Electoral district of Alfred Cove
Encyclopedia
The Electoral district of Alfred Cove is a Legislative Assembly
electorate
in the state
of Western Australia
. The district is named for the southern riverside
Perth
suburb of Alfred Cove
which falls within its borders.
and part of Melville
, and was first contested in the 1996 election
at which Liberal
member and Court
government minister Doug Shave, who had previously represented Melville since the 1989 election
, was successful. Alfred Cove, and Applecross before it, was regarded as very safe for the Liberal Party, but an Independent Liberal, Penny Hearne, who had formerly represented the Liberals against Kim Beazley
in Brand
at the previous federal election, had cut Shave's margin to just over 2%.
As Minister for Fair Trading, Shave was criticised over his department's handling of the so-called finance brokers' scandal in 1999-2000, where thousands of elderly investors faced losses estimated at over A$200 million. In particular, Shave was accused of giving preferential treatment to his own father-in-law to recover $100,000. The electorate at the 2001 census, taken shortly after the elections, had a median age of 40 and 28.7% of its population were over 55 years of age, and hence was unusually affected by the consequences of the finance brokers' scandal. The candidates at the 2001 election
included Denise Brailey, an advocate for the elderly investors, and Dr Janet Woollard
, the wife of former Australian Medical Association
president Dr Keith Woollard who had started the Liberals for Forests
party. In the event, with Labor
not contesting, each got over 20% of the vote, with Woollard winning on preferences when Brailey and the Greens
were eliminated and their votes distributed.
Woollard faced a strong opponent at the 2005 election
in Liberal
candidate and former Court
government minister Graham Kierath, who had unexpectedly lost his seat of Riverton
on a 10% swing to the Labor Party. Despite Kierath winning on primary votes, Woollard once again won on preferences.
to the north, the Canning River
to the east, Point Walter Road to the west and various residential roads to the south. Its boundaries include the suburbs of Alfred Cove
, Applecross
, Ardross
, Attadale
, Mount Pleasant
and parts of Bicton
, Booragoon
, Melville
and Palmyra
. Major features within the electorate include Point Walter
, Wireless Hill Park and Garden City
shopping centre.
The 2007 redistribution, which took effect at the 2008 election
, resulted in the seat losing most of Booragoon
and Melville
and all of Myaree
.
indexes, with high scores on educational and employment opportunity. At the 2006 census, the median individual income in the Alfred Cove electorate, based on its 2005 boundaries, was $577 per week compared to $513 in the Perth metropolitan area, and the median weekly household income was $1,166 compared to $1,086 across Perth, although these figures did not reflect retirees with high asset bases. 46.2% of the working population were professionals or managers. 30.3% of Alfred Cove's residents were over 55—the highest percentage of any State electorate—and had a median age of 41 years
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
electorate
Electoral districts of Western Australia
The Western Australian Legislative Assembly is elected from 59 single-member electoral districts. These districts are often referred to as electorates or seats....
in the state
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
of 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 district is named for the southern riverside
Swan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
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....
suburb of Alfred Cove
Alfred Cove, Western Australia
Alfred Cove is a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melville.-History:It is named after the adjacent sheltered cove in the Swan River, which is in turn named after Alfred Waylen, a pioneer settler in the area who was granted Swan Location 74,...
which falls within its borders.
History
Alfred Cove was created at the 1994 redistribution, created out of the northern riverside portions of the former seats of ApplecrossElectoral district of Applecross
Applecross was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1989 to 1996.The district was based in the inner southern suburbs of Perth. First contested at the 1989 state election, it was held for two terms by Liberal MP Richard Lewis, who had...
and part of Melville
Electoral district of Melville
Melville was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1950 to 1996.The district was based in the southern suburbs of Perth, and in the main roughly corresponds today to the district of Willagee and parts of Alfred Cove.-History:First...
