Electoral district of Swan Hill

Not to be confused with Electoral district of Swan Hills.

Swan Hill Victoria—Legislative Assembly
State	Victoria
Created	1904
Abolished	2014
Namesake	Swan Hill
Electors	33,073 (2010)
Area	28,093 km2 (10,846.8 sq mi)
Demographic	Rural

The Electoral district of Swan Hill was a rural Lower House electoral district of the Victorian Parliament. It was located within the Northern Victoria Region of the Legislative Council.

The area had previously been part of the electoral districts of Wimmera (1851-89), Crowlands (1858-77), and Donald & Swan Hill (1889-1904).

At its beginning in 1904, the district spanned the Victorian Mallee region, covering not only Swan Hill and its surrounds, but also the Mildura area. This changed in 1927, with the creation of the electoral district of Mildura. It was held by a conservative party for its entire existence. For most of the time from 1917 onward, it was held by what became the National Party. The Liberals held the seat for most of the 1970s, during the height of their dominance in the state. However, the Nationals regained it in a 1983 by-election and held it until the seat was abolished in 2014.

At its end in 2014, the district included the towns of Birchip, Charlton, Donald, Kerang, Murtoa, St Arnaud, Sea Lake, Warracknabeal, Wedderburn and Wycheproof, as well as the titular city of Swan Hill. Natural features of the electorate included Lake Tyrrell and the Murray River, which was a popular tourist destination and the centre of a flourishing irrigation area. Farming and agriculture were important industries throughout the region.

Due to the region making up an increasingly smaller proportion of the state's population, in 2014 it became part of the electoral district of Murray Plains.

Members for Swan Hill

Member		Party	Term
	John Gray	Ministerialist	1904–1917
		Independent
		Commonwealth Liberal
		Nationalist
	Percy Stewart	Farmers Union	1917–1919
	Francis Old	Farmers Union	1919–1945
		Country
	John Hipworth	Country	1945–1949
		Liberal	1949–1952
	Harold Stirling	Country	1952–1968
	Henry Broad	Country	1968–1973
	Alan Wood	Liberal	1973–1983
	Barry Steggall	National	1983–2002
	Peter Walsh	National	2002–2014

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the district of Swan Hill

2010 Victorian state election: Swan Hill

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Peter Walsh	22,086	75.04	+27.61
	Labor	Sharon Garrick	4,802	16.32	−2.19
	Greens	Morgana Russell	1,326	4.51	+0.57
	Family First	Garion Pearse	1,219	4.14	+0.81
Total formal votes			29,433	95.33	+0.00
Informal votes			1,441	4.67	+0.00
Turnout			30,874	93.35	−0.42
Two-party-preferred result
	National	Peter Walsh	23,343	79.33	+5.93
	Labor	Sharon Garrick	6,081	20.67	−5.93
	National hold		Swing	+5.93

See also

• Parliaments of the Australian states and territories
• List of members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly

External links

• Electorate profile: Swan Hill District, Victorian Electoral Commission