Electoral district of South Perth
Encyclopedia
South Perth is an electoral district
of the Legislative Assembly
in the Australia
n state of Western Australia
.
The district is located in the suburbs immediately south of the Perth
CBD.
Although occasionally held by an independent
, South Perth has typically been a safe Liberal
seat. It has never been won by the Labor Party
.
and to the west and south by the Canning River
. A series of roads separates the electorate from neighbouring eastern districts. The seat includes the suburbs of Como
, Karawara
, Manning
, Salter Point
, Waterford
, as well as parts of the suburbs of Kensington
and South Perth
.
. He was succeeded after one term by Bill Grayden
, initially as an independent but soon after as a Liberal. Grayden had previously been the state member for Middle Swan
and the federal member for Swan
. Grayden was the member for South Perth for 37 years, finally retiring in 1993.
The seat's next MP was Phillip Pendal
, first elected as a Liberal but twice re-elected as an independent. Upon Pendal's retirement at the 2005 state election
, the seat returned to the Liberal fold when current member John McGrath
was elected as its representative.
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....
of the Legislative Assembly
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....
in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state 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...
.
The district is located in the suburbs immediately south of the 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....
CBD.
Although occasionally held by an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, South Perth has typically been a safe 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...
seat. It has never been won by 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...
.
Geography
South Perth is made up of affluent waterside areas in Perth's inner south. The district is bounded to the north 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....
and to the west and south by the Canning River
Canning River (Western Australia)
The Canning River is a major tributary of the Swan River in south western Western Australia.-Source and route:With headwaters on the Darling Scarp, the Canning meanders through suburbs of Perth on the Swan Coastal Plain, including Cannington, Thornlie, Riverton, Shelley, Rossmoyne and Mount...
. A series of roads separates the electorate from neighbouring eastern districts. The seat includes the suburbs of Como
Como, Western Australia
Como is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of South Perth. The suburb has a population of 12,423. Canning Highway divides the suburb.-History:...
, Karawara
Karawara, Western Australia
Karawara is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia.-History:Formerly the southern portion of the Collier Pine Plantation, Karawara is an Aboriginal word meaning green. The suburb name was approved in 1973.-Geography:...
, Manning
Manning, Western Australia
Manning is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia.The land was originally purchased by Henry Manning in 1856, with Manning's grandson, John Daniel Manning having a dairy farm in the area...
, Salter Point
Salter Point, Western Australia
Salter Point is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the City of South Perth local government area.Around 1880, Samuel August Salter worked as a sawyer and timber contractor on the peninsula...
, Waterford
Waterford, Western Australia
Waterford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of South Perth.Waterford is situated on the Canning River.-History:...
, as well as parts of the suburbs of Kensington
Kensington, Western Australia
Kensington is an inner southern suburb of Perth. While mostly within the City of South Perth local government area, a small section is within the Town of Victoria Park....
and South Perth
South Perth, Western Australia
South Perth is a residential suburb 3 kilometres south of the central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, which adjoins the southern shore of Perth Water on the Swan River...
.
History
South Perth was first created for the 1950 state election and has existed continuously as an electorate since. It was first won by Liberal candidate George Yates, previously the member for CanningElectoral district of Canning
The Electoral district of Canning was an electorate in the state of Western Australia. The electorate, which was named for the Canning River which ran through the electorate, was first contested at the 1897 elections and was abolished in the 1988 redistribution...
. He was succeeded after one term by Bill Grayden
Bill Grayden
William Leonard "Bill" Grayden AM was an Australian politician. Born in Perth, Western Australia, he was educated at state schools and then at Perth Technical College, becoming a mechanical engineer. He served in the military from 1940-1946...
, initially as an independent but soon after as a Liberal. Grayden had previously been the state member for Middle Swan
Electoral district of Middle Swan
Middle Swan was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1930 to 1962.The district was located in the eastern suburbs of Perth...
and the federal member for Swan
Division of Swan
The Division of Swan is an Australian Electoral Division located in Western Australia. The division is named after the Swan River.For several decades, it has been a marginal seat, extending along the Swan and Canning Rivers from the affluent suburbs in the City of South Perth to the west, which...
. Grayden was the member for South Perth for 37 years, finally retiring in 1993.
The seat's next MP was Phillip Pendal
Phillip Pendal
Phillip George Pendal was a Liberal and later Independent Western Australian politician, pro-life advocate, and historian.-Early life:...
, first elected as a Liberal but twice re-elected as an independent. Upon Pendal's retirement at the 2005 state election
Western Australian state election, 2005
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 26 February 2005 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
, the seat returned to the Liberal fold when current member John McGrath
John McGrath (Western Australian politician)
John Edwin McGrath is a Western Australian politician and has been the Liberal member for the electorate of South Perth in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since the 2005 election....
was elected as its representative.
Members
| Member | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Yates | 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... |
1950–1956 | |
| Bill Grayden Bill Grayden William Leonard "Bill" Grayden AM was an Australian politician. Born in Perth, Western Australia, he was educated at state schools and then at Perth Technical College, becoming a mechanical engineer. He served in the military from 1940-1946... |
Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... Liberal |
1956–1959 | |
| Liberal | 1959–1993 | ||
| Phillip Pendal Phillip Pendal Phillip George Pendal was a Liberal and later Independent Western Australian politician, pro-life advocate, and historian.-Early life:... |
Liberal | 1993–1995 | |
| Independent | 1995–2005 | ||
| John McGrath John McGrath (Western Australian politician) John Edwin McGrath is a Western Australian politician and has been the Liberal member for the electorate of South Perth in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since the 2005 election.... |
Liberal | 2005–present | |