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.

Murchison
TasmaniaLegislative 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

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

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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

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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

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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

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References

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  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.
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