Division of Forrest
The Division of Forrest is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia.
| Forrest Australian House of Representatives Division | |
|---|---|
 Division of Forrest in Western Australia, as of the 2016 federal election. | |
| Created | 1922 |
| MP | Nola Marino |
| Party | Liberal |
| Namesake | Sir John Forrest |
| Electors | 105,421 (2019) |
| Area | 11,072 km2 (4,274.9 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Rural |
History
The division was created in 1922 and is named for Sir John Forrest, the first Premier of Western Australia and a federal Cabinet minister. It is located in the south-western corner of the state and, as at the 2016 election, includes the towns of Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River, Augusta and Harvey.
Before the 1943 election, it was a Country Party seat, but since the 1949 election it has been held by the Liberals for all but one term. Labor has only held the seat for three terms, during the high-tide elections of 1943 and 1946, and in the midst of the Coalition's near-defeat of 1969. It reverted to the Liberals in 1972 even as Labor won government. The seat was marginal for most of the 1980s, but a 1990 redistribution made the seat much more secure for the Liberals, and Labor has not come close to winning it since.
Notable members include Nelson Lemmon, a minister in the Chifley Government, Gordon Freeth, a minister in the Menzies, Holt and Gorton governments, and Geoff Prosser, a minister in the Howard government.
Members
| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
John Prowse (1871–1944) |
Country | 16 December 1922 – 21 August 1943 |
Previously held the Division of Swan. Lost seat | |
 |
Nelson Lemmon (1908–1989) |
Labor | 21 August 1943 – 10 December 1949 |
Served as minister under Chifley. Lost seat. Later elected to the Division of St George in 1954 | |
 |
Gordon Freeth (1914–2001) |
Liberal | 10 December 1949 – 25 October 1969 |
Previously held the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Middle Swan. Served as minister under Menzies, Holt, McEwen and Gorton. Lost seat | |
 |
Frank Kirwan (1937–1976) |
Labor | 25 October 1969 – 2 December 1972 |
Lost seat | |
|
Peter Drummond (1931–2013) |
Liberal | 2 December 1972 – 5 June 1987 |
Retired | |
|
Geoff Prosser (1948–) |
Liberal | 11 July 1987 – 17 October 2007 |
Served as minister under Howard. Retired | |
|
Nola Marino (1954–) |
Liberal | 24 November 2007 – present |
Served as Chief Government Whip in the House under Turnbull and Morrison. Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories since 2019. Incumbent |
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Nola Marino | 47,470 | 52.48 | +3.04 | |
| Labor | Wayne Sanford | 19,126 | 21.14 | −2.00 | |
| Greens | Nerilee Boshammer | 11,645 | 12.87 | +0.90 | |
| One Nation | Kalven Jamieson | 5,371 | 5.94 | +5.94 | |
| Shooters, Fishers, Farmers | Mark McCall | 2,881 | 3.18 | +3.18 | |
| United Australia | Dale Bromley | 1,564 | 1.73 | +1.73 | |
| Independent | Alexander Marsden | 1,238 | 1.37 | +1.37 | |
| Western Australia | Ian Molyneux | 1,167 | 1.29 | +1.29 | |
| Total formal votes | 90,462 | 94.35 | +0.21 | ||
| Informal votes | 5,418 | 5.65 | −0.21 | ||
| Turnout | 95,880 | 90.95 | +1.23 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Nola Marino | 58,405 | 64.56 | +2.00 | |
| Labor | Wayne Sanford | 32,057 | 35.44 | −2.00 | |
| Liberal hold | Swing | +2.00 | |||
References
- Forrest, WA, Tally Room 2019, Australian Electoral Commission.