Division of Macarthur
Encyclopedia
The Division of Macarthur is an Australia
Federal electoral division covering outer south-west Sydney
. Its present boundaries cover the southern suburbs of Campbelltown, all of the local government area of Camden and small parts of Wollondilly. It covers 537 km² and is named after John Macarthur
and his wife Elizabeth Macarthur
, who were pioneers of Australia's wool industry. The main products and work in the electorate are in the fruit and vegetable production, lucerne and fodder crops, wine, dairy cattle and horse-breeding.
While the electorate is predominantly outer-suburban, its contains some semi-rural areas such as Bringelly
and Leppington
. The population of the electorate is likely to expand significantly over coming years due to the release of new land surrounding Sydney for residential development.
Macarthur has changed hands regularly over the years as redistributions have favoured different parties. Macarthur was a bellwether
seat from the time of its establishment in 1949 until the 2007 election - during that 58-year period it was always held by a member of the governing party or coalition. Demographic changes and the relative popularity of the sitting MP, Pat Farmer have allowed the Liberal Party
to consolidate their position here in recent years. The redistributions have shrunk the geographical size of the seat, as the Campbelltown region becomes more heavily populated. In the redistribution prior to the 2001 Federal election, Southern highlands towns such as Bowral
, Moss Vale
were removed, shrinking the area to one eighth of its original size. This made the seat notionally ALP
by 1.3%, from the previous 5.6% of the Liberals, which led to Liberal minister John Fahey
abandoning the seat. Farmer achieved an 8.3% swing to regain the seat anyway, and increased the margin from 7 to 9.5% at the 2004 Federal election.
Macarthur swung heavily to Labor at the 2007 federal election, with a swing of 10.4%. The swing was spread evenly across the electorate, reflecting its solid mortgage belt character. The swing was particularly large in the heavily mortgaged suburbs of Narellan
, Camden
and the more Liberal-voting areas of Campbelltown
. The previously very large margin of 11.1% that was enjoyed by the Liberal member, Pat Farmer, was sharply reduced to a margin of 0.7%.
between Liverpool
and Penrith
and south to Camden. It encompasses the suburbs of Airds
, Ambarvale
, Appin
, Badgerys Creek
, Bickley Vale
, Bradbury
, Camden
, Camden South
, Campbelltown
, Cawdor
, Cobbitty
, Ellis Lane
, Gilead
, Glen Alpine
, Grasmere
, Greendale
, Harrington Park
, Kentlyn
, Mount Annan
, Narellan
, Oran Park
, Rosemeadow
, Rossmore
, St Helens Park
, Wedderburn
and Woodbine
and parts of Bringelly
, Catherine Field
, Douglas Park
, Leumeah
, Razorback
and Rossmore
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
Federal electoral division covering outer south-west Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Its present boundaries cover the southern suburbs of Campbelltown, all of the local government area of Camden and small parts of Wollondilly. It covers 537 km² and is named after John Macarthur
John MacArthur
John MacArthur may refer to:* John Macarthur , Australian wool industry pioneer and Rum Rebel* John McArthur, Jr. , American architect* John McArthur , Union general during the American Civil War...
and his wife Elizabeth Macarthur
Elizabeth Macarthur
Elizabeth Macarthur was born in Devon, England, the daughter of provincial farmers, Richard and Grace Veale, of Cornish origin. Her father died when she was 7; her mother remarried when she was 11, leaving Elizabeth in the care of her grandfather John and friends. Elizabeth married Plymouth...
, who were pioneers of Australia's wool industry. The main products and work in the electorate are in the fruit and vegetable production, lucerne and fodder crops, wine, dairy cattle and horse-breeding.
While the electorate is predominantly outer-suburban, its contains some semi-rural areas such as Bringelly
Bringelly, New South Wales
Bringelly is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Northern Road between Penrith and Camden. It has a public school. Bringelly is also the name of a local hill.-History:...
and Leppington
Leppington, New South Wales
Leppington is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Leppington is located 55 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the City of Liverpool and Camden Council.-History:...
