The Division of Cowan is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. The division was created in 1984 and is named for Edith Cowan

Edith Cowan

Edith Dircksey Cowan , MBE was an Australian politician, social campaigner and the first woman elected to an Australian parliament....

, the first woman elected to an Australian Parliament. It is located in the northern suburbs of Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

, including the suburbs of Girrawheen

Girrawheen, Western Australia

Girrawheen is a northern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Wanneroo.-History:...

, Greenwood

Greenwood, Western Australia

Greenwood, is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the City of Joondalup. The suburb is located 18 km from Perth's central business district.-History:...

, Kingsley

Kingsley, Western Australia

Kingsley is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Joondalup. Kingsley is bounded to the north by Whitfords Avenue, to the south by Hepburn Avenue, to the west by the Mitchell Freeway and to the east by Wanneroo Road....

, Landsdale, Woodvale

Woodvale, Western Australia

Woodvale is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Joondalup and the City of Wanneroo. Its postcode is 6026.Woodvale is bounded to the south by Whitfords Avenue, to the west by the Mitchell Freeway, to the north by Ocean Reef Road and to the east by Wanneroo Road...

 and Marangaroo

Marangaroo, Western Australia

Marangaroo is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is located approximately 18 km north of Perth City, and is home to the Marangaroo Golf Course and two primary schools - Rawlinson Primary School and Marangaroo Primary School....

. It is a marginal seat, changing hands between the Australian Labor Party

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 and the Liberal Party

Liberal Party of Australia

The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...

. At the 2007 election, the retirement of popular sitting member Graham Edwards

Graham Edwards (politician)

Graham John Edwards , Australian politician, was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1998 to 2007, representing the Division of Cowan....

 made Cowan a key seat. Liberal candidate Luke Simpkins narrowly defeated Labor candidate Liz Prime.

Members

Member		Party	Term
	Carolyn Jakobsen Carolyn Jakobsen Carolyn Anne Jakobsen is a retired Australian politician. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, she was an electorate secretary and ministerial officer before entering politics. In 1984, she was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for the new seat of Cowan...	Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...	1984–1993
	Richard Evans Richard Evans (Australian politician) Richard Evans is a former Australian politician, who served as a Liberal Party of Australia member in the Australian House of Representatives. He was the member for Cowan from 1993 to 1998. He was CEO of the Franchise Council of Australia until October 2007 and was the Executive Director of the...	Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...	1993–1998
	Graham Edwards Graham Edwards (politician) Graham John Edwards , Australian politician, was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1998 to 2007, representing the Division of Cowan....	Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...	1998–2007
	Luke Simpkins Luke Simpkins Luke Xavier Linton Simpkins is an Australian politician. He has been the Liberal representative for the electoral division of Cowan in Western Australia since the 2007 federal election. Luke Simpkins was unsuccessful in his attempt to win the seat from Labor's Graham Edwards at the 2004 federal...	Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...	2007–present

Election results