Electoral district of Victoria Park

Infobox Australian Electorate
name = Victoria Park
state = wa


caption =
lifespan = 1930–present
mp = Ben Wyatt
mp-party = Labor
namesake = Victoria Park
area = 31
class = South Metropolitan

The Electoral district of Victoria Park is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Victoria Park is named for the inner southeastern Perth suburb of Victoria Park which falls within its borders.

History

Victoria Park was created at the 1929 redistribution, at which five new metropolitan electorates were created to replace former Goldfields seats in Parliament. [cite book|title=Statutes of Western Australia, 1929-1930|author=Government of Western Australia|year=1930|pages=1-56|chapter=Redistribution of Seats Act (No 1 of 1929) Given assent on 15 April 1929.] The seat is considered a safe Australian Labor Party seat, and has been held by the party between 1930 and 1945, and since the 1953 state election, with independent William Read holding the seat in the interim. [cite book|last=Black|first=David|coauthor=Prescott, Valerie|title=Election statistics, Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996 : listed alphabetically by constituency | publisher=Western Australian Parliamentary History Project|year=1997|pages=332-336] From 1961 until 1986 it was held by Ron Davies who served as Opposition Leader from 1978 until 1981 when he was replaced by Brian Burke, who mounted a successful campaign for the 1983 election. Ron Davies left Parliament in 1986 after his appointment as Agent-General of Western Australia in London, and at the resulting by-election on 7 June 1986, Dr Geoff Gallop, a lecturer at Murdoch University, was elected. In 1996, he followed his predecessor into the role of Opposition Leader, and just over four years later, became Premier after Labor's victory at the 2001 election. He retired from politics and as Premier on 16 January 2006 in order to aid his recovery from depression, and that "in the interests of my health and my family, I've decided to rethink my career." [cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1548580.htm|title=WA Premier Geoff Gallop resigns|date=16 January 2006|last=Yaxley|first=Louise|work=ABC ("PM" program)|accessdate=2007-10-27] Labor's Ben Wyatt won the resulting by-election, with a 5% swing to the opposition Liberal candidate.

Of the five times the seat has changed members, four of them have occurred at by-elections (all except Hugh Andrew's win at the 1953 election), two of which have been caused by the death of the incumbent in office (Howard Raphael and Hugh Andrew). No incumbent member has ever been defeated.

Geography

Victoria Park is bounded by the Swan River to the north, Orrong Road to the northeast, Mills and Burton Streets to the southeast, Manning Road to the south, and Kent Street, Banksia Terrace and Hurlingham Road to the west. It includes the suburbs of Bentley, Burswood, Carlisle, East Victoria Park, Lathlain, St James, Victoria Park and parts of Kensington and Welshpool. [cite web|url=http://www.boundarieswa.com/2007/Final-Boundaries/South_Metropolitan/Victoria-Park/|title=2007 Electoral Distribution - Final Boundaries - South Metropolitan - Victoria Park|author=Western Australian Electoral Commission|date=29 October 2007|accessdate=2008-08-05]

In the 2007 redistribution, the seat lost Cannington, Queens Park, Wilson and parts of Welshpool, while gaining parts of Kensington and all sections of East Victoria Park west of Berwick Street and Hill View Terrace. [cite web|url=http://boundarieswa.com/2003/Boundaries/South-Metropolitan/Victoria-Park|title=Victoria Park Electoral District|author=Western Australia Electoral Commission|date=4 August 2003|accessdate=2007-04-25]

Members for Victoria Park

Results

Election box begin
title=Victoria Park state by-election, 2006 [ [http://www.electionswa.com/_vpbe_la_districts.htm Victoria Park Election results] ] Election box candidate AU party
party = Labor
candidate = Ben Wyatt
votes = 7,786
percentage = 49.38
change = -7.93Election box candidate AU party
party = Liberal
candidate = Bruce Stevenson
votes = 4,887
percentage = 30.99
change = +3.24Election box candidate AU party
party = Greens
candidate = Dee Margetts
votes = 1,328
percentage = 8.42
change = -0.25Election box candidate AU party
party = Christian Democrats
candidate = Bill Heggers
votes = 551
percentage = 3.49
change = -0.13Election box candidate AU party
party = One Nation
candidate = Sue Bateman
votes = 436
percentage = 2.76
change = +0.10Election box candidate AU party
party = Independent
candidate = Andrew Owens
votes = 217
percentage = 1.38
change = +1.38Election box candidate AU party
party = Daylight Saving
candidate = James Dunn
votes = 156
percentage = 0.99
change = +0.99Election box candidate AU party
party = Family First
candidate = Peter Greaves
votes = 151
percentage = 0.96
change = +0.96Election box candidate AU party
party = Socialist Alliance
candidate = John Tattersall
votes = 131
percentage = 0.83
change = +0.83Election box candidate AU party
party = Independent
candidate = Mike Ward
votes = 83
percentage = 0.53
change = +0.53Election box candidate AU party
party = Independent
candidate = Teresa Van Lieshout
votes = 43
percentage = 0.27
change = +0.27Election box formal
votes = 15,769
percentage = 96.26
change = +1.58Election box informal
votes = 612
percentage = 3.74
change = -1.58Election box turnout
votes = 16,381
percentage = 64.04
change = -23.62Election box candidate AU party
party = Labor
candidate = Ben Wyatt
votes = 9,632
percentage = 61.18
change = -4.86Election box candidate AU party
party = Liberal
candidate = Bruce Stevenson
votes = 6,111
percentage = 38.82
change = +4.86Election box hold AU party
winner = Labor
swing = -4.86

References

External links

* [http://www.abc.net.au/elections/wa/2005/guide/vict.htm Electorate Profile] (Antony Green, ABC)