Stirling was an electoral district

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...

 from 1950 to 2008.

The district was located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

Geography

Stirling was a rural district, surrounding but not including the coastal city of Albany

Albany, Western Australia

Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....

. At its abolition it included the towns of Denmark

Denmark, Western Australia

Denmark is a town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, south-south-east of the state capital of Perth. At the 2006 census, Denmark had a population of 2,732.-History:...

, Mount Barker

Mount Barker, Western Australia

Mount Barker is a town on the Albany Highway and is the administrative centre of the Shire of Plantagenet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia...

, Walpole

Walpole, Western Australia

Walpole is a town in Western Australia, 432 km SSE of Perth and 66 km west of Denmark.Walpole lies very close to the northern point of the 100-hectare Walpole Inlet, from which it takes its name....

 and Cranbrook

Cranbrook, Western Australia

Cranbrook is a small town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia between Katanning, Kojonup and Mount Barker, situated 320km south of Perth. It is billed as "The Gateway to the Stirlings", referring to the nearby Stirling Range National Park...

.

History

Stirling was first created for the 1950 state election. It was held at all times by the National Party

National Party of Western Australia

The National Party of Western Australia is a political party in Western Australia. It is affiliated with the National Party of Australia but maintains a separate structure and identity....

, or factions thereof, under their various guises.

The district was abolished ahead of 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...

 as a result of the reduction in rural seats made necessary by the one vote one value

One vote one value

In Australia, one vote one value is a legislative principle of democracy whereby each electorate has the same population within a specified percentage of variance. In the case of the Commonwealth, the maximum variance for the House of Representatives is 10% above or below the mean...

 reforms. Its former territory was largely incorporated into the new district of Blackwood-Stirling

Electoral district of Blackwood-Stirling

The Electoral district of Blackwood-Stirling is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.The district takes parts of the South West and Great Southern regions of Western Australia....

 with parts also added to Albany

Electoral district of Albany

The Electoral district of Albany is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Albany is named for the port and regional city of Western Australia which falls within its borders. It is one of the oldest electorates in Western Australia, with its first member having been...

. Following Stirling's abolition, sitting National MP Terry Redman contested the seat of Blackwood-Stirling.

Members for Stirling

Member		Party	Term
	Arthur Watts	Country National Party of Western Australia The National Party of Western Australia is a political party in Western Australia. It is affiliated with the National Party of Australia but maintains a separate structure and identity....	1950–1962
	Clayton Mitchell Clayton Mitchell Clayton Clealand Bickley Mitchell was an Australian politician. He was the Country Party member for Stirling in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1962 to 1971....	Country	1962–1971
	Matt Stephens Matt Stephens (politician) Matthew Ernest "Matt" Stephens is a former Western Australian politician. He represented Stirling in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the Country Party from 1971 to 1989. He was Minister for Conservation and Environment and Minister for Fisheries and Forestries from 1974 to...	Country	1971–1975
		National Country	1975–1978
		National (NP)	1978–1985
		National	1985–1989
	Monty House	National	1989–2005
	Terry Redman Terry Redman Donald Terence Redman is an Australian politician. He has been a National Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since February 2005....	National	2005–2008