Division of Lalor
The Division of Lalor (/ˈlɔːlər/)[1] is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. Located in the south-western suburbs of Melbourne, it includes the south-western hub of Werribee as well as the suburbs of Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Truganina, Wyndham Vale and part of Point Cook.
| Lalor Australian House of Representatives Division | |
|---|---|
 Division of Lalor in Victoria, as of the 2019 federal election. | |
| Created | 1949 |
| MP | Joanne Ryan |
| Party | Labor |
| Namesake | Peter Lalor |
| Electors | 106,795 (2019) |
| Area | 493 km2 (190.3 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Outer Metropolitan |
At 9.0%, Lalor has the nation's highest proportion of children aged under 4 years old. It has the nation's lowest proportion of residents aged 65 and over (7.0%), is sixth highest nationally for families being couples with dependent children (44.4%), and has the sixth highest rate of residents purchasing their own homes (49.3%).
History
The Division was proclaimed at the redistribution of 11 May 1949, and was first contested at the 1949 Federal election. It was named after Peter Lalor, the leader of the miners at the Eureka Stockade, and a former member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is a safe seat for the Australian Labor Party, which has held it for all except three years of its existence, when it was lost in the 1966 landslide. However, a redistribution ahead of the 1969 election made it a notional Labor seat. Labor retook the seat easily and has since held it without difficulty.
It has been held by a succession of senior Labor members: Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013; Barry Jones, former Minister for Science under Bob Hawke and Labor National President; and Jim Cairns, former Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister under Gough Whitlam. As Gillard was Deputy Prime Minister prior to becoming Prime Minister, Lalor is therefore the only federal electorate to have been held by two Deputy Prime Ministers.
The current member for Lalor since the 2013 election is Joanne Ryan.
Members
| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Reg Pollard (1894–1981) |
Labor | 10 December 1949 – 26 November 1966 |
Previously held the Division of Ballarat. Lost seat | |
 |
Mervyn Lee (1920–2009) |
Liberal | 26 November 1966 – 25 October 1969 |
Did not contest in 1969. Failed to win the Division of Bendigo | |
 |
Dr Jim Cairns (1914–2003) |
Labor | 25 October 1969 – 10 November 1977 |
Previously held the Division of Yarra. Served as minister and Deputy Prime Minister under Whitlam. Retired | |
 |
Barry Jones (1932–) |
Labor | 10 December 1977 – 31 August 1998 |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Melbourne. Served as minister under Hawke. Retired | |
 |
Julia Gillard (1961–) |
Labor | 3 October 1998 – 5 August 2013 |
Served as minister and Deputy Prime Minister under Rudd. Served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2013. Retired | |
 |
Joanne Ryan (1961–) |
Labor | 7 September 2013 – present |
Incumbent | |
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Joanne Ryan | 48,332 | 51.70 | −0.86 | |
| Liberal | Gayle Murphy | 28,209 | 30.18 | −0.05 | |
| Greens | Jay Dessi | 7,273 | 7.78 | −1.83 | |
| United Australia | Jeffrey Robinson | 4,451 | 4.76 | +4.76 | |
| Australia First | Susan Jakobi | 4,094 | 4.38 | +1.28 | |
| Non Affiliated | Aijaz Moinuddin | 1,119 | 1.20 | +1.20 | |
| Total formal votes | 93,478 | 95.57 | +0.12 | ||
| Informal votes | 4,337 | 4.43 | −0.12 | ||
| Turnout | 97,815 | 91.60 | +4.05 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Joanne Ryan | 58,341 | 62.41 | −1.78 | |
| Liberal | Gayle Murphy | 35,137 | 37.59 | +1.78 | |
| Labor hold | Swing | −1.78 | |||
References
- Those familiar with the suburb (not contained within the electorate itself), but not the electorate, may erroneously pronounce it [ˈlæɪloː] or [ˈlæɪlə].
- Lalor, VIC, Tally Room 2019, Australian Electoral Commission.