Electoral division of Murchison

For the defunct constituency in Western Australia, see Electoral district of Murchison.

Murchison
Tasmania—Legislative Council
Map

Map showing the electoral division of Murchison, as of the 2017 periodic review.[1]

StateTasmania
Created1999
MPRuth Forrest
PartyIndependent
NamesakeMount Murchison
Electors27,059 (January 2019)
Area19,391 km2 (7,486.9 sq mi)
DemographicRural
Coordinates41°39′54″S 145°20′53″E / 41.665°S 145.348°E / -41.665; 145.348
Map showing the electoral division of Murchison

The electoral division of Murchison is one of the fifteen electorates in the Tasmanian Legislative Council, situated in the western/north-west region of the state. It is the largest electorate in size, covering an area of 19,391 km² and includes the municipalities of Circular Head, King Island, Waratah-Wynyard, West Coast and part of Burnie City.

Ruth Forrest has been the sitting member for Murchison since 2005, she ran unopposed in 2011, and was re-elected in 2017 and 2023. The next scheduled election is in 2029. As of January 2019, there were 27,059 enrolled voters.[2]

History

The seat of Murchison was created in the redistribution of 1999, and largely replaced the west coast seat of Russell, which had existed since 1885.[3] The electorate is named after Mount Murchison near Rosebery and the Murchison River (Tasmania) which flows through the region.

Members

Further information: Members of the Tasmanian Legislative Council

The elected members for the seat of Murchison have all sat as independents, including those for the former seat of Russell.[3]

Member Party Period
  Tony Fletcher Independent 1999–2005
  Ruth Forrest Independent 2005–present

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Murchison
This section is an excerpt from 2023 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election § Murchison Results.[edit]
2023 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic elections: Murchison[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Ruth Forrest 16,542 71.88 +15.20
Shooters, Fishers, Farmers Brenton Jones 3,098 13.46 +13.46
Independent Codie Hutchison 2,508 10.90 +10.90
Independent Getty Burnett 865 3.76 +3.76
Total formal votes 23,013 96.09 −0.59
Informal votes 936 3.91 +0.59
Turnout 23,949 85.19 +0.79
Registered electors 28,114
Independent hold  

See also

References

  1. ^ Legislative Council Divisions (2016-17 redistribution) from theLIST ©State of Tasmania (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence).
  2. ^ Legislative Council Divisional Enrolment as at 31 January 2019, Tasmanian Legislative Council, 6 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b Raue, Ben. "Murchison – Tasmania LC 2017". tallyroom.com.au. The Tally Room. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  4. ^ "2023 Legislative Council elections results – Murchison". Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 May 2023.