. The population of the electorate is likely to expand significantly over coming years due to the release of new land surrounding Sydney for residential development.
Macarthur has changed hands regularly over the years as redistributions have favoured different parties. Macarthur was a bellwether
Bellwether
A bellwether is any entity in a given arena that serves to create or influence trends or to presage future happenings.The term is derived from the Middle English bellewether and refers to the practice of placing a bell around the neck of a castrated ram leading his flock of sheep.The movements of...
seat from the time of its establishment in 1949 until the 2007 election - during that 58-year period it was always held by a member of the governing party or coalition. Demographic changes and the relative popularity of the sitting MP, Pat Farmer have allowed 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...
to consolidate their position here in recent years. The redistributions have shrunk the geographical size of the seat, as the Campbelltown region becomes more heavily populated. In the redistribution prior to the 2001 Federal election, Southern highlands towns such as Bowral
Bowral, New South Wales
-Attractions:Bowral is perhaps the best known of the towns and villages of the Southern Highlands, and in recent years has become the commercial centre of the Wingecarribee Shire. Bowral is known for its boutiques, antique stores, gourmet restaurants, and rich coffee culture.Bowral is home to the...
, Moss Vale
Moss Vale, New South Wales
Moss Vale is a town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. It has a population of 7,339 and is sited on the Illawarra Highway, which connects to Wollongong and the Illawarra coast via Macquarie Pass...
were removed, shrinking the area to one eighth of its original size. This made the seat notionally ALP
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...
by 1.3%, from the previous 5.6% of the Liberals, which led to Liberal minister John Fahey
John Fahey (politician)
John Joseph Fahey, AC is a former Premier of New South Wales and Federal Minister for Finance in Australia. John Fahey is currently the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1984 to 1996 and the federal House of Representatives...
abandoning the seat. Farmer achieved an 8.3% swing to regain the seat anyway, and increased the margin from 7 to 9.5% at the 2004 Federal election.
Macarthur swung heavily to Labor at the 2007 federal election, with a swing of 10.4%. The swing was spread evenly across the electorate, reflecting its solid mortgage belt character. The swing was particularly large in the heavily mortgaged suburbs of Narellan
Narellan, New South Wales
Narellan is a suburb of the Macarthur Region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia in Camden Council.-History:The area now known as Narellan was probably originally home to the Tharawal people, based in the Illawarra region, although the Western Sydney-based Darug people and the...
, Camden
Camden, New South Wales
-Education:Camden is the location of research facilities for the veterinary and agricultural schools of the University of Sydney. The local government area has two public high schools, Camden High School and Elderslie High School, as well as eight Catholic and three Anglican schools.-Culture:The...
and the more Liberal-voting areas of Campbelltown
Campbelltown, New South Wales
Campbelltown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campbelltown is located 51 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Campbelltown.- History :Campbelltown...
. The previously very large margin of 11.1% that was enjoyed by the Liberal member, Pat Farmer, was sharply reduced to a margin of 0.7%.
Geography
The Division covers areas east of the Nepean RiverNepean River
The Nepean River is a river in the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia.The headwaters of the Nepean River rise near Robertson, about 100 kilometres south of Sydney and about 15 kilometres from the coast. The river flows north in an unpopulated water catchment area into Nepean Dam, which...
between Liverpool
Liverpool, New South Wales
Liverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...
and Penrith
Penrith, New South Wales
Penrith is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Penrith is located west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Penrith...
and south to Camden. It encompasses the suburbs of Airds
Airds, New South Wales
Airds is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Airds is located 56 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region....
, Ambarvale
Ambarvale, New South Wales
Ambarvale is a suburb of south-western Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ambarvale is located 55 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region...
, Appin
Appin, New South Wales
Appin is a town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia in Wollondilly Shire. It is situated about 16 kilometres south of Campbelltown and 35 kilometres north west of Wollongong.-Early history:...
