Electoral district of Northern Tablelands

Northern Tablelands
New South Wales—Legislative Assembly
State New South Wales
Dates current 1920–1927
1981–present
MP Adam Marshall
Party National Party
Electors 55,869 (2017)
Area 53,153.76 km2 (20,522.8 sq mi)

Northern Tablelands is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is currently held by Adam Marshall representing the National Party, following a by-election triggered by the resignation of independent member Richard Torbay.[1] The electorate currently includes Uralla Shire, Armidale Regional Council, Glen Innes Severn, Inverell Shire, Gwydir Shire and Moree Plains Shire.[2]

History

Northern Tablelands was originally created in 1920, with the introduction of proportional representation, replacing Armidale, Gough and Tenterfield, and elected three members. It was held by the same three members throughout its first incarnation: inaugural Country Party leader Michael Bruxner, state Minister for Education David Drummond, and Labor MP Alfred McClelland, grandfather of former federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland. In 1927, it was divided into the single-member electorates of Armidale and Tenterfield. It was recreated in 1981, partly replacing Armidale and Tenterfield.[3]

On its recreation in 1981, the seat was a notional National Country seat. However, Labor's Bill McCarthy, who had previously been the member for the abolished electorate of Armidale, won the seat in the second "Wranslide." McCarthy was a popular member, and held the seat for Labor as the region trended increasingly conservative. McCarthy had developed serious health problems by the 1984 state election, but was persuaded to recontest to maintain Labor control of the seat; he subsequently died in office in 1987. Labor endorsed McCarthy's widow, Thelma, at the subsequent by-election, but she was narrowly defeated by National candidate Ray Chappell after a heavily-publicised campaign. Chappell was re-elected with little difficulty three times, but in the 1999 election faced a challenge from the popular ex-mayor of Armidale, Richard Torbay, standing as an independent. In a shock result, Torbay won the seat with a comfortable margin—the latest case of NSW country areas rejecting the Nationals in favour of local independents.

Torbay was comfortably reelected in 2003, 2007, and 2011, each time taking well over 60 percent of the two-party vote and easily winning enough primary votes to retain the seat outright. He served as Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2007 to 2011, during what proved to be the final term of Labor's 16-year run in government. He was the first independent to hold that post since 1917. As a measure of his popularity, he suffered a swing of nearly 11 percent in 2011 amid the massive Coalition wave that swept through NSW, but still retained his seat with a comfortable majority of 19.2 percent.

Torbay was forced to resign in 2013 amid a corruption investigation. Adam Marshall easily reclaimed the seat for the Nationals.

From 1999, Northern Tablelands covered 30,546 km², including the uplands of northern New South Wales. It centred on the university city of Armidale; other towns included in the electorate are Inverell, Glen Innes, Tenterfield and Uralla. The northern boundary of the electorate is the Queensland border. At the 2003 election, there were 42,886 enrolled voters.

In 2007, the low level of population growth in the electorate led to Northern Tablelands being expanded, both to the west to take in Warialda and Bingara and to the south to take in Walcha and Nowendoc, increasing its area to 44,674 km².[4]

The redistribution ahead of the 2015 state election saw Northern Tablelands expanded again to 53,153.76 square kilometres. Added to the district was the entirety of Moree Plains Shire along with the remainder of the former Armidale Dumaresq Shire, whilst Tenterfield Shire was removed from the district.

While Labor frequently runs dead in northern NSW, Northern Tablelands has become particularly unfriendly territory for Labor even by northern NSW standards. Labor has never come reasonably close to retaking the seat since McCarthy's death, and since the turn of the millennium has been lucky to get more than 20 percent of the two-party vote. It has even been pushed into third place on some occasions.

Members

First incarnation (1920—1927, 3 members)
MemberPartyTermMemberPartyTermMemberPartyTerm
  Michael Bruxner Progressive 1920–1925   David Drummond Progressive 1920–1925   Alfred McClelland Labor 1920–1927
  Country 1925–1927   Country 1925–1927
Second incarnation (1981—present, 1 member)
MemberPartyTerm
  Bill McCarthy Labor 1981–1987
  Ray Chappell National 1987–1999
  Richard Torbay Independent 1999–2013
  Adam Marshall National 2013–present

Election results

New South Wales state election, 2015: Northern Tablelands[5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
National Adam Marshall 32,247 66.7 +31.1
Labor Debra O'Brien 7,573 15.7 +10.7
Independent David Mailler 3,471 7.2 +7.2
Greens Mercurius Goldstein 3,453 7.1 +3.7
Christian Democrats Holly Beecham 1,115 2.3 +0.9
No Land Tax Trevor Gay 489 1.0 +1.0
Total formal votes 48,348 97.8 −0.7
Informal votes 1,082 2.2 +0.7
Turnout 49,430 90.1 −2.4
Two-party-preferred result
National Adam Marshall 34,077 77.1 −0.6
Labor Debra O'Brien 10,137 22.9 +0.6
National hold Swing −0.6

References

  1. ↑ "2013 Northern Tablelands By-election Results". New South Wales Electoral Commission. 28 May 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  2. ↑ "Northern Tablelands". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Former Members". Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 29 September 2004. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
  4. ↑ "Redistribution Commissioners' Report" (PDF). Election Funding Authority of New South Wales. 21 December 2004. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  5. ↑ State Electoral District of Northern Tablelands: First Preference Votes, NSWEC.
  6. ↑ State Electoral District of Northern Tablelands: Distribution of Preferences, NSWEC.
  • "Northern Tablelands". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
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