Agricultural Region

Agricultural Region
Western Australia—Legislative Council
Location of Agricultural Region in Western Australia
StateWestern Australia
Created1989
MP
Party
  •   Labor (3)
  •   Nationals (2)
  •   Liberal (1)
Electors103,378 (2021)
Area288,922 km2 (111,553.4 sq mi)
DemographicRural

The Agricultural Region is a multi-member electoral region of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the South West, Peel and part of the Great Southern regions of the state. It was created by the Acts Amendment (Electoral Reform) Act 1987, and became effective on 22 May 1989 with five members who had been elected at the 1989 state election three months earlier. At the 2008 election, it was increased to six members.

Legislation to abolish the region, along with all other Western Australian Electoral Regions was passed in November 2021, with the 2025 state election to use a single state-wide electorate of 37 members.[1]

Geography

The Region is made up of several complete Legislative Assembly districts, which change at each distribution.

Redistribution Period Electoral districts Electors % of state electors Area
29 April 1988[2] 22 May 1989 – 22 May 1997

Avon, Geraldton, Greenough, Merredin, Moore, Roe, Wagin (7)

80,626 8.89% 267,448 km2 (103,262 sq mi)
28 November 1994[3] 22 May 1997 – 22 May 2005 As per 1988 87,137 8.27% 267,448 km2 (103,262 sq mi)
4 August 2003[4] 22 May 2005 – 22 May 2009 As per 1988 94,877 7.81% 261,282 km2 (100,882 sq mi)
29 October 2007[5] 22 May 2009 – 22 May 2017

Central Wheatbelt, Geraldton, Moore, Wagin (4)

82,479 6.56% 200,091 km2 (77,256 sq mi)
27 November 2015[6] 22 May 2017 – 22 May 2021

Central Wheatbelt, Geraldton, Moore, Roe (4)

102,748 6.45% 281,264 km2 (108,597 sq mi)
27 November 2019[7] 22 May 2021 – 22 May 2025

As per 2015

103,378 6.02% 288,922 km2 (111,553 sq mi)

Representation

Distribution of seats

As 5-member seat:

Election Seats won
1989–1993          
1993–1997          
1997–2001          
2001–2005          
2005–2009          

As 6-member seat:

Election Seats won
2009–2013            
2013–2017            
2017–2021            
2021–2025            

Legend:

  Labor
  Liberal
  National
  Greens
  One Nation
  Shooters, Fishers and Farmers

Members

Since its creation, the electorate has had 25 members, only seven of whom were or are not from either the Liberal or National parties. All five of the members elected in 1989 had previously been members of the Legislative Council—two from the South Province, one from the Central Province, one from the South-East Province, and one from the Upper West Province.

Members for Agricultural Region
Year Member Party Member Party Member Party Member Party Member Party Member Party
1989 Jim Brown Labor Margaret McAleer Liberal David Wordsworth Liberal Eric Charlton Nationals John Caldwell Nationals
1992 Kim Chance Labor
1993 Murray Nixon Liberal Bruce Donaldson Liberal Murray Criddle Nationals
1996
1998 Dexter Davies Nationals
2001 Dee Margetts Greens Frank Hough One Nation
2004 New Country
2005 Margaret Rowe Liberal Anthony Fels Liberal
2007 Brian Ellis Liberal
2008 Family First Wendy Duncan Nationals
2008 Matt Benson-Lidholm Labor Jim Chown Liberal Philip Gardiner Nationals Mia Davies Nationals Max Trenorden Nationals
2012 Independent Independent
2013 Martin Aldridge Nationals
2013 Darren West Labor Rick Mazza Shooters, Fishers, Farmers Paul Brown Nationals
2017 Laurie Graham Labor Colin de Grussa Nationals
2021 Shelley Payne Labor Sandra Carr Labor Steve Martin Liberal