, Badgerys Creek
Badgerys Creek, New South Wales
-People:According to the 2006 census taken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Badgerys Creek had a population of 721, an improvement on the 1996 figure but still less than half the number in 1981. Well over half the houses were being rented , largely because of the federal government's...
, Bickley Vale
Bickley Vale, New South Wales
Bickley Vale is a suburb of the Macarthur Region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia in Camden Council.-History:The area now known as Bickley Vale was originally home to the Gandangara people of the Southern Highlands although the Muringong, southernmost of the Darug people, were...
, Bradbury
Bradbury, New South Wales
Bradbury is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bradbury is located 54 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region....
, Camden
Camden, New South Wales
-Education:Camden is the location of research facilities for the veterinary and agricultural schools of the University of Sydney. The local government area has two public high schools, Camden High School and Elderslie High School, as well as eight Catholic and three Anglican schools.-Culture:The...
, Camden South
Camden South, New South Wales
Camden South is a suburb of the Macarthur Region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia in Camden Council. It is to the immediate south of Camden, New South Wales and shares the same postcode 2570.-History:...
, Campbelltown
Campbelltown, New South Wales
Campbelltown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campbelltown is located 51 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Campbelltown.- History :Campbelltown...
, Cawdor
Cawdor, New South Wales
Cawdor is a village of Wollondilly Shire, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.- External links :...
, Cobbitty
Cobbitty, New South Wales
Cobbitty is a village of the Macarthur Region near the town of Camden, southwest of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.The area is mostly farmland and location of an agricultural branch of Sydney University. At the southern end of the suburb, bordering the Nepean River is Camden...
, Ellis Lane
Ellis Lane, New South Wales
Ellis Lane is a suburb of the Macarthur Region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia in Camden Council.-History:The area now known as Ellis Lane was originally home to the Gandangara people of the Southern Highlands although the Muringong, southernmost of the Darug people, were also...
, Gilead
Gilead, New South Wales
Gilead is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gilead is located 58 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region....
, Glen Alpine
Glen Alpine, New South Wales
Glen Alpine is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Glen Alpine is located 56 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region....
, Grasmere
Grasmere, New South Wales
Grasmere is a suburb of the Macarthur Region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia in Camden Council.-History:The area now known as Grasmere was originally home to the Gandangara people of the Southern Highlands although the Muringong, southernmost of the Darug people, were also...
, Greendale
Greendale, New South Wales
Greendale is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:Greendale was originally home to the Mulgoa tribe of the Darug people. The first British explorer to visit the area was botanist George Caley in 1800. A number of land grants were made in the area in 1811, one of...
, Harrington Park
Harrington Park, New South Wales
Harrington Park is a suburb of the Macarthur Region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia in Camden Council. Once a grand estate, owned by the Fairfax family , it has recently developed as a residential suburb although the now diminished Harrington Park estate is still owned and run...
, Kentlyn
Kentlyn, New South Wales
Kentlyn is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kentlyn is located 58 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region....
, Mount Annan
Mount Annan, New South Wales
Mount Annan is a suburb of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mount Annan is located 60 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Camden Council and is part of the Macarthur region.-History:...
, Narellan
Narellan, New South Wales
Narellan is a suburb of the Macarthur Region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia in Camden Council.-History:The area now known as Narellan was probably originally home to the Tharawal people, based in the Illawarra region, although the Western Sydney-based Darug people and the...
, Oran Park
Oran Park, New South Wales
Oran Park is a suburb of the Macarthur Region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia in Camden Council. It is the site of the Oran Park Raceway.-History:...
, Rosemeadow
Rosemeadow, New South Wales
Rosemeadow is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rosemeadow is located 56 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region....
, Rossmore
Rossmore, New South Wales
Rossmore is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.It is bound to the east by Kemps Creek, the west by South Creek, the north by Fifteenth Avenue, and the south by Rileys Creek in the southwest and a non natural border from there...
, St Helens Park
St Helens Park, New South Wales
St Helens Park is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. St Helens Park is located 56 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region.-History:St Helens Park draws...
