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Bennelong
Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Bennelong 2010.png
Division of Bennelong (green) in New South Wales
Created 1949
MP John Alexander
Party Liberal
Namesake Bennelong
Electors 98,915 (2010)
Area 58 km2 (22.4 sq mi)
Demographic Inner Metropolitan
Bennelong
Bennelong

The Division of Bennelong is an Australian electorate in New South Wales. The division was set up in 1949. It is named for Bennelong, an Indigenous Australian man who became a friend of the first Governor of New South Wales, Arthur Phillip. Bennelong includes the suburbs of Eastwood, Carlingford, Epping and Ryde.

Electoral history

When the Division of Bennelong was created in 1949, it covered mainly the suburbs of Ryde, Hunters Hill and Lane Cove. These were (and still are) richer areas, and Bennelong was a "safe" Liberal seat.

Over the years Bennelong has changed into a marginal seat for two reasons. Firstly, the electoral boundary of Bennelong has been changed many times, where it has moved west into Labor voting areas. Rich suburbs like Lane Cove and Hunters Hill in the east are no longer included. The division now includes Eastwood, Epping, Carlingford and working class Ermington in the north and west. Secondly, the type of people living in the division has changed. Since the early 1990s, there has been an increase in migrants from China, Hong Kong, South Korea and India. These are wealthy and conservative people who would support the Liberal Party, but they have not like the Liberal policies on immigration and multiculturalism.

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2007 federal election in Bennelong
Epping voting 07-1
An Epping polling booth within Bennelong.

In the Australian federal 2007 election, the Member for Bennelong, and Prime Minister John Howard, lost the seat to Labor candidate Maxine McKew, after holding it for 33 years. This was only the second time in Australian history that a Prime Minister had lost his own seat in Parliament. The first was Stanley Bruce in 1929.

Members

Member Party Term
  (Sir) John Cramer Liberal 1949–1974
  John Howard Liberal 1974–2007
  Maxine McKew Labor 2007–2010
  John Alexander Liberal 2010–present

Bennelong was held by the John Howard, the second longest serving Prime Minister of Australia. In 2010 the seat was won by former tennis star, John Alexander.

Election results

Preceded by
Blaxland
Division represented by the Prime Minister
1996–2007
John Howard
Succeeded by
Griffith
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