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| Macquarie (New South Wales federal division) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Macquarie |
| State | New South Wales |
| Created | 1901 |
| Mp | Susan Templeman |
| Mp party | Australian Labor Party |
| Namesake | Lachlan Macquarie |
| Electors | 118000 |
| Area | 6862 |
| Class | Provincial |
Macquarie (New South Wales federal division) is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales named after Governor Lachlan Macquarie, created at Federation in 1901 and first contested at the inaugural 1901 Australian federal election, represented by members of the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party of Australia at various times. The division covers parts of the Blue Mountains, the Lithgow region and the Hawkesbury River corridor, and its political contests have involved figures associated with the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party of Australia, the National Party of Australia, and independent candidates linked to local issues such as the World Heritage Convention, Blue Mountains National Park conservation, and regional infrastructure projects like the Great Western Highway upgrade.
The division encompasses sections of the City of Blue Mountains, the City of Hawkesbury, and parts of the City of Lithgow, incorporating suburbs such as Katoomba, Penrith-adjacent localities, Lithgow, and riverine communities along the Hawkesbury River, with boundaries determined by the Australian Electoral Commission redistributions that reference population changes recorded in the Australian Bureau of Statistics censuses. Topographically it spans the Great Dividing Range, the Wollangambe River catchment, and areas adjacent to the Wollemi National Park and Blue Mountains National Park, affecting land use policies connected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and environmental frameworks influenced by the Commonwealth of Australia and international instruments such as the World Heritage Convention.
Macquarie was proclaimed at Federation and has been contested since the 1901 Australian federal election, with early representation by figures tied to the Protectionist Party and the Free Trade Party before the emergence of the Australian Labor Party and the Commonwealth Liberal Party; the seat has shifted hands during pivotal contests including those concurrent with the 1910 Australian federal election, the 1949 Australian federal election, and the electoral realignments following World War II. Prominent members have engaged with national debates involving the High Court of Australia jurisprudence, federal fiscal policy debates under treasurers like Sir Earle Page and John Howard-era reforms, and regional industrial transitions tied to the closure of coal facilities near Lithgow and infrastructure programs such as the National Broadband Network. Redistributions by the Australian Electoral Commission have altered Macquarie's composition across decades, intersecting with policy issues debated in the Parliament of Australia.
Census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show a mix of metropolitan commuters from Penrith and long-standing residents in towns like Mount Victoria and Lithgow, with employment sectors including mining linked to the Hunter Region, tourism connected to the Blue Mountains National Park World Heritage listing, and service industries tied to the Hawkesbury River precinct; population shifts have prompted electoral boundary reviews by the Australian Electoral Commission, and demographic patterns have featured in campaigns by the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party of Australia addressing healthcare services under the Medicare framework and transport projects such as upgrades to the Great Western Highway and rail services associated with NSW TrainLink.
The division has been represented by members from early parties like the Protectionist Party and the Free Trade Party, and later by the Australian Labor Party, the United Australia Party, and the Liberal Party of Australia, with MPs engaging in parliamentary activity in the House of Representatives, committee work influenced by the Parliamentary Library, and participation in national caucuses such as the ALP Caucus and the Liberal Party Federal Council. Notable representatives have served during terms coinciding with prime ministers including Alfred Deakin, Billy Hughes, Robert Menzies, Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke, and John Howard, contributing to debates that intersected with institutions like the High Court of Australia and commissions such as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Election contests in Macquarie have reflected national trends evident in federal polls like the 1901 Australian federal election, the 1949 Australian federal election, the 1972 Australian federal election, the 1996 Australian federal election, and the 2013 Australian federal election, with swings affecting representation between the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party of Australia and occasional strong performances by independents and minor parties including the National Party of Australia, the Greens New South Wales, and the Country Liberal Party in broader comparisons. Redistribution outcomes by the Australian Electoral Commission and local campaign issues such as environmental protections in the Blue Mountains National Park, infrastructure proposals like the Great Western Highway duplications, and regional economic transitions in areas like Lithgow and the Hunter Region have influenced voting patterns recorded by the Australian Electoral Commission.
Key political issues in Macquarie include conservation of the Blue Mountains National Park and Wollemi National Park under the World Heritage Convention, regional transport upgrades such as the Great Western Highway and NSW TrainLink services, mining and energy transitions affecting Lithgow and the Hunter Region, water management of the Hawkesbury River system, and healthcare access involving funding debates tied to Medicare and federal health policy processes in the Parliament of Australia; these issues have framed campaigns by the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party of Australia, the Greens New South Wales, and independents endorsing local development or conservation priorities. Demographic trends documented by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and redistribution decisions by the Australian Electoral Commission continue to shape Macquarie’s electoral dynamics within the broader context of Australian federal politics and policy debates.
Category:Electoral divisions of Australia Category:New South Wales federal electorates