, Wedderburn
Wedderburn, New South Wales
Wedderburn is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wedderburn is located 57 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region....
and Woodbine
Woodbine, New South Wales
Woodbine is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woodbine is located 55 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region...
and parts of Bringelly
Bringelly, New South Wales
Bringelly is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Northern Road between Penrith and Camden. It has a public school. Bringelly is also the name of a local hill.-History:...
, Catherine Field
Catherine Field, New South Wales
Catherine Field is a suburb of Sydney and part of the Macarthur Region in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Catherine Field is located 60 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Camden Council....
, Douglas Park
Douglas Park, New South Wales
Douglas Park is a town of the Macarthur Region in New South Wales, Australia in Wollondilly Shire. It is near the Hume Highway and on the Main Southern railway line. Its station is served by CityRail's Southern Highlands services. It is about 80 km southwest of Sydney. Locals refer to the...
, Leumeah
Leumeah, New South Wales
Leumeah is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Leumeah is located 52 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown...
, Razorback
Razorback, New South Wales
Razorback is a locality and scattered village in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Wollondilly Shire. It has a population of 631. It is in between the main Macarthur towns of Picton and Camden ....
and Rossmore
Rossmore, New South Wales
Rossmore is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.It is bound to the east by Kemps Creek, the west by South Creek, the north by Fifteenth Avenue, and the south by Rileys Creek in the southwest and a non natural border from there...
.
Demographics
It is a mortgage belt area, with a high percentage of young families, leading to the proportion of residents under 18 being 35%, compared to the national average of 27.2%, with a low proportion of senior citizens (5.9% compared to 12.1%). This is further highlighted in the fact that 23.3% of the population is attending school, compared to the national average of 18.1%. The income is above average, with 19.7% of the families in the electorate earning less than A$500 per week, compared to 24.3% for the national average. The birth demographics of the electorate are similar to the rest of Australia, with the proportion of people born overseas and in non-English speaking countries within one percentage point of the national average.Members
| Member | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Bate | 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... |
1949 Australian federal election, 1949 Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1949. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives, and 42 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, where the single transferable vote was introduced... –1972 |
|
| Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
1972–1972 | ||
| John Kerin John Kerin John Charles Kerin, AM is an Australian economist and former Australian Labor Party politician.-Career in politics:... |
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... |
1972 Australian federal election, 1972 Federal elections were held in Australia on 2 December 1972. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The Liberal Party of Australia had been in power since 1949, under Prime Minister of Australia William McMahon since March 1971 with coalition partner the Country Party... –1975 |
|
| Michael Baume Michael Baume Michael Ehrenfried Baume AO was an Australian Liberal Party politician who represented the Division of Macarthur in the House of Representatives and the state of New South Wales in the Senate.Born in Sydney, Baume earned a B.A... |
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... |
1975 Australian federal election, 1975 Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 December 1975. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election following a double dissolution of both Houses.... –1983 |
|
| Colin Hollis Colin Hollis Colin Hollis was an Australian federal politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001.... |
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... |
1983 Australian federal election, 1983 Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election, following a double dissolution... –1984 |
|
| Stephen Martin | 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 | |
| Chris Haviland Chris Haviland Christopher Douglas "Chris" Haviland was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney, he was a public servant with the Commonwealth Department of Health. In 1993, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Macarthur, succeeding Stephen Martin, who contested... |
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... |
1993–1996 | |
| John Fahey John Fahey (politician) John Joseph Fahey, AC is a former Premier of New South Wales and Federal Minister for Finance in Australia. John Fahey is currently the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1984 to 1996 and the federal House of Representatives... |
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... |
1996–2001 | |
| Pat Farmer | 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... |
2001–2010 | |
| Russell Matheson Russell Matheson Russell Glenn Matheson , an Australian federal politician, is a Member of the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of Macarthur representing the Liberal Party of Australia, elected at the 2010 federal election... |
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... |
2010–present | |