Electoral district of Nedlands
Encyclopedia
The Electoral district of Nedlands is a Legislative Assembly
electorate
in the state
of Western Australia
. Nedlands is named for the inner western Perth
suburb of Nedlands
which falls within its borders.
and its predecessors. Its first member, Norbert Keenan, was an Attorney-General
, whilst two of its members, Sir Charles Court
and his son Richard Court
who between them held the seat for 48 consecutive years, have been State Premier
s (1974–1982 and 1993–2001 respectively), making them one of only three father-son combinations in Australia to have achieved this (including the Butlers in South Australia and the Cains in Victoria).
, the Labor Party
won government and Court's own margin was cut to 4.93% by Independent candidate Liz Davenport
, a prominent fashion designer and member of the Liberals for Forests
party. In the days after the election, Court was attempting to organise a succession whereby he would resign, federal Curtin
MP Julie Bishop
would resign her seat, then succeed him in Nedlands at a state by-election and assume the Liberal leadership in his stead. The aim was to prevent Cottesloe MLA and deputy leader Colin Barnett
from assuming the role. However, the plan ended up on the front page of The West Australian
, Bishop decided against a switch to State politics, and Court shortly thereafter resigned both the leadership and his seat. At the resulting by-election in 2001, Sue Walker
, a DPP lawyer, won the seat for the Liberals against the unrelated Steve Walker, a Greens
candidate, who overtook the ALP on preferences.
Walker served in the Shadow Ministry in a variety of roles, most prominently as Shadow Attorney-General. When Matt Birney
attempted to remove her from the Ministry in March 2006, he lost his own leadership in a party-room ballot to Paul Omodei
, who immediately reinstated her. Walker resigned from the Liberal party on 8 February 2008 after Troy Buswell
attained the leadership, sitting as an independent thereafter. She contested the 2008 state election
, claiming significant local support in doing so. However, at the 2008 Western Australian election, Bill Marmion
won the seat for the Liberal Party, defeating Walker by 10,266 to 9,280 on the two-candidate-preferred vote.
to the south and southeast, Thomas Street and Kings Park
to the east, Loch Street and Brockway Road to the west, and Cambridge Street to the north. Its boundaries include the suburbs of Crawley
, Daglish
, Dalkeith
, Jolimont
, Nedlands
, Shenton Park
, Subiaco
, West Leederville
, along with parts of Floreat
and Wembley
. Major features within the electorate include Subiaco Oval
, Karrakatta Cemetery
, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
, University of Western Australia
and Parliament House
.
The 2007 redistribution, which took effect at the 2008 election
, resulted in the seat losing most of Wembley
and all of West Leederville
while gaining part of Floreat
and a non-residential section of Shenton Park
north of the railway.
to the north and Cottesloe
to the west comprise the affluent western suburbs of Perth—the Australian Bureau of Statistics
's SEIFA
index (2001) ranked them as the highest three electorates by socio-economic status in Western Australia, with high scores on educational and employment opportunity. At the 2006 census, the median individual income in the Nedlands electorate, based on its 2005 boundaries, was $666 per week compared to $513 in the Perth metropolitan area, and the median weekly household income was $1,392 compared to $1,086 across Perth. 58.7% of the population were professionals or managers.
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
electorate
Electoral districts of Western Australia
The Western Australian Legislative Assembly is elected from 59 single-member electoral districts. These districts are often referred to as electorates or seats....
in the state
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. Nedlands is named for the inner western Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
suburb of Nedlands
Nedlands, Western Australia
The City of Nedlands is a Local Government Area in the inner western suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located about west of Perth's central business district...
which falls within its borders.
History
Nedlands was created at the 1929 redistribution, at which five new metropolitan electorates were created to replace former Goldfields seats in Parliament. Its first member was elected at the 1930 election, and it has always been a safe seat for the Liberal PartyLiberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
and its predecessors. Its first member, Norbert Keenan, was an Attorney-General
Attorney-General of Western Australia
The Attorney-General of Western Australia is the member of the Government of Western Australia responsible for maintenance and improvement of Western Australia's system of law and justice. Before the advent of representative government in 1870, the title was Advocate-General of Western Australia...
, whilst two of its members, Sir Charles Court
Charles Court
Sir Charles Walter Michael Court, was a Western Australian politician, 21st Premier of Western Australia and member for the seat of Nedlands for the Liberal Party for nearly 30 years.-Early life:...
and his son Richard Court
Richard Court
Richard Fairfax Court AC , was a Western Australian politician, representing the seat of Nedlands in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1982 to 2001. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001.Court was born into an old political...
who between them held the seat for 48 consecutive years, have been State Premier
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
s (1974–1982 and 1993–2001 respectively), making them one of only three father-son combinations in Australia to have achieved this (including the Butlers in South Australia and the Cains in Victoria).
Recent history
At the 2001 state electionWestern Australian state election, 2001
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 10 February 2001 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
, the Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
won government and Court's own margin was cut to 4.93% by Independent candidate Liz Davenport
Liz Davenport
Liz Anne Davenport is an Australian fashion designer and businesswoman.Davenport is a managing director of Liz Davenport Fashion Pty Ltd, and long-term campaigner for conservation of Australian old-growth forest...