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Agricultural Region
This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2021 Western Australian state election (Legislative Council) § Agricultural.[edit]
2021 Western Australian state election: Agricultural[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Quota 12,357
Labor 1. Darren West (elected 1)
2. Shelley Payne (elected 3)
3. Sandra Carr (elected 4)
4. Luke Clarkson 		39,263 45.39 +21.39
National 1. Colin de Grussa (elected 2)
2. Martin Aldridge (elected 6)
3. Natasha Colliver
4. Steve Blyth
5. Rob Horstman
6. Ian Hanna 		22,999 26.59 −4.72
Liberal 1. Steve Martin (elected 5)
2. Kathryn Jackson
3. Jim Chown
4. Maria Girak
5. Brett Jackson 		10,672 12.34 −6.31
Shooters, Fishers, Farmers 1. Stuart Ostle
2. Ronald Lean 		3,572 4.13 −1.52
Greens 1. Peter Leam
2. Vivienne Glance 		2,579 2.98 −0.62
One Nation 1. Rod Caddies
2. Emma McKinley 		1,765 2.04 −9.62
Christians 1. Trevor Young
2. Les Holten 		1,295 1.50 −0.34
Legalise Cannabis 1. Leo Treasure
2. Keith Clinton 		1,150 1.33 +1.33
No Mandatory Vaccination 1. Aaron Horsman
2. Jessica Young 		685 0.79 +0.79
Western Australia 1. Michael O'Loghlen
2. Allan Butson 		462 0.53 +0.24
Animal Justice 1. Courtney Henry
2. Roberta Vlaar 		339 0.39 +0.39
Liberal Democrats 1. Connor Whittle
2. Cameron Puttick 		339 0.39 −0.70
Liberals for Climate 1. Peter Turner
2. Nathan Thomson 		205 0.24 −0.12
Health Australia 1. Bass Tadros
2. Svetlana Ivanchenko 		201 0.23 +0.23
WAxit 1. Russell Sewell
2. Simon Glossop 		186 0.22 +0.11
Great Australian 1. Lawrie Carr
2. Shane Edwards 		185 0.21 +0.21
Sustainable Australia 1. Greg Norris
2. James Fowler 		153 0.18 +0.18
Independent Parminder Singh 134 0.15 +0.15
Daylight Saving 1. Brett Tucker
2. Andrew Wilson 		69 0.08 −0.14
Independent 1. J. M. David 66 0.08 +0.08
Independent 1. Felly Chandra
2. Chelsea Henderson 		62 0.07 +0.07
Independent Andrew Ballantyne 36 0.04 +0.04
Independent Les Mirco 27 0.03 +0.03
Independent Peter Wallis 25 0.03 +0.03
Independent Steven Hopkins 24 0.03 +0.03
Total formal votes 86,493 97.77 +0.68
Informal votes 1,969 2.23 −0.68
Turnout 88,462 85.57 −1.63

References

  1. ^ "'Devastating for regional communities': WA government uses majority to overhaul state's electoral laws". ABC News. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Electoral Districts Act 1947–1985 – Order in Council". Western Australia Government Gazette. 29 April 1988. p. 1988:1339–1527.
  3. ^ "Electoral Distributions Act 1947 – Division of the State into Six Electoral Regions and 57 Electoral Districts by the Electoral Distribution Commissioners". Western Australia Government Gazette. 28 November 1994. p. 1994:6135–6327.
  4. ^ "Electoral Distributions Act 1947 – Division of the State into Electoral Regions and Districts by the Electoral Distribution Commissioners". Western Australia Government Gazette. 4 August 2003. p. 2003:3475–3566.
  5. ^ Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC) (29 October 2007). "South West Region Profile". Retrieved 22 October 2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC) (27 November 2015). "Agricultural Region". Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  7. ^ Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC) (27 November 2019). "Agricultural Region". Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  8. ^ "2021 State General Election Results: Agricultural Region". Western Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 April 2021.