Electoral district of Cumberland (Tasmania)
Encyclopedia
The Electoral district of Cumberland was a single-member electoral district of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
. It was based in central Tasmania in towns such as Bothwell
, Hamilton
and Ouse
, and until 1894 included much of the West Coast
before the mining districts of Zeehan
and Queenstown
became large enough to require their own seats.
The seat was created ahead of the Assembly's first election held in 1856, and was abolished when the Tasmanian parliament adopted the Hare-Clark electoral model in 1909. Some controversy existed over the 1893 election result, as a redistribution still awaiting royal assent had not been carried out due to the snap election
and the sitting member and Speaker of the House
, Nicholas John Brown, lost the seat to Don Urquhart
, a Zeehan
solicitor. The Supreme Court ultimately resolved the matter in Brown's favour, and a new seat, Montagu
, was created which Urquhart stood for and won.
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
. It was based in central Tasmania in towns such as Bothwell
Bothwell, Tasmania
Bothwell, Tasmania is a small town with a population at the 2006 census of 376. Situated in central Tasmania on the River Clyde, it is notable for hunting and being a lake district. It is part of the municipality of Central Highlands Council...
, Hamilton
Hamilton, Tasmania
Hamilton is a small rural town north west of Hobart in Tasmania on the Lyell Highway. At the 2006 census, the town and surrounding area had a population of 300....
and Ouse
Ouse, Tasmania
Ouse is a small town in the Central Highlands Council local government area in Tasmania along Lyell Highway. At the 2006 census, Ouse had a population of 137....
, and until 1894 included much of the West Coast
West Coast, Tasmania
The West Coast of Tasmania is the part of the state that is strongly associated with wilderness, mining and tourism, rough country and isolation...
before the mining districts of Zeehan
Zeehan, Tasmania
Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It lies southwest of Burnie. At the 2006 census, Zeehan had a population of 845. It is part of the Municipality of West Coast....
and Queenstown
Queenstown, Tasmania
Queenstown is a town in the West Coast region of the island of Tasmania. It is located in a valley on western slopes of Mount Owen on the West Coast Range.It had a population of 5,119 people . At the 2006 census, Queenstown had a population of 2,117....
became large enough to require their own seats.
The seat was created ahead of the Assembly's first election held in 1856, and was abolished when the Tasmanian parliament adopted the Hare-Clark electoral model in 1909. Some controversy existed over the 1893 election result, as a redistribution still awaiting royal assent had not been carried out due to the snap election
Snap election
A snap election is an election called earlier than expected. Generally it refers to an election in a parliamentary system called when not required , usually to capitalize on a unique electoral opportunity or to decide a pressing issue...
and the sitting member and Speaker of the House
Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
The Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Tasmania. The role of Speaker has traditionally been a partisan office, filled by the governing party of the time....
, Nicholas John Brown, lost the seat to Don Urquhart
Don Urquhart
Donald Campbell "Don" Urquhart was an Australian politician. He was born in London. In 1893 he was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as the Free Trade member for Cumberland. His election was declared void in December 1893, but in 1894 he won election to the seat of Montagu...
, a Zeehan
Zeehan, Tasmania
Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It lies southwest of Burnie. At the 2006 census, Zeehan had a population of 845. It is part of the Municipality of West Coast....
solicitor. The Supreme Court ultimately resolved the matter in Brown's favour, and a new seat, Montagu
Electoral district of Montagu
The Electoral district of Montagu was a single-member electoral district of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. It covered the West Coast region of Tasmania and its main centre of population was the town of Zeehan....
, was created which Urquhart stood for and won.
Members for Cumberland
| Member | Term |
|---|---|
| Thomas Gellibrand | 1856–1861 |
| Frederick Synnott | 1861–1862 |
| John Sharland | 1862–1865 |
| William Sibley | 1865–1871 |
| John Swan | 1871–1875 |
| Nicholas John Brown | 1875–1903 |
| John Wood | 1903–1909 |