbourne's urban sprawl, with enrolment reflecting a balanced quota adjustment post-World War II population shifts.[13] The 1984 redistribution, prompted by population growth in Victoria's southeastern suburbs, redrew Flinders' boundaries by transferring some southern metropolitan-adjacent areas to the newly established Division of Dunkley, thereby contracting the division's urban fringe and reinforcing its rural-coastal composition. These adjustments reduced exposure to more volatile inner-suburban electorates, preserving a voter profile skewed toward stable, conservative-leaning demographics in agricultural and tourism-dependent locales, as evidenced by sustained high Liberal margins in subsequent elections.[13] In the most recent 2024–2025 redistribution, finalized on 17 October 2024, the Australian Electoral Commission transferred a substantial portion of Mount Eliza—previously in Dunkley—into Flinders to address enrolment shortfalls, with the division's projected enrolment having been over 3.5% below the state quota prior to changes.[16][17] This addition of approximately 10,000–15,000 electors from affluent, family-oriented suburbs bolstered the division's numbers without diluting its Peninsula-centric identity, incorporating areas with similar socioeconomic traits—higher median incomes and lower urban density—that historically support conservative voting patterns, thus sustaining the seat's competitive edge for the Liberal Party amid Victoria's overall seat reduction from 39 to 38 divisions.[18][8] Across these redistributions, boundary adjustments have empirically prioritized numerical equity while countering urban encroachment, as Flinders' enrolment has fluctuated between 90,000 and 120,000 voters since the 1980s, consistently safeguarding its blend of rural hinterland and coastal resorts against metropolitan homogenization.[16]Demographics
Population profile and socioeconomic data
At the 2021 Census, the Division of Flinders had a usual resident population of 150,355 people.[19] The median age was 48 years, compared to the national median of 38 years, with 20.1% of residents aged 65 years and over.[19] Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprised 1.1% of the population, lower than the national figure of approximately 3.2%.[19] In terms of birthplace and ancestry, 76.8% of residents were born in Australia, with the remainder primarily from England (6.6%), New Zealand (1.4%), and Scotland (0.9%); overall, 23.2% were born overseas, below the national average of around 30%.[19] Common ancestries included English (45.0%), Australian (37.7%), and Irish (12.5%), while 11.0% of residents spoke a language other than English at home.[19] Family structures featured a high proportion of couple families without children (46.1%) and couples with children (37.2%).[19] Housing tenure data indicated strong property ownership, with 41.7% of occupied private dwellings owned outright and 33.8% held with a mortgage, totaling 75.5% owner-occupied; only 19.7% were rented.[19] The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,949, exceeding the national median of $1,863, while median weekly rent aligned with the national figure of $375.[19] Median weekly household income stood at $1,479, below the national median of $1,746, potentially reflecting a significant retiree cohort.[19] Labour force participation was 54.6%, with an unemployment rate of 3.3%.[19] Leading occupations included professionals (19.3%) and technicians/trades workers (17.7%).[19] Key industries encompassed health care (e.g., hospitals at 4.0% of employment) and retail trade (e.g., supermarkets at 2.9%), alongside regional contributions from agriculture (horticulture, grazing), tourism, and fishing activities in areas like the Mornington Peninsula and Flinders Aquaculture Fisheries Reserve.[19][20][21]Political representation
Members of Parliament
The Division of Flinders has been represented by members primarily affiliated with conservative parties, with the Liberal Party holding the seat continuously since 1954 following a brief interruption. Early representation included Stanley Bruce of the Nationalist Party (later United Australia Party), who served from May 1918 to October 1929 and February 1932 to October 1933.[22] Labor's Jack Holloway held the seat from 1929 to 1931 after defeating Bruce in the 1929 election.[23] Liberal MP Rupert Ryan represented Flinders until his death in 1952, triggering a by-election won by Labor's Keith Ewert, who served until 1954.[24] The Liberals regained the seat in 1954 with Robert Lindsay, who held it until 1966. This marked the beginning of extended Liberal tenures, underscoring empirical evidence of sustained center-right voter preference in the electorate. Subsequent members include Phillip Lynch (Liberal, 1966–1982), followed by Peter Reith (Liberal, 1982–1983 and 1984–2001).[25][26] Reith's service featured a short loss in 1983 but a strong return, reflecting the seat's conservative leanings. Greg Hunt succeeded Reith, serving from 2001 to 2022 as the longest-tenured member in the division's history.[27] Current member Zoe McKenzie (Liberal) was elected in 2022 and re-elected in 2025.[4]
