Newcastle
New South Wales—Legislative Assembly
Map
Interactive map of district boundaries from the 2023 state election
StateNew South Wales
Dates current1859–1894
1904–present
MPTim Crakanthorp
PartyLabor Party
NamesakeNewcastle
Electors59,126 (2019)
Area121.22 km2 (46.8 sq mi)
DemographicInner-metropolitan
Coordinates32°55′S 151°45′E / 32.917°S 151.750°E / -32.917; 151.750
Electorates around Newcastle:
Wallsend Port Stephens Port Stephens
Wallsend Newcastle Pacific Ocean
Charlestown Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean

Newcastle is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales named after and including Newcastle. It is represented since the 2014 Newcastle by-election by Tim Crakanthorp of the Australian Labor Party.

The district takes in the eastern part of the City of Newcastle, including the parts of the suburbs from Hexham to Mayfield lying to the east of the Main North railway line, Broadmeadow, Hamilton South, Merewether Heights and Merewether and the suburbs further east, including central Newcastle and Hamilton. It also includes the Port Stephens Council suburbs of Fern Bay and Fullerton Cove.[1]

History

Newcastle was created in 1859 from part of North Eastern Boroughs. It gained a second member in 1880 and a third member in 1889.[2] With the abolition of multi-member electorates in 1894, it was divided into Newcastle East, Newcastle West, Kahibah, Waratah and Wickham. These changes to the electoral boundaries were debated.[3][4] Newcastle was re-created in the 1904 re-distribution of electorates following the 1903 New South Wales referendum, which required the number of members of the Legislative Assembly to be reduced from 125 to 90.[5] It consisted of Newcastle East and part of Newcastle West. With the introduction of proportional representation in 1920, it absorbed Kahibah, Wallsend and Wickham and elected five members. With the end of proportional representation in 1927, Newcastle was split into the single-member electorates of Newcastle, Hamilton, Kahibah and Wallsend.[6]

It has since been usually held by the Labor Party. This pattern was threatened in early 2007, when sitting member Bryce Gaudry lost his preselection to a former local newsreader, Jodi McKay. Gaudry opted to stand as an independent and as a consequence split the Labor Party's vote. Independent former Lord Mayor of Newcastle John Tate came close to winning the seat after preferences but McKay managed to hold on. Labor's previous margin of over 15% had been slashed to as little as 1.4%, making it one of Labor's most marginal seats.[7][8]

At the 2011 New South Wales state election, Liberal Tim Owen defeated incumbent and one-term member McKay and popular Independent Tate, marking the first time the Liberals or their predecessors had won Newcastle as a single-member seat in over a century. This was one of many gains the Liberals made in what was previously Labor heartland.

Owen became an independent and moved to the crossbench on 6 August 2014 after accusations at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).[9] He resigned from parliament on 12 August 2014 after evidence of corruption was uncovered.[10] The Liberals opted not to contest the ensuing by-election, which saw Labor's Tim Crakanthorp reclaim the seat handily.

Members for Newcastle

First incarnation (1859–1880, 1 member)
Member Party Term
  Arthur Hodgson [11] None 1859–1860
  James Hannell [12] None 1860–1869
  George Lloyd [13] None 1869–1877
  Richard Bowker [14] None 1877–1880
(1880–1889, 2 members)
Member Party Term Member Party Term
  James Fletcher [15] None 1880–1887   George Lloyd [13] None 1880–1882
  James Ellis [16] None 1882–1885
  George Lloyd [13] None 1885–1887
  Protectionist 1887–1889   James Ellis [16] Free Trade 1887–1889
(1889–1894, 3 members)
Member Party Term Member Party Term Member Party Term
  James Fletcher [15] Protectionist 1889–1891   Alexander Brown [17] Protectionist 1889–1891   William Grahame [18] Protectionist 1889–1889
  James Curley [19] Free Trade 1889–1891
  William Grahame [18] Protectionist 1891–1894   David Scott [20] Labor 1891–1894   John Fegan [21] Labor 1891–1894
 