, a prominent fashion designer and member of the Liberals for Forests
Liberals for Forests
Liberals for Forests is an Australian political minor party. It has contested both state and federal elections in recent years, but has only achieved one elected representative - Janet Woollard in Western Australia...
party. In the days after the election, Court was attempting to organise a succession whereby he would resign, federal Curtin
Division of Curtin
The Division of Curtin is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. The division was created in 1949 and is named for John Curtin, who was Prime Minister of Australia 1941-45. It is located in the wealthy beachside suburbs of Perth, including Claremont, Cottesloe, Mosman Park,...
MP Julie Bishop
Julie Bishop
Julie Isabel Bishop is an Australian politician and the current Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Australia. She holds this title as the deputy leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. She is the party's first female Deputy Leader and the third woman in Australian history to...
would resign her seat, then succeed him in Nedlands at a state by-election and assume the Liberal leadership in his stead. The aim was to prevent Cottesloe MLA and deputy leader Colin Barnett
Colin Barnett
Colin James Barnett , Australian politician, is the leader of the Western Australian Liberal Party, the 29th and current Premier of Western Australia since the 2008 election and served as the Treasurer of Western Australia in 2010. He was sworn into office by Governor Ken Michael on 23 September 2008...
from assuming the role. However, the plan ended up on the front page of The West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
, Bishop decided against a switch to State politics, and Court shortly thereafter resigned both the leadership and his seat. At the resulting by-election in 2001, Sue Walker
Sue Walker
Susan Elizabeth Walker is a British-born Australian politician. She had been a Liberal member and then turned to Independent member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from June 2001 to September 2008, representing the electorate of Nedlands.She resigned from the Liberal Party in...
, a DPP lawyer, won the seat for the Liberals against the unrelated Steve Walker, a Greens
Greens Western Australia
The Greens Western Australia is the state branch of the Australian Greens in Western Australia. The Greens WA was formed following the merger of the WA Greens and the Green Earth Alliance...
candidate, who overtook the ALP on preferences.
Walker served in the Shadow Ministry in a variety of roles, most prominently as Shadow Attorney-General. When Matt Birney
Matt Birney
Matthew John Birney is an Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2008, serving as Leader of the Opposition from 2005 to 2006....
attempted to remove her from the Ministry in March 2006, he lost his own leadership in a party-room ballot to Paul Omodei
Paul Omodei
Paul Domenic Omodei , Australian politician, was the leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia from 24 March 2006 until 17 January 2008....
, who immediately reinstated her. Walker resigned from the Liberal party on 8 February 2008 after Troy Buswell
Troy Buswell
Troy Raymond Buswell is currently the Liberal member for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Vasse, and the Minister for Transport and Minister for Housing. He was Leader of the Opposition for several months in 2008, then served as Treasurer of Western Australia in the Barnett...
attained the leadership, sitting as an independent thereafter. She contested the 2008 state election
Western Australian state election, 2008
A general election was held in the state of Western Australia on Saturday 6 September 2008 to elect 59 members to the Legislative Assembly and 36 members to the Legislative Council...
, claiming significant local support in doing so. However, at the 2008 Western Australian election, Bill Marmion
Bill Marmion
William Richard "Bill" Marmion is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since the 2008 state election, representing Nedlands. He won the seat after defeating sitting Liberal-turned-Independent MLA Sue Walker...
won the seat for the Liberal Party, defeating Walker by 10,266 to 9,280 on the two-candidate-preferred vote.
Geography
Nedlands is bounded by the Swan RiverSwan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
to the south and southeast, Thomas Street and Kings Park
Kings Park, Western Australia
Kings Park is a park located on the western edge of Perth, Western Australia central business district. The park is a mixture of grassed parkland, botanical gardens and natural bushland on Mount Eliza with two thirds of the grounds conserved as native bushland. With panoramic views of the Swan...
to the east, Loch Street and Brockway Road to the west, and Cambridge Street to the north. Its boundaries include the suburbs of Crawley
Crawley, Western Australia
Crawley is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Subiaco.The earlier name of the locality was Crawley Park.It is home to the University of Western Australia, the state's oldest and most prestigious university...
, Daglish
Daglish, Western Australia
Daglish is a small western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Subiaco and is west of the CBD.It is quiet and is considered one of the more favourable suburbs in western Perth....
, Dalkeith
Dalkeith, Western Australia
Dalkeith is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Nedlands. The suburb is surrounded on three sides by the Swan River and is home to some of Perth's finest mansions. The suburb takes its name from a cottage built in 1833 by Captain Adam Armstrong and his sons, early...
, Jolimont
Jolimont, Western Australia
Jolimont is a small suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Subiaco and west of the CBD. The suburb is believed to be named after the Melbourne suburb of Jolimont, which was in turn named after 'Jolimont' - the residence of Governor La Trobe...
, Nedlands
Nedlands, Western Australia
The City of Nedlands is a Local Government Area in the inner western suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located about west of Perth's central business district...
, Shenton Park
Shenton Park, Western Australia
Shenton Park is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Subiaco and 4 km west of the Central business district. Its postcode is 6008...
