Electoral district of Upper Hunter

Summary

Upper Hunter is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. The seat is currently held by Dave Layzell for the National Party after he was elected at a by-election to replace Michael Johnsen.

Upper Hunter
New South WalesLegislative Assembly
Map
Interactive map of district boundaries from the 2023 state election
StateNew South Wales
Dates current1856–1894
1904–1920
1927–present
MPDave Layzell
PartyNational
NamesakeUpper Hunter Shire
Electors56,127 (2021)
Area27,687.50 km2 (10,690.2 sq mi)
DemographicRural
Electorates around Upper Hunter:
Barwon Northern Tablelands Northern Tablelands
Dubbo Upper Hunter Myall Lakes
Bathurst Cessnock Port Stephens

Upper Hunter covers the entirety of Dungog Shire, Muswellbrook Shire, Upper Hunter Shire, Singleton Shire, part of the City of Cessnock (including Branxton) and all of the City of Maitland north of the Hunter River.[1]

History edit

In 1859, Upper Hunter replaced the Electoral district of Phillip, Brisbane and Bligh, established in the first Parliament in 1856. It had two members from 1880 to 1894. It was abolished in 1894 and largely replaced by Robertson and Singleton. In 1904 Robertson was abolished and Upper Hunter was recreated. It was abolished from 1920 with the introduction of proportional representation, but was recreated in 1927.[2][3][4]

Upper Hunter is one of three electorates to have never been held by the Labor Party and always by the conservative side of politics since the abolition of proportional representation in 1927, the other two being Tamworth and Oxley. The Nationals have held the district without interruption since 1931.

Members for Upper Hunter edit

First incarnation 1856–1894 edit

1859–1880, 1 member
Member Party Term
  John Robertson[5] None 1859–1861
  Thomas Dangar[6] None 1861–1864
  James White[7] None 1864–1868
  Archibald Bell[8] None 1868–1872
  John Creed[9] None 1872–1874
  Francis White[10] None 1874–1875
  Thomas Hungerford[11] None 1875–1875
  John McElhone[12] None 1875–1880
1880–1894, 2 members
Member Party Term Member Party Term
  John McLaughlin[13] None 1880–1885   John McElhone[12] None 1880–1885
  Robert Fitzgerald[14] None 1885–1887   Thomas Hungerford[11] None 1885–1887
  Free Trade 1887–1889   John McElhone[12] Free Trade 1887–1889
  Protectionist 1889–1894   William Abbott[15] Protectionist 1889–1891
  Thomas Williams[16] Labor 1891–1894

Second incarnation 1904–1920 edit

1904–1920, 1 member
Member Party Term
  William Fleming[17] Liberal Reform 1904–1910
  William Ashford[18] Labor 1910–1910
  Henry Willis[19] Liberal Reform 1910–1913
  Independent Liberal 1913–1913
  Mac Abbott[20] Liberal Reform 1913–1917
  Nationalist 1917–1918
  William Cameron[21] Nationalist 1918–1920

Third incarnation 1927–present edit

1927–present, 1 member
Member Party Term
  William Cameron[21] Nationalist 1927–1931
  Malcolm Brown[22] Independent Country 1931–1932
  Country 1932–1939
  D'Arcy Rose[23] Country 1939–1959
  Leon Punch[24] Country 1959–1962
  Frank O'Keefe[25] Country 1962–1969
  Col Fisher[26] Country, National 1970–1988
  George Souris[27] National 1988–2015
  Michael Johnsen[28] National 2015–2021
  Dave Layzell[29] National 2021–present

Election results edit

2023 New South Wales state election: Upper Hunter[30][31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Dave Layzell 19,868 37.0 +7.6
Labor Peree Watson 15,488 28.9 −2.0
Shooters, Fishers, Farmers James White 6,302 11.7 −7.3
Independent Dale McNamara 5,190 9.7 +9.7
Greens Tony Lonergan 3,207 6.0 +0.5
Legalise Cannabis Tom Lillicrap 2,743 5.1 +5.1
Sustainable Australia Calum Blair 862 1.6 +1.6
Total formal votes 53,660 96.6 +0.1
Informal votes 1,871 3.4 −0.1
Turnout 55,531 89.2 −2.5
Two-party-preferred result
National Dave Layzell 22,964 53.8 +3.3
Labor Peree Watson 19,732 46.2 −3.3
National hold Swing +3.3

References edit

  1. ^ "Upper Hunter". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  2. ^ Green, Antony. "Elections for the District of Upper Hunter". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Part 5B alphabetical list of all electorates and Members since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Former Members". Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Sir John Robertson (1816–1891)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Mr Thomas Dangar (1807-1878)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Mr James White (1828-1890)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  8. ^ "Mr Archibald Bell [2] (1804-1883)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  9. ^ "Dr John Mildred Creed (1842-1930)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Mr Francis White (1830-1875)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Mr Thomas Hungerford (1823-1904)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  12. ^ a b c "Mr John McElhone (1833-1898)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  13. ^ "Mr John McLaughlin (1850-1918)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Mr Robert George Dundas Fitzgerald (1846-1933)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  15. ^ "Mr William Edward Abbott (1844- 1924)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Mr Thomas Henry Williams (1862-1953)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  17. ^ "Mr William Montgomerie Fleming (1874–1961)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  18. ^ "The Hon. William George Ashford (1874-1925)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  19. ^ "The Hon. Henry Willis (1860-1950)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  20. ^ "Mr Macartney Abbott (1877-1960)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Mr William Cameron (1877–1931)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  22. ^ "Mr Malcolm Brown (1881-1939)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  23. ^ "Mr D'Arcy Rose (1888-1964)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  24. ^ "The Hon. Leon Ashton Punch (1928–1991)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  25. ^ "Mr Frank Lionel O'Keefe (1912–1989)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  26. ^ "Mr (Col) Colin Murray Fisher". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  27. ^ "The Hon. George Souris". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  28. ^ "Mr Michael John Johnsen, MP". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  29. ^ "Mr (Dave) David Robert Layzell, MP". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  30. ^ LA First Preference: Upper Hunter, NSW State Election Results 2023, NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  31. ^ LA Two Candidate Preferred: Upper Hunter, NSW State Election Results 2023, NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 April 2023.