The electoral division of Murchison is one of the fifteen electorates in the Tasmanian Legislative Council, situated in the western/north-west region of the state. It is the largest electorate in size, covering an area of 19,391 km² and includes the municipalities of Circular Head, King Island, Waratah-Wynyard, West Coast and part of Burnie City.
| Murchison Tasmania—Legislative Council | |
|---|---|
Map showing the electoral division of Murchison, as of the 2017 periodic review.[1] | |
| State | Tasmania |
| Created | 1999 |
| MP | Ruth Forrest |
| Party | Independent |
| Namesake | Mount Murchison |
| Electors | 27,059 (January 2019) |
| Area | 19,391 km2 (7,486.9 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Rural |
| Coordinates | 41°39′54″S 145°20′53″E / 41.665°S 145.348°E |
Ruth Forrest has been the sitting member for Murchison since 2005, she ran unopposed in 2011, and was re-elected in 2017 and 2023. The next scheduled election is in 2029. As of January 2019, there were 27,059 enrolled voters.[2]
History edit
The seat of Murchison was created in the redistribution of 1999, and largely replaced the west coast seat of Russell, which had existed since 1885.[3] The electorate is named after Mount Murchison near Rosebery and the Murchison River (Tasmania) which flows through the region.
Members edit
The elected members for the seat of Murchison have all sat as independents, including those for the former seat of Russell.[3]
| Member | Party | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Fletcher | Independent | 1999–2005 | |
| Ruth Forrest | Independent | 2005–present | |
Election results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Ruth Forrest | 16,542 | 71.88 | +15.20 | |
| Shooters, Fishers, Farmers | Brenton Jones | 3,098 | 13.46 | +13.46 | |
| Independent | Codie Hutchison | 2,508 | 10.90 | +10.90 | |
| Independent | Getty Burnett | 865 | 3.76 | +3.76 | |
| Total formal votes | 23,013 | 96.09 | −0.59 | ||
| Informal votes | 936 | 3.91 | +0.59 | ||
| Turnout | 23,949 | 85.19 | +0.79 | ||
| Registered electors | 28,114 | ||||
| Independent hold | |||||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Legislative Council Divisions (2016-17 redistribution) from theLIST ©State of Tasmania (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence).
- ^ Legislative Council Divisional Enrolment as at 31 January 2019, Tasmanian Legislative Council, 6 February 2019.
- ^ a b Raue, Ben. "Murchison – Tasmania LC 2017". tallyroom.com.au. The Tally Room. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- ^ "2023 Legislative Council elections results – Murchison". Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 May 2023.