, Subiaco
Subiaco, Western Australia
Subiaco is an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, situated to the north west of Kings Park. Its Local Government Area is the City of Subiaco.-History:Prior to European settlement the area was home to the Noongar Indigenous people....
, West Leederville
West Leederville, Western Australia
West Leederville is a suburb northwest of the central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and is located within the Town of Cambridge Local Government Areas of Western Australia...
, along with parts of Floreat
Floreat, Western Australia
Floreat is a residential suburb located west-northwest from the central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is bordered on three sides by Underwood Avenue, Selby Street, and Cromarty Road; the western border adjoins or runs through Bold Park. It is located in the Town...
and Wembley
Wembley, Western Australia
Wembley is a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Cambridge. Its postcode is 6014.The main streets in Wembley are Cambridge Street, Harborne Street, Grantham Street and Selby Street. It is an upper middle class, medium-density suburb. Wembley is home to Bold Park...
. Major features within the electorate include Subiaco Oval
Subiaco Oval
Subiaco Oval , known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia...
, Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, with Robert Creighton. Currently managed by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, the cemetery attracts more than one million visitors each...
, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital is one of Australia's leading teaching hospitals, and is located in Nedlands, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia...
, University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
and Parliament House
Parliament House, Perth
Parliament House, Perth is located on Harvest Terrace in Perth, Western Australia. An important building of the Government of Western Australia, it is the home of the Parliament of Western Australia, including the Western Australian Legislative Council and Western Australian Legislative Assembly...
.
The 2007 redistribution, which took effect at the 2008 election
Western Australian state election, 2008
A general election was held in the state of Western Australia on Saturday 6 September 2008 to elect 59 members to the Legislative Assembly and 36 members to the Legislative Council...
, resulted in the seat losing most of Wembley
Wembley, Western Australia
Wembley is a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Cambridge. Its postcode is 6014.The main streets in Wembley are Cambridge Street, Harborne Street, Grantham Street and Selby Street. It is an upper middle class, medium-density suburb. Wembley is home to Bold Park...
and all of West Leederville
West Leederville, Western Australia
West Leederville is a suburb northwest of the central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and is located within the Town of Cambridge Local Government Areas of Western Australia...
while gaining part of Floreat
Floreat, Western Australia
Floreat is a residential suburb located west-northwest from the central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is bordered on three sides by Underwood Avenue, Selby Street, and Cromarty Road; the western border adjoins or runs through Bold Park. It is located in the Town...
and a non-residential section of Shenton Park
Shenton Park, Western Australia
Shenton Park is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Subiaco and 4 km west of the Central business district. Its postcode is 6008...
north of the railway.
Demographics
Nedlands and the neighbouring electorates of ChurchlandsElectoral district of Churchlands
The Electoral district of Churchlands is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Churchlands is named for the western suburb of Churchlands which falls within its borders, and was created at the 1994 redistribution, replacing the seat of Floreat which had existed since...
to the north and Cottesloe
Electoral district of Cottesloe
The Electoral district of Cottesloe is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Cottesloe is named for the western Perth suburb of Cottesloe which falls within its borders.-History:...
to the west comprise the affluent western suburbs of Perth—the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
's SEIFA
SEIFA
Socio-Economics Indexes for Areas is a product of the Australia's national statistical agency, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which measures and ranks areas according to socio-economic and positional disadvantage based on information derived from the five-yearly Census of Population and...
index (2001) ranked them as the highest three electorates by socio-economic status in Western Australia, with high scores on educational and employment opportunity. At the 2006 census, the median individual income in the Nedlands electorate, based on its 2005 boundaries, was $666 per week compared to $513 in the Perth metropolitan area, and the median weekly household income was $1,392 compared to $1,086 across Perth. 58.7% of the population were professionals or managers.
Members for Nedlands
| Member | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norbert Keenan | Nationalist Nationalist Party of Australia The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime... |
1930–1947 | |
| Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... |
1947–1950 | ||
| David Grayden | Independent Liberal | 1950–1953 | |
| Charles Court Charles Court Sir Charles Walter Michael Court, was a Western Australian politician, 21st Premier of Western Australia and member for the seat of Nedlands for the Liberal Party for nearly 30 years.-Early life:... |
Liberal | 1953–1982 | |
| Richard Court Richard Court Richard Fairfax Court AC , was a Western Australian politician, representing the seat of Nedlands in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1982 to 2001. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001.Court was born into an old political... |
Liberal | 1982–2001 | |
| Sue Walker Sue Walker Susan Elizabeth Walker is a British-born Australian politician. She had been a Liberal member and then turned to Independent member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from June 2001 to September 2008, representing the electorate of Nedlands.She resigned from the Liberal Party in... |
Liberal | 2001–2008 | |
| Independent | 2008 | ||
| Bill Marmion Bill Marmion William Richard "Bill" Marmion is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since the 2008 state election, representing Nedlands. He won the seat after defeating sitting Liberal-turned-Independent MLA Sue Walker... |
Liberal | 2008–present | |
Results
External links
- Electorate Profile (Antony Green, ABC)