Second incarnation (1904–1920, 1 member)
Member Party Term
  William Dick [22] Liberal Reform 1904–1907
  Owen Gilbert [23] Liberal Reform 1907–1910
  Arthur Gardiner [24] Labor 1910–1917
  Independent Labor 1917–1920
(1920–1927, 5 members)
Member Party Term Member Party Term Member Party Term Member Party Term Member Party Term
  Arthur Gardiner [24] Independent 1920–1922   John Estell [25] Labor 1920–1922   John Fegan [21] Nationalist 1920–1922   William Kearsley [26] Labor 1920–1921   Hugh Connell [27] Labor 1920–1927
    David Murray [28] Labor 1921–1927
  Walter Skelton [29] Independent 1922–1925   Jack Baddeley [30] Labor 1922–1927   Magnus Cromarty [31] Nationalist 1922–1925
  Protestant Labor 1925–1927   George Booth [32] Labor 1925–1927
(1927–present, 1 member)
Member Party Term
  Peter Connolly [33] Labor 1927–1935
  Frank Hawkins [34] Labor 1935–1968
  Arthur Wade [35] Labor 1968–1988
  George Keegan [36] Independent 1988–1991
  Bryce Gaudry [37] Labor 1991–2007
  Independent 2007–2007
  Jodi McKay [38] Labor 2007–2011
  Tim Owen [39] Liberal 2011–2014
  Independent 2014–2014
  Tim Crakanthorp [40] Labor 2014–present

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the district of Newcastle
2023 New South Wales state election: Newcastle[41][42]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Tim Crakanthorp 25,078 49.4 +3.6
Liberal Thomas Triebsees 11,348 22.4 −4.1
Greens John Mackenzie 9,487 18.7 +2.0
Legalise Cannabis Tim Claydon 3,042 6.0 +6.0
Sustainable Australia Freya Taylor 1,195 2.4 0.0
Socialist Alliance Niko Leka 586 1.2 −0.6
Total formal votes 50,736 97.8 +1.0
Informal votes 1,162 2.2 −1.0
Turnout 51,898 87.3 +0.4
Two-party-preferred result
Labor Tim Crakanthorp 33,422 72.6 +5.1
Liberal Thomas Triebsees 12,620 27.4 −5.1
Labor hold Swing +5.1

References

  1. ^ "Newcastle Electoral District". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  2. ^ "A Third Member for Newcastle". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 16 March 1888. Retrieved 6 February 2015 – via Trove.
  3. ^ "District News". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 30 June 1893. Retrieved 6 February 2015 – via Trove.
  4. ^ "Division of Electorates". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 4 June 1901. Retrieved 6 February 2015 – via Trove.
  5. ^ "1904 Redistribution". Atlas of New South Wales. NSW Land & Property Information. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015.
  6. ^ Green, Antony. "Elections for the District of Newcastle". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Part 5B alphabetical list of all electorates and Members since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Former Members". Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  9. ^ Two NSW Liberal MPs stand aside from the party following ICAC revelations on campaign funding: ABC 6 August 2014
  10. ^ Newcastle MP Tim Owen and Charlestown MP Andrew Cornwell resign from NSW Parliament following ICAC donations inquiry: SMH 12 August 2014
  11. ^ "Sir Arthur Hodgson (1818-1902)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  12. ^ "Mr James Hannell (1813-1876)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  13. ^ a b c "Mr George Alfred Lloyd (1815-1897)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  14. ^ "Dr Richard Ryther Steer Bowker (1815-1903)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  15. ^ a b "Mr James Fletcher (1834-1891)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Mr James Cole Ellis (1843-1930)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  17. ^ "Mr Alexander Brown (1851-1926)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  18. ^ a b "Mr William (2) Grahame (1875–1945)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  19. ^ "Mr James Curley (1846-1913)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  20. ^ "Mr David Scott (1848-1927)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  21. ^ a b "The Hon. John Lionel Fegan (1862–1932)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  22. ^ "Mr William Thomas Dick (1865-1932)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  23. ^ "Mr Owen Gilbert (1868-1934)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  24. ^ a b "Mr Arthur Rowland Gardiner (1876-1948)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  25. ^ "Mr John Estell (1861–1928)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  26. ^ "Mr William Kearsley (1863–1921)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  27. ^ "Major Hugh John Connell (1884-1934)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  28. ^ "Mr David Murray (1885–1928)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  29. ^ "Mr Walter Peden Joyce Skelton (1883-1979)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  30. ^ "Mr John Marcus Baddeley (1881–1953)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  31. ^ "Mr Magnus Cromarty (1875-1925)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  32. ^ "Mr George Booth (1891–1960)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  33. ^ "Mr Peter Connolly (1890-1959)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  34. ^ "Mr Francis Hawkins (1897–1971)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  35. ^ "Mr (Arthur) William Arthur Wade (1919-2014)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  36. ^ "Mr Ernest George Keegan (1928-2008)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  37. ^ "Mr Bryce James Gaudry (1942-2019)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  38. ^ "Ms Jodi Leyanne McKay, MP". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  39. ^ "Mr Timothy Francis Owen (1955- )". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  40. ^ "Mr (Tim) Timothy Carson Crakanthorp, MP". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  41. ^ LA First Preference: Newcastle, NSW State Election Results 2023, NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  42. ^ LA Two Candidate Preferred: Newcastle, NSW State Election Results 2023, NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
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