Division of Flinders
The Division of Flinders is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division is one of the original 65 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for Matthew Flinders, the first man to circumnavigate Australia, and the person credited with giving Australia its name.
| Flinders Australian House of Representatives Division | |
|---|---|
 Division of Flinders in Victoria, as of the 2019 federal election. | |
| Created | 1901 |
| MP | Greg Hunt |
| Party | Liberal |
| Namesake | Matthew Flinders |
| Electors | 110,729 (2019) |
| Area | 871 km2 (336.3 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Rural |
Originally a country seat south and east of Melbourne, Flinders is now a hybrid urban-rural seat based on the outer southern suburbs on the Mornington Peninsula, including Dromana, Hastings and Portsea.
History
It has usually been a fairly safe seat for the Liberal Party and its predecessors, who have held it for all but six years since its creation. However, it has occasionally been won by the Australian Labor Party, notably at the 1929 federal election when Prime Minister Stanley Bruce was defeated. This was the first of two times an incumbent Australian prime minister lost their own seat at a general election; the second time was not until Liberal Prime Minister John Howard lost his seat of Bennelong at the 2007 federal election.
The seat's most prominent member was Bruce, who held it for all but two years from 1918 to 1933. Other prominent former members include Jack Holloway, the Labor challenger who ousted Bruce and later a senior minister in the Curtin and Chifley governments (though he was the member for Melbourne Ports by then) and two deputy Liberal leaders – Sir Phillip Lynch (a minister in the Gorton, McMahon and Fraser governments) and Peter Reith (a minister in the Howard government).
Members
| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Arthur Groom (1852–1922) |
Free Trade | 29 March 1901 – 23 November 1903 |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Gippsland West. Retired | |
 |
James Gibb (1843–1919) |
Free Trade | 16 December 1903 – 1906 |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Mornington. Did not contest in 1906. Failed to win the Division of Lyne | |
| Anti-Socialist | 1906 – 12 December 1906 | ||||
 |
(Sir) William Irvine (1858–1943) |
Anti-Socialist | 12 December 1906 – 26 May 1909 |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Lowan. Served as minister under Cook. Resigned in order to become Chief Justice of the Victorian Supreme Court | |
| Commonwealth Liberal | 26 May 1909 – 17 February 1917 | ||||
| Nationalist | 17 February 1917 – 5 April 1918 | ||||
 |
Stanley Bruce (1883–1967) |
Nationalist | 11 May 1918 – 12 October 1929 |
Served as minister under Hughes. Served as Prime Minister from 1923 to 1929. Lost seat | |
 |
Jack Holloway (1875–1967) |
Labor | 12 October 1929 – 19 December 1931 |
Transferred to the Division of Melbourne Ports | |
 |
Stanley Bruce (1883–1967) |
United Australia | 19 December 1931 – 6 October 1933 |
Served as minister under Lyons. Resigned in order to become the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom | |
 |
James Fairbairn (1897–1940) |
United Australia | 11 November 1933 – 13 August 1940 |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Warrnambool. Served as minister under Menzies. Died in office. | |
 |
Rupert Ryan (1884–1952) |
United Australia | 21 September 1940 – 21 February 1945 |
Died in office | |
| Liberal | 21 February 1945 – 25 August 1952 | ||||
 |
Keith Ewert (1918–1989) |
Labor | 18 October 1952 – 29 May 1954 |
Lost seat | |
 |
Robert Lindsay (1905–2000) |
Liberal | 29 May 1954 – 31 October 1966 |
Retired | |
 |
(Sir) Phillip Lynch (1933–1984) |
Liberal | 26 November 1966 – 22 October 1982 |
Served as minister under Gorton, McMahon and Fraser. Resigned due to ill health | |
 |
Peter Reith (1950–) |
Liberal | 4 December 1982 – 5 March 1983 |
Lost seat | |
 |
Bob Chynoweth (1941–) |
Labor | 5 March 1983 – 1 December 1984 |
Transferred to the Division of Dunkley | |
|
Peter Reith (1950–) |
Liberal | 1 December 1984 – 8 October 2001 |
Served as minister under Howard. Retired | |
 |
Greg Hunt (1965–) |
Liberal | 10 November 2001 – present |
Served as minister under Abbott and Turnbull. Incumbent. Currently a minister under Morrison |
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Greg Hunt | 45,293 | 46.72 | −3.78 | |
| Labor | Josh Sinclair | 23,982 | 24.74 | −2.80 | |
| Independent | Julia Banks | 13,367 | 13.79 | +13.79 | |
| Greens | Nathan Lesslie | 6,599 | 6.81 | −4.18 | |
| United Australia | Christine McShane | 2,447 | 2.52 | +2.52 | |
| Animal Justice | James Persson | 2,304 | 2.38 | −1.45 | |
| Sustainable Australia | Reade Smith | 1,072 | 1.11 | +1.11 | |
| Independent | Susie Beveridge | 948 | 0.98 | +0.98 | |
| Independent | Harry Dreger | 940 | 0.97 | +0.97 | |
| Total formal votes | 96,952 | 94.06 | −1.90 | ||
| Informal votes | 6,124 | 5.94 | +1.90 | ||
| Turnout | 103,076 | 93.11 | +2.28 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Greg Hunt | 53,943 | 55.64 | −1.37 | |
| Labor | Josh Sinclair | 43,009 | 44.36 | +1.37 | |
| Liberal hold | Swing | −1.37 | |||
References
- Flinders, VIC, Tally Room 2019, Australian Electoral Commission.