| Member | Party | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Stanley Bruce | Nationalist/UAP | 1918–1929, 1931–1933[22] |
| Jack Holloway | Labor | 1929–1931[23] |
| Rupert Ryan | Liberal | Until 1952[24] |
| Keith Ewert | Labor | 1952–1954[24] |
| Robert Lindsay | Liberal | 1954–1966[28] |
| Phillip Lynch | Liberal | 1966–1982[25] |
| Peter Reith | Liberal | 1982–1983, 1984–2001[26] |
| Greg Hunt | Liberal | 2001–2022[27] |
| Zoe McKenzie | Liberal | 2022–present[4] |
Notable contributions and records
Stanley Bruce, elected to the Division of Flinders in a 1918 by-election, served as Australia's eighth Prime Minister from 1923 to 1929, marking the electorate's most prominent parliamentary record.[29] His administration emphasized economic policies centered on men, money, and markets, promoting business efficiency and fiscal responsibility amid post-World War I recovery.[30] Bruce's defeat in Flinders during the 1929 election, amid industrial disputes, highlighted tensions between labor reforms and economic pragmatism, with data showing subsequent productivity challenges under expanded union influence.[31] Greg Hunt, representing Flinders from 2001 to 2022, advanced health policy as Minister for Health from 2017 to 2022, securing $180 million for medical research projects in 2021 to enhance treatment outcomes and $132 billion in overall health funding for 2022-23, including extensions of telehealth services amid the COVID-19 response.[32] [33] Locally, Hunt facilitated infrastructure improvements on the Mornington Peninsula, doubling Roads to Recovery funding to over $20 million in 2021 for road upgrades supporting jobs and business connectivity, alongside additional allocations under the $1.5 billion Local Roads program.[34] [35] Peter Reith, MP for Flinders from 1983 to 2001 (excluding a brief period), contributed to workplace reforms as Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations, and Small Business, overseeing the 1998 waterfront dispute resolution that dismantled inefficient practices, yielding documented productivity increases of up to 300% in stevedoring operations through competitive tendering and reduced manning levels.[36] These changes aligned with conservative fiscal principles, prioritizing economic efficiency over entrenched regulatory structures, though they faced short-term industrial resistance.[37] In environmental-development debates affecting coastal Flinders, MPs have advocated balanced approaches favoring evidence-based growth, such as Hunt's support for Peninsula infrastructure amid calls for restrained regulations to avoid stifling local economies reliant on tourism and ports.[34] Data from funding outcomes underscore tangible benefits in connectivity over precautionary excess, reflecting causal priorities in resource allocation.[38]Elections
Historical results
The Division of Flinders has recorded Liberal Party two-party-preferred majorities in every federal election since 1949, except during Labor's brief tenure from the 1952 by-election to the 1954 general election. Margins have generally exceeded 10 percentage points for much of this period, reflecting the electorate's safe status for the Liberals, with occasional narrowing during national swings against the Coalition, such as a 5.8% margin in 2007.[28][39] A minor Labor swing of 7.2% occurred in 1969 amid the party's national upsurge, reducing the Liberal margin to 12.1%, but the seat reverted to stronger Liberal dominance in subsequent contests, including peaks of 28.6% in 2004. Independent and minor party candidates have occasionally polled notable primary votes, such as the Country Party's 20.1% in 1940 and Democrats' 11.7% in 1990, though these rarely altered two-party outcomes.[40][41]| Year | Liberal 2PP (%) | Margin (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 60.5 | 21.0 | Liberal gain from Country Party[42] |
| 1951 | 58.2 | 16.4 | -4.6 swing to Labor[42] |
| 1954 | 52.8 | 5.6 | Liberal regain after 1952 by-election loss to Labor[28] |
| 1955 | 58.3 | 16.6 | +11.0 swing[42] |
| 1969 | 56.1 | 12.2 | Labor primary 42.3%[40] |
| 1972 | 55.3 | 10.6 | -1.6 swing[42] |
| 1974 | 54.9 | 9.8 | -0.8 swing[42] |
| 1975 | 62.1 | 24.2 | +14.4 swing[42] |
| 1977 | 59.4 | 18.8 | -5.4 swing[42] |
| 1980 | 57.2 | 14.4 | -4.4 swing[39] |
| 1983 | 54.5 | 9.0 | -5.4 swing[39] |
| 1984 | 55.8 | 11.6 | +2.6 swing[39] |
| 1987 | 53.2 | 6.4 | -5.2 swing[39] |
| 1990 | 51.2 | 2.4 | -4.0 swing; Democrats 11.7% primary[40] |
| 1993 | 52.1 | 4.2 | +1.8 swing[40] |
| 1996 | 60.3 | 20.6 | +16.4 swing[40] |
| 1998 | 56.7 | 13.4 | -7.2 swing[40] |
| 2001 | 58.9 | 17.8 | +4.4 swing[40] |
| 2004 | 64.3 | 28.6 | +10.8 swing[40] |
| 2007 | 52.9 | 5.8 | -22.8 swing[40] |
| 2010 | 54.7 | 9.4 | +3.6 swing[40] |
| 2013 | 57.2 | 14.4 | +5.0 swing[40] |
| 2016 | 58.5 | 17.0 | +2.6 swing[40] |
| 2019 | 59.4 | 18.8 | +1.8 swing[40] |
| 2022 | 53.4 | 6.8 | -12.0 swing[41] |