, and was first contested in the 1996 election
Western Australian state election, 1996
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 14 December 1996 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
at which 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...
member and Court
Richard Court
Richard Fairfax Court AC , was a Western Australian politician, representing the seat of Nedlands in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1982 to 2001. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001.Court was born into an old political...
government minister Doug Shave, who had previously represented Melville since the 1989 election
Western Australian state election, 1989
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 4 February 1989 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
, was successful. Alfred Cove, and Applecross before it, was regarded as very safe for the Liberal Party, but an Independent Liberal, Penny Hearne, who had formerly represented the Liberals against Kim Beazley
Kim Beazley
In the October 1998 election, Labor polled a majority of the two-party vote and received the largest swing to a first-term opposition since 1934. However, due to the uneven nature of the swing, Labor came up eight seats short of making Beazley Prime Minister....
in Brand
Division of Brand
The Division of Brand is an Australian electoral division in the state of Western Australia. The division was named after Sir David Brand, a former state premier, and is a safe Labor seat held by Gary Gray who first won the seat at the 2007 federal election...
at the previous federal election, had cut Shave's margin to just over 2%.
As Minister for Fair Trading, Shave was criticised over his department's handling of the so-called finance brokers' scandal in 1999-2000, where thousands of elderly investors faced losses estimated at over A$200 million. In particular, Shave was accused of giving preferential treatment to his own father-in-law to recover $100,000. The electorate at the 2001 census, taken shortly after the elections, had a median age of 40 and 28.7% of its population were over 55 years of age, and hence was unusually affected by the consequences of the finance brokers' scandal. The candidates at the 2001 election
Western Australian state election, 2001
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 10 February 2001 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
included Denise Brailey, an advocate for the elderly investors, and Dr Janet Woollard
Janet Woollard
Janet May Woollard is the sitting member for the seat of Alfred Cove in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly.She stood for the seat in the February 2001 State election as an Independent candidate , and defeated the incumbent and frontbencher Doug Shave who as Fair Trading Minister, was...
, the wife of former Australian Medical Association
Australian Medical Association
The Australian Medical Association is a professional association for Australian doctors and medical students.The AMA uses a representative structure involving state branches and committees to work with members to promote and protect the interests of doctors.The mechanisms that allow this include:*...
president Dr Keith Woollard who had started the Liberals for Forests
Liberals for Forests
Liberals for Forests is an Australian political minor party. It has contested both state and federal elections in recent years, but has only achieved one elected representative - Janet Woollard in Western Australia...
party. In the event, with 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...
not contesting, each got over 20% of the vote, with Woollard winning on preferences when Brailey and the Greens
Greens Western Australia
The Greens Western Australia is the state branch of the Australian Greens in Western Australia. The Greens WA was formed following the merger of the WA Greens and the Green Earth Alliance...
were eliminated and their votes distributed.
Woollard faced a strong opponent at the 2005 election
Western Australian state election, 2005
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 26 February 2005 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
in 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...
candidate and former Court
Richard Court
Richard Fairfax Court AC , was a Western Australian politician, representing the seat of Nedlands in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1982 to 2001. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001.Court was born into an old political...
government minister Graham Kierath, who had unexpectedly lost his seat of Riverton
Electoral district of Riverton
The Electoral district of Riverton is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Riverton is named for the southern Perth suburb of Riverton which falls within its borders.-History:...
on a 10% swing to the Labor Party. Despite Kierath winning on primary votes, Woollard once again won on preferences.
Geography
Alfred Cove is bounded by the Swan RiverSwan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
to the north, the Canning River
Canning River (Western Australia)
The Canning River is a major tributary of the Swan River in south western Western Australia.-Source and route:With headwaters on the Darling Scarp, the Canning meanders through suburbs of Perth on the Swan Coastal Plain, including Cannington, Thornlie, Riverton, Shelley, Rossmoyne and Mount...
to the east, Point Walter Road to the west and various residential roads to the south. Its boundaries include the suburbs of Alfred Cove
Alfred Cove, Western Australia
Alfred Cove is a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melville.-History:It is named after the adjacent sheltered cove in the Swan River, which is in turn named after Alfred Waylen, a pioneer settler in the area who was granted Swan Location 74,...
