Division of Fairfax
The Division of Fairfax is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland.
| Fairfax Australian House of Representatives Division | |
|---|---|
 Division of Fairfax in Queensland, as of the 2019 federal election. | |
| Created | 1984 |
| MP | Ted O'Brien |
| Party | Liberal National Party |
| Namesake | Ruth Fairfax |
| Electors | 114,127 (2019) |
| Area | 1,004 km2 (387.6 sq mi) |
| Demographic | Rural |
History
The division was created in 1984 and is named after Ruth Fairfax, founder of the Country Women's Association. It is located in the Sunshine Coast region north of Brisbane and includes the towns of Coolum, Yaroomba, Marcoola, Mudjimba, Maroochydore, Buderim, Woombye, Bli Bli, Yandina, Nambour, Mapleton, Kenilworth and Eumundi.[1]
While the Sunshine Coast is traditionally a conservative area, Fairfax is located in a particularly conservative portion of the Sunshine Coast, and as such has always been held by a centre-right party. Originally a safe seat for the National Party, demographic change has made it equally safe for the Liberal Party.
It came to national attention in the 2013 federal election, when Clive Palmer, the founder of the Palmer United Party, narrowly won it by 53 votes. Before then, the Coalition's hold on the seat had only been seriously threatened twice, in 1998 and 2007. At all other times before 2013, it was a fairly safe to safe Coalition seat.
Palmer did not run for reelection, and it was widely expected that it would revert to the merged Liberal National Party; the LNP would have easily retained it in a "traditional" two-party matchup with Labor. As expected, Palmer's 2013 opponent, Ted O'Brien, won it resoundingly.
Members
| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Evan Adermann (1927–2001) |
Nationals | 1 December 1984 – 19 February 1990 |
Previously held the Division of Fisher. Retired | |
 |
Alex Somlyay (1946–) |
Liberal | 24 March 1990 – 19 July 2010 |
Retired | |
| Liberal Nationals | 19 July 2010 – 5 August 2013 | ||||
 |
Clive Palmer (1954–) |
Palmer United | 7 September 2013 – 9 May 2016 |
Retired | |
|
Ted O'Brien (1974–) |
Liberal Nationals | 2 July 2016 – present |
Incumbent |
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal National | Ted O'Brien | 48,451 | 49.62 | +1.12 | |
| Labor | Julie McGlone | 20,976 | 21.48 | +0.85 | |
| Greens | Sue Etheridge | 12,291 | 12.59 | −0.07 | |
| One Nation | Paul Henselin | 7,661 | 7.85 | −1.83 | |
| United Australia | Kylie Cowling | 2,987 | 3.06 | +3.06 | |
| Conservative National | Jake Ryan | 1,502 | 1.54 | +1.54 | |
| Sustainable Australia | Richard Belcher | 1,410 | 1.44 | +1.44 | |
| Independent | Sinim Australie | 1,318 | 1.35 | +1.35 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bertrand Cadart | 1,044 | 1.07 | +1.07 | |
| Total formal votes | 97,640 | 93.57 | −0.19 | ||
| Informal votes | 6,715 | 6.43 | +0.19 | ||
| Turnout | 104,355 | 91.44 | +0.62 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal National | Ted O'Brien | 61,944 | 63.44 | +2.57 | |
| Labor | Julie McGlone | 35,696 | 36.56 | −2.57 | |
| Liberal National hold | Swing | +2.57 | |||
References
- Australian Electoral Commission Map of the federal division Fairfax, accessed:07 May 2019
- Fairfax, QLD, Tally Room 2019, Australian Electoral Commission.