The Division of Gilmore is an Australian electoral division in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

History

The Division of Gilmore was created in 1984 when the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

was expanded, and was named after

Dame Mary Gilmore Dame Mary Jean Gilmore (née Cameron; 16 August 18653 December 1962) was an Australian writer and journalist known for her prolific contributions to Australian literature and the broader national discourse. She wrote both prose and poetry. Gi ...

, the poet and author. The seat was first won by John Sharp of the National Party. The electorate originally included the areas of

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

and Southern Highlands but, following a redistribution, the seat moved to its current boundaries along the New South Wales South Coast. As a consequence, Sharp moved to the nearby seat of Hume in 1993. He served in the First Howard Ministry until he resigned in 1997 due to the "travel rorts affair". The seat was won by the ALP's

Peter Knott Peter John Knott (8 August 1956 – 29 October 2015) was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the Australian House of Representatives. He represented Gilmore from 1993 to 1996 for the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Knott was a libr ...

in 1993, but he was defeated at the 1996 election by

Joanna Gash Joanna Gash (born 21 July 1944) is a former Australian politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives representing the Division of Gilmore for the Liberal Party from 1996 to 2013. In 2012, Gash was directly elected as the ...

of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. The seat was considered marginal after the 1996 and 1998 elections, but a big swing in 2001 saw Gash hold the seat by a much larger margin. That was cut back to a margin of about 4% in 2007. Gilmore's boundaries were redrawn before the 2010 election, making the seat a notional Labor one, but Gash gained a 5.7% swing. She announced her retirement in 2012, and was later elected Mayor of Shoalhaven. At the 2013 federal election, Gash was succeeded by Liberal candidate

Ann Sudmalis Ann Elizabeth Sudmalis (''née'' Hardinge; born 16 September 1955) is a former Australian politician. She was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Gilmore in New South Wales, from September 20 ...

, who won despite a 2.7% swing to Labor. Sudmalis suffered a further 3% swing in the 2016 election, but narrowly won a second term by only 1,503 of the

two-party-preferred vote In Australian politics, the two-party-preferred vote (TPP or 2PP) is the result of an election or opinion poll after preferences have been distributed to the highest two candidates, who in some cases can be independents. For the purposes of TPP ...

. On 17 September 2018, Sudmalis announced that she would not contest the forthcoming election, blaming what she called ego-driven bullying, betrayal and backstabbing by

Gareth Ward Gareth James Ward, an Australian politician who served as the New South Wales Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services in the second Berejiklian ministry from 2019 to 2021. Ward is a member of the New South Wales Legislative A ...

, a Liberal member of state parliament for an electorate that overlaps hers. On 22 January 2019, the prime minister,

Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for t ...

, announced that

Warren Mundine Nyunggai Warren Stephen Mundine is an Australian Aboriginal leader and politician. He was the National President of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), but quit the party in 2012. Mundine was appointed chairman of the Coalition government's Indig ...

would be the Liberal Party's candidate for the seat in the 2019 election, after Mundine joined the party the same day. Mundine, and former Liberal party member Grant Schultz, who ran as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

, were defeated by the ALP's

Fiona Phillips Fiona Phillips (born 1 January 1961) is an English journalist, broadcaster and television presenter. She is best known for her presenting roles with the ITV Breakfast programme ''GMTV Today''. Early life Phillips was born in Canterbury Hospit ...

. She retained the seat at the 2022 election by 379 votes.

Boundaries

Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the

Australian Electoral Commission The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is the independent federal agency in charge of organising, conducting and supervising federal Australian elections, by-elections and referendums. Responsibilities The AEC's main responsibility is to ...

. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned. The division is located in the

Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses ...

and the southern

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

regions. It covers the entirety of the

Kiama Kiama () is a coastal town 120 kilometres south of Sydney in the Illawarra. One of the main tourist attractions is the Kiama Blowhole. Kiama features several popular surfing beaches and caravan parks, and numerous alfresco cafes and restaurants ...

and

local government areas and the northern parts of the

Eurobodalla Eurobodalla Shire is a local government area located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located in a largely mountainous coastal region and situated adjacent to the ''Tasman Sea'', the Princes Highway and t ...

. The most northerly part of the electorate is

Minnamurra Minnamurra is a suburb in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Municipality of Kiama. It has a station (opened 1891) on City Rail South Coast line. The Minnamurra River flows into the ocean at Minnamurra. There is a sa ...

and the southerly Point is just south of

Moruya Moruya is a town located on the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Moruya River. The Princes Highway runs through the town that is about south of Sydney and from Canberra. At the , Moruya had a population of 4 ...

. The western boundary includes much of the, Budawang and

Morton National Park The Morton National Park is a national park located in the Southern Highlands, South Coast and Illawarra regions of New South Wales, Australia, situated approximately south southwest of Sydney. Location and features The most notable attractio ...

s. Towns and suburbs includes

Batemans Bay Batemans Bay is a town on the South Coast region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Batemans Bay is administered by the Eurobodalla Shire council. The town is situated on the shores of an estuary formed where the Clyde River meets th ...

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

Bomaderry Bomaderry (locally known as "Bommo") is a town in the Shoalhaven council district area of New South Wales, Australia. At the , it had a population of 8,718 people. It is on the north shore of the Shoalhaven River, across the river from Nowra, the ...

, Callala Bay,

Culburra Beach Culburra Beach, commonly referred to as Culburra, is a town located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located within the Shoalhaven local government area, the town is east-southeast of Nowra on Jerrinja Wandi Wandian Abo ...

Gerringong Gerringong () is a town located about ten minutes drive south of Kiama, and about twenty minutes north of Nowra in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia in the Municipality of Kiama. At the , Gerringong had a population of 3,966. O ...

Kangaroo Valley Kangaroo Valley is a river valley along the Kangaroo River in the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Australia, located west of the seaside in the City of Shoalhaven. It is also the name of the small suburb within it, formerly known as Osbo ...

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

Nowra Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney (about as the crow flies). As of the 2021 census, Nowra has an estimated population of 22,584. Situated in th ...

Sussex Inlet Sussex Inlet is a town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The town lies on the west bank of the waterway called Sussex Inlet, which divides New South Wales from the Jervis Bay Territory. The town lies within the City of Sh ...

Ulladulla Ulladulla is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven local government area. It is on the Princes Highway about south of Sydney, halfway between Batemans Bay to the south and Nowra to the north. Ulladulla has cl ...

, Moruya and

Greenwell Point Greenwell Point is a town in the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Australia. It is about 13 km east of Nowra on the South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropoli ...

Members

Election results

References

External links

Division of Gilmore - Australian Electoral Commission
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmore, Division of Electoral divisions of Australia Constituencies established in 1984 1984 establishments in Australia South Coast (New South Wales)