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Electoral district of Willoughby

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Willoughby
New South WalesLegislative Assembly
Map
Interactive map of district boundaries from the 2023 state election
StateNew South Wales
Dates current1894–1920
1927–1988
1991–present
MPTim James
PartyLiberal
NamesakeWilloughby
Electors54,988 (2022)
Area23.56 km2 (9.1 sq mi)
DemographicInner-metropolitan
Electorates around Willoughby:
Davidson Davidson Wakehurst
Lane Cove Willoughby Manly
Lane Cove North Shore North Shore

Willoughby is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It has been represented by Tim James of the Liberal Party since 12 February 2022.

History

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Willoughby was an electoral district of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, first created in 1894 with the abolition of multi-member electoral districts from part of St Leonards, and named after and including the Sydney suburb of Willoughby. It was abolished in 1904 and re-established in 1913. In 1920 with the introduction of proportional representation, it was absorbed into the multi-member electorate of Ryde along with Burwood and Gordon. It was recreated in 1927 with the return to single-member electorates. It was abolished in 1988, with most of its territory becoming Middle Harbour. In 1991, Middle Harbour was abolished and replaced by a recreated Willoughby.[1][2][3][4]

Like most seats in the North Shore, Willoughby is a stronghold for the Liberal Party. Counting its time as Middle Harbour, the Liberals or their predecessors have held the seat for all but two terms since the return to single-member seats in 1927. The one break in this tradition came in the "Wranslide" of 1978, when a split in the Liberal vote allowed Labor's Eddie Britt to sweep into office. However, a redistribution ahead of the 1981 election erased Britt's majority and made Willoughby notionally Liberal. Britt narrowly lost to future state opposition leader Peter Collins even in the face of the second "Wranslide."[2]

The seat reverted to form in 1984, with Collins easily seeing off Britt in a rematch. Since then, Labor has usually run dead in Willoughby, and on some occasions has been pushed into third place. The only time the Liberal hold on the seat has been seriously threatened since the 1980s came on Collins' retirement in 2003. Pat Reilly, the longtime mayor of the City of Willoughby, ran as an independent and nearly defeated Liberal Gladys Berejiklian on Labor preferences. The swing against the Liberals was large enough to drop the Liberal margin over Labor to 7.2 percent, the closest in two decades. However, Berejiklian easily dispatched Reilly in a rematch and has held the seat without serious difficulty ever since.[2]

Willoughby is one of four electorates in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly to have been held by two Premiers of New South Wales while in office. Both Premiers (Sir) Charles Wade and Gladys Berejiklian held Willoughby while in office, the other three electorates being Ku-ring-gai, Maroubra and Wollondilly.

Berejiklian has facts in common with her predecessor in Willoughby, Collins in that both had served as state Liberal leaders and prior to that served as Deputy Liberal leader and Treasurer although unlike Collins, Berejiklian held the positions of Deputy Liberal leader and Treasurer simultaneously.

Geography

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On its current boundaries, Willoughby takes in the suburbs of Cammeray, Castle Cove, Castlecrag, Chatswood, Chatswood West, Cremorne, Middle Cove, Northbridge, North Willoughby, Willoughby, Willoughby East and parts of Artarmon, Crows Nest, Lane Cove North and St Leonards.

Members for Willoughby

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First incarnation (1894–1904)
Member Party Term
  Joseph Cullen Free Trade 1894–1894
  Edward Clark Free Trade 1894–1895
  George Howarth Free Trade 1895–1901
  Liberal Reform 1901–1903
  Charles Wade Liberal Reform 1903–1904
Second incarnation (1913–1920)
Member Party Term
  Edward Larkin Labor 1913–1915
  John Haynes Independent Democrat 1915–1917
  Reginald Weaver Nationalist 1917–1920
Third incarnation (1927–1988)
Member Party Term
  Edward Sanders Independent Nationalist 1927–1930
  Nationalist 1930–1932
  United Australia 1932–1943
  George Brain United Australia 1943–1943
  Democratic 1944–1945
  Liberal 1945–1968
  Laurie McGinty Liberal 1968–1977
  Independent Liberal 1977–1978
  Eddie Britt Labor 1978–1981
  Peter Collins Liberal 1981–1988
Fourth incarnation (1991–present)
Member Party Term
  Peter Collins Liberal 1991–2003
  Gladys Berejiklian Liberal 2003–2021
  Tim James Liberal 2022–present

Election results

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2023 New South Wales state election: Willoughby[5][6][7][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Tim James 23,032 43.6 −13.4
Independent Larissa Penn 14,064 26.6 +17.6
Labor Sarah Griffin 10,577 20.0 +5.3
Greens Edmund McGrath 4,190 7.9 −3.4
Sustainable Australia Michael Want 967 1.8 +0.1
Total formal votes 52,830 98.1 +0.1
Informal votes 1,014 1.9 −0.1
Turnout 53,844 89.3 +0.0
Notional two-party-preferred count
Liberal Tim James 26,152 55.9 −14.8
Labor Sarah Griffin 20,665 44.1 +14.8
Two-candidate-preferred result
Liberal Tim James 24,727 52.6 −21.0
Independent Larissa Penn 22,277 47.4 +21.0
Liberal hold Swing −21.0

References

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  1. ^ Green, Antony. "Elections for the District of Willoughby". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Willoughby- NSW Electorate, Candidates, Results". NSW Votes 2019. ABC News. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Part 5B alphabetical list of all electorates and Members since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Former Members". Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  5. ^ LA First Preference: Willoughby, NSW State Election Results 2023, NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  6. ^ LA Two Candidate Preferred: Willoughby, NSW State Election Results 2023, NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  7. ^ Two Candidate Preferred (TCP) Analytical Tool: Willoughby, NSW State Election Results 2023, NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  8. ^ Green, Antony. "2020/21 NSW Redistribution: Analysis of Draft Electoral Boundaries" (PDF). Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
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