, Applecross
Applecross, Western Australia
Applecross is an affluent riverside suburb of Perth, Western Australia, bounded by Canning Highway and the Swan River. It is located within the City of Melville.Like the name Perth, the suburb of Applecross borrows its name from the region in Scotland...
, Ardross
Ardross, Western Australia
Ardross is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia located within the City of Melville. It was once an area of land acquired by the Scotsman, Sir Alexander Percival Matheson in 1896...
, Attadale
Attadale, Western Australia
Attadale is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Melville.It was the first subdivision of A.P. Matheson's Melville Water Park Estate. Attadale was named after an estate in Scotland situated on the south side of Loch Carron....
, Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant, Western Australia
Mount Pleasant is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Melville on the Canning River.Mount Pleasant hosts the Head of the River Rowing event, as part of the Public Schools Association, an elite boys schools association in Perth....
and parts of Bicton
Bicton, Western Australia
Bicton is an affluent riverside suburb located in Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melville, and it is located 15 km from the Perth central business district on the south bank of the Swan River...
, Booragoon
Booragoon, Western Australia
Booragoon is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia located within the City of Melville.Booragoon is the aboriginal name for the lower reaches of the Canning River....
, Melville
Melville, Western Australia
Melville is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia located within the likewise named City of Melville....
and Palmyra
Palmyra, Western Australia
Palmyra is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Melville.It was the home of Catherine Helen Spence, the first Australian woman to become a political candidate after standing for the Federal Convention in Adelaide....
. Major features within the electorate include Point Walter
Point Walter, Western Australia
Point Walter is a point in the Swan River, Western Australia. It is located on the southern shore and forms the western end of Melville Water. Point Walter is located in the suburb of Bicton and is on the opposite side of the river to the suburbs of Mosman Park, Peppermint Grove, and Dalkeith.Point...
, Wireless Hill Park and Garden City
Garden City, Booragoon
Garden City Shopping Centre, usually known simply as Garden City, is a major regional shopping centre in the city of Perth, Western Australia. Garden City is located at the corner of Marmion Street and Riseley Street in the southern suburb of Booragoon...
shopping centre.
The 2007 redistribution, which took effect at the 2008 election
Western Australian state election, 2008
A general election was held in the state of Western Australia on Saturday 6 September 2008 to elect 59 members to the Legislative Assembly and 36 members to the Legislative Council...
, resulted in the seat losing most of Booragoon
Booragoon, Western Australia
Booragoon is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia located within the City of Melville.Booragoon is the aboriginal name for the lower reaches of the Canning River....
and Melville
Melville, Western Australia
Melville is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia located within the likewise named City of Melville....
and all of Myaree
Myaree, Western Australia
Myaree is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Melville. Myaree gets its name from an Aboriginal word meaning foliage....
.
Demographics
Alfred Cove is ranked amongst the highest electorates by socio-economic status in Western Australia according to the SEIFASEIFA
Socio-Economics Indexes for Areas is a product of the Australia's national statistical agency, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which measures and ranks areas according to socio-economic and positional disadvantage based on information derived from the five-yearly Census of Population and...
indexes, with high scores on educational and employment opportunity. At the 2006 census, the median individual income in the Alfred Cove electorate, based on its 2005 boundaries, was $577 per week compared to $513 in the Perth metropolitan area, and the median weekly household income was $1,166 compared to $1,086 across Perth, although these figures did not reflect retirees with high asset bases. 46.2% of the working population were professionals or managers. 30.3% of Alfred Cove's residents were over 55—the highest percentage of any State electorate—and had a median age of 41 years
Members for Alfred Cove
| Member | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Shave | 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 | |
| Dr Janet Woollard Janet Woollard Janet May Woollard is the sitting member for the seat of Alfred Cove in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly.She stood for the seat in the February 2001 State election as an Independent candidate , and defeated the incumbent and frontbencher Doug Shave who as Fair Trading Minister, was... |
Independent Liberal 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... |
2001–present | |
Election results
External links
- Electorate Profile (Antony Green, ABC)