Wagga Wagga
New South Wales—Legislative Assembly
Map
Interactive map of district boundaries from the 2023 state election
StateNew South Wales
Dates current1894–1904
1913–1920
1927–present
MPJoe McGirr
PartyIndependent
NamesakeWagga Wagga
Electors55,688 (2019)
Area12,108.11 km2 (4,675.0 sq mi)
DemographicProvincial and rural
Electorates around Wagga Wagga:
Cootamundra Cootamundra Goulburn
Albury Wagga Wagga Australian Capital Territory
Albury Albury Monaro

Wagga Wagga is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. The district has been held by Independent MP Joe McGirr since the September 2018 by-election.

Wagga Wagga is a regional electorate. It entirely covers two local government areas: the City of Wagga Wagga and Lockhart Shire. It also covers part of the Snowy Valleys Council, which was established following the merger of Tumut Shire and Tumbarumba Shire.[1]

History

Wagga Wagga was created in 1894. In 1920, Wagga Wagga, Albury and Corowa was absorbed into Murray and elected three members under proportional representation. When proportional representation was replaced by single-member electorates in 1927, Wagga Wagga was recreated, with Matthew Kilpatrick, the Country Party candidate, winning the October election. According to the Wagga Daily Advertiser, it was a decisive vote against the continuance of the Labor government led by Jack Lang.[2]

Labor regained the seat in its 1941 landslide, holding it until the Liberals took it back in 1957. It remained safely Liberal for most of the last half-century, despite being located in the midst of an area considered Country/ National heartland. This tradition was broken in 2018, when longtime Liberal member Daryl Maguire was forced out of politics due to a corruption scandal. At the ensuring by-election, the Liberal primary vote almost halved, allowing independent Joe McGirr to take the seat on 59.6 percent of the two-candidate vote. Although Labor was knocked down to third place on the primary vote, the swing against the Liberals was large enough to make Wagga Wagga a notional Labor seat in a "traditional" two-party matchup with the Liberals.

McGirr retained the seat with an increased majority at the 2019 state election, with the Liberals standing down in favour of the Nationals. Unlike the preceding by-election, the National candidate won the notional "traditional" two-party matchup with Labor.

Members for Wagga Wagga

First incarnation (1894–1904)
Member Party Term
  James Gormly [3] Protectionist 1894–1901
  Progressive 1901–1904
Second incarnation (1913–1920)
Member Party Term
  Walter Boston [4] Labor 1913–1917
  George Beeby [5] Nationalist 1917–1920
Third incarnation (1927–present)
Member Party Term
  Matthew Kilpatrick [6] Country 1927–1941
  Eddie Graham [7] Labor 1941–1957
  Wal Fife [8] Liberal 1957–1975
  Joe Schipp [9] Liberal 1975–1999
  Daryl Maguire [10] Liberal 1999–2018
  Joe McGirr [11] Independent 2018–present

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the district of Wagga Wagga
2023 New South Wales state election: Wagga Wagga[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Joe McGirr 21,783 44.2 −1.9
National Andrianna Benjamin 7,267 14.7 −11.3
Labor Keryn Foley 6,729 13.6 −1.1
Liberal Julia Ham 6,526 13.2 +13.2
Shooters, Fishers, Farmers Christopher Smith 3,777 7.7 −1.1
Greens Ray Goodlass 2,764 5.6 +2.8
Public Education Raymond Gentles 464 0.9 +0.9
Total formal votes 49,310 96.6 −0.2
Informal votes 1,721 3.4 +0.2
Turnout 51,031 88.9 −1.5
Notional two-party-preferred count
National Andrianna Benjamin 16,287 56.2 −1.3
Labor Keryn Foley 12,719 43.8 +1.3
Two-candidate-preferred result
Independent Joe McGirr 28,435 72.4 +6.9
National Andrianna Benjamin 10,847 27.6 −6.9
Independent hold Swing +6.9

References

  1. ^ "Wagga Wagga". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Kilpatrick Wins Easily". Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga, NSW). 10 October 1927. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Mr James Gormly (1836-1922)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Mr Walter James Boston (1874–1968)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Sir George Stephenson Beeby (1869–1942)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Mr Matthew Kilpatrick (1875–1949)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  7. ^ "The Hon. Edgar Hugh Graham (1897-1957)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  8. ^ "The Hon. Wallace Clyde Fife (1929–2017)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  9. ^ "The Hon. Joseph John Schipp (1932-2017)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Mr Daryl William Maguire (1959 - )". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  11. ^ "Dr (Joe) Joseph Gregory McGirr MP". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  12. ^ LA First Preference: Wagga Wagga, NSW State Election Results 2023, NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  13. ^ LA Two Candidate Preferred: Wagga Wagga, NSW State Election Results 2023, NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
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