Division of Wakefield

Coordinates: 34°14′53″S 138°37′05″E / 34.248°S 138.618°E / -34.248; 138.618
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Wakefield
Australian House of Representatives Division
Wakefield (dark green) in the state of South Australia
Created1903
Abolished2019
NamesakeEdward Gibbon Wakefield
Electors103,458 (2013)
Area6,407 km2 (2,473.8 sq mi)
DemographicRural
Edward Gibbon Wakefield

The Division of Wakefield was an Australian electoral division in the state of South Australia. It covered an area from the northern suburbs of Adelaide to the Clare Valley, 135 km north of Adelaide. It includes the suburbs of Elizabeth, Craigmore, Munno Para, Virginia, and part of Salisbury, and the towns of Gawler, Balaklava, Clare, Kapunda, Riverton, Mallala, Freeling, Tarlee, Williamstown, and parts of Port Wakefield.[1]

The Division was named after Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who planned settlements in South Australia, Western Australia, New Zealand and Canada.[1] It was set up in 1903. It was abolished in 2019 when a redistribution cut the number of divisions in South Australia to ten.

Members[change | change source]

Image Member Party Term Notes
  Sir Frederick Holder Independent 1903–1909 Previously held the Division of South Australia. Served as Speaker during the Barton, Deakin, Watson, Reid and Fisher Governments. Died in office
  Richard Foster Commonwealth Liberal 1909–1917 Previously held the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Flinders. Served as minister under Hughes. Lost seat
  Nationalist 1917–1922
  Liberal Union 1922–1925
  Nationalist 1925–1928
  Maurice Collins Country 1928–1929 Lost seat
  Charles Hawker Nationalist 1929–1931 Served as minister under Lyons.
  United Australia 1931–1938 Died in office
  Sydney McHugh Labor 1938–1940 Previously held the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Burra Burra. Lost seat. Later elected to the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Light in 1941.
  Jack Duncan-Hughes United Australia 1940–1943 Previously a member of the Senate. Lost seat
  Albert Smith Labor 1943–1946 Previously a member of the Senate. Lost seat
  (Sir) Philip McBride Liberal 1946–1958 Previously a member of the Senate. Served as minister under Robert Menzies. Retired
  Bert Kelly Liberal 1958–1977 Previously a member of the Senate. Served as minister under Harold Holt, John McEwen and John Gorton. Lost preselection and retired
  Geoffrey Giles Liberal 1977–1983 Previously held the Division of Angas. Retired
  Neil Andrew Liberal 1983–2004 Served as Chief Government Whip under John Howard. Served as Speaker during the Howard Government. Retired
  David Fawcett Liberal 2004–2007 Lost seat. Later elected to the Senate in 2010.
  Nick Champion Labor 2007–2019

Sir Frederick Holder and Neil Andrew (1998–2004) were Speaker of the House. Holder was also Premier of South Australia on two occasions. Holder's death in 1909 caused a by-election. In 1938 the death of Charles Hawker also caused another by-election.

Election results[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Profile of the electoral division of Wakefield (SA)". Australian Electoral Commission. 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.

Other websites[change | change source]

34°14′53″S 138°37′05″E / 34.248°S 138.618°E / -34.248; 138.618