Electoral district of Queenstown
Encyclopedia
The Electoral district of Queenstown was a single-member electoral district of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
. It was based in the mining town of Queenstown
in the West Coast
region of Tasmania
. Created out of part of the Lyell
seat ahead of the 1903 state election, it had historically been part of Montagu
(1894–1900) and Electoral district of Cumberland
(1856–1894).
The Queenstown seat was abolished when the Tasmanian parliament adopted the Hare-Clark electoral model in 1909. Its final member, Benjamin Watkins
, who won a by-election on 19 November 1906 at the age of 22, successfully stood for the multi-member seat of Darwin (now known as Braddon) and retained political office for 25 years.
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
. It was based in the mining town of Queenstown
Queenstown, Tasmania
Queenstown is a town in the West Coast region of the island of Tasmania. It is located in a valley on western slopes of Mount Owen on the West Coast Range.It had a population of 5,119 people . At the 2006 census, Queenstown had a population of 2,117....
in the West Coast
West Coast, Tasmania
The West Coast of Tasmania is the part of the state that is strongly associated with wilderness, mining and tourism, rough country and isolation...
region of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. Created out of part of the Lyell
Electoral district of Lyell
The Electoral district of Lyell was a single-member electoral district of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. It was based around the towns of Queenstown and Strahan in the West Coast region of Tasmania....
seat ahead of the 1903 state election, it had historically been part of Montagu
Electoral district of Montagu
The Electoral district of Montagu was a single-member electoral district of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. It covered the West Coast region of Tasmania and its main centre of population was the town of Zeehan....
(1894–1900) and Electoral district of Cumberland
Electoral district of Cumberland (Tasmania)
The Electoral district of Cumberland was a single-member electoral district of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. It was based in central Tasmania in towns such as Bothwell, Hamilton and Ouse, and until 1894 included much of the West Coast before the mining districts of Zeehan and Queenstown became...
(1856–1894).
The Queenstown seat was abolished when the Tasmanian parliament adopted the Hare-Clark electoral model in 1909. Its final member, Benjamin Watkins
Benjamin Watkins
Benjamin Watkins was an Australian politician. He was born in Hobart. In 1906 he was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as the Labor member for Queenstown; following the introduction of proportional representation in 1909 he was elected as one of the members for Darwin...
, who won a by-election on 19 November 1906 at the age of 22, successfully stood for the multi-member seat of Darwin (now known as Braddon) and retained political office for 25 years.
Members for Queenstown
Member | Party | Term | |
---|---|---|---|
George Burns | Labour 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... |
1903–1906 | |
Benjamin Watkins Benjamin Watkins Benjamin Watkins was an Australian politician. He was born in Hobart. In 1906 he was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as the Labor member for Queenstown; following the introduction of proportional representation in 1909 he was elected as one of the members for Darwin... |
Labour | 1906–1909 |