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Division of Denison

Coordinates: 42°53′17″S 147°14′38″E / 42.888°S 147.244°E / -42.888; 147.244
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Denison
Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Denison in Tasmania, as of the 2016 federal election
Created1903
Abolished2019
NamesakeSir William Denison
Electors74,963 (2016)
Area288 km2 (111.2 sq mi)
DemographicInner metropolitan

The Division of Denison was an Australian electoral division in Tasmania, before being replaced by the Division of Clark as part of a 2016–17 redistribution.[1]

History

Sir William Denison, the division's namesake

The division was one of the five established when the former Division of Tasmania was redistributed on 2 October 1903 and is named for Sir William Denison, who was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land 1847–55. It was located in central Hobart on the western shore of the River Derwent. As at the 2016 election (the last election before being replaced by Clark), it incorporated the area covered by the Cities of Hobart and Glenorchy, together with the northern parts of Kingborough Council, including Taroona, generally north of the Huon Highway. kunanyi / Mount Wellington was a prominent physical feature in the division's west. Denison was a consistently marginal seat, but was held by the Australian Labor Party between 1987 and 2010 with little difficulty. Its most prominent members were Sir Philip Fysh, a member of the first federal Cabinet; Athol Townley, Minister for Defence in the Menzies Government; and Duncan Kerr, a minister in the Keating, Rudd and Gillard governments. Townley resigned in 1964 when he was named Ambassador to the United States, but he died before taking up the appointment. Another prominent member was independent MP Andrew Wilkie, elected at the 2010 election. Denison has had 16 different members, the second highest (together with Bendigo and Swan, and after Bass's 17) of any federal electorate.

Members

Image Member Party Term Notes
  Sir Philip Fysh
(1835–1919)
Protectionist 16 December 1903
1906
Previously held the Division of Tasmania. Served as minister under Deakin. Retired
  Anti-Socialist 1906 –
26 May 1909
  Liberal 26 May 1909 –
19 February 1910
  William Laird Smith
(1869–1942)
Labor 13 April 1910
14 November 1916
Served as minister under Hughes. Lost seat
  National Labor 14 November 1916
17 February 1917
  Nationalist 17 February 1917 –
16 December 1922
  David O'Keefe
(1864–1943)
Labor 16 December 1922
14 November 1925
Previously a member of the Senate. Lost seat. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Wilmot in 1934
  Sir John Gellibrand
(1872–1945)
Nationalist 14 November 1925
17 November 1928
Lost seat
  Charles Culley
(1877–1949)
Labor 17 November 1928
19 December 1931
Previously held the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison. Served as minister under Scullin. Lost seat. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison in 1934
  Arthur Hutchin
(1887–1965)
United Australia 19 December 1931
15 September 1934
Lost seat
  Gerald Mahoney
(1892–1955)
Labor 15 September 1934
21 September 1940
Previously held the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison. Lost seat
  Arthur Beck
(1892–1965)
United Australia 21 September 1940
21 August 1943
Lost seat
  Frank Gaha
(1894–1966)
Labor 21 August 1943
31 October 1949
Previously a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council. Retired. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison in 1950
  Athol Townley
(1905–1963)
Liberal 10 December 1949
24 December 1963
Served as minister under Menzies. Died in office
  Adrian Gibson
(1935–2015)
15 February 1964
29 September 1969
Retired
  Robert Solomon
(1931–2024)
25 October 1969
2 December 1972
Lost seat
  John Coates
(1944–)
Labor 2 December 1972
13 December 1975
Lost seat. Later elected to the Senate in 1980
  Michael Hodgman
(1938–2013)
Liberal 13 December 1975
11 July 1987
Previously a member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council. Served as minister under Fraser. Lost seat. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison in 1992
  Duncan Kerr
(1952–)
Labor 11 July 1987
19 July 2010
Served as minister under Keating. Retired
  Andrew Wilkie
(1961–)
Independent 21 August 2010
11 April 2019
Transferred to the Division of Clark after Denison was abolished in 2019

Election results

2016 Australian federal election: Denison[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Andrew Wilkie 29,372 44.07 +5.99
Labor Jane Austin 15,335 23.01 −1.74
Liberal Marcus Allan 13,267 19.90 −3.33
Greens Jen Brown 7,068 10.60 +2.68
Christian Democrats Amanda Excell 980 1.47 +1.47
Democratic Labour Wayne Williams 632 0.95 +0.10
Total formal votes 66,654 97.08 +1.30
Informal votes 2,002 2.92 −1.30
Turnout 68,656 92.82 −1.44
Notional two-party-preferred count
Labor Jane Austin 43,550 65.34 +6.43
Liberal Marcus Allan 23,104 34.66 −6.43
Two-candidate-preferred result
Independent Andrew Wilkie 45,176 67.78 +2.27
Labor Jane Austin 21,478 32.22 −2.27
Independent hold Swing +2.27

References

  1. ^ "Names and boundaries of federal electoral divisions in Tasmania decided". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  2. ^ Denison, TAS, Virtual Tally Room 2016, Australian Electoral Commission.

42°53′17″S 147°14′38″E / 42.888°S 147.244°E / -42.888; 147.244