Bourke was an
electoral district
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
of the
Legislative Assembly in the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n state of
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 ...
from 1880 to 1904, including the towns of
Bourke and
Cobar
Cobar is a town in central western New South Wales, Australia whose economy is based mainly upon base metals and gold mining. The town is by road northwest of the state capital, Sydney. It is at the crossroads of the Kidman Way and Barrier Hig ...
. It elected two members simultaneously between 1882 and 1889 increasing to three members until 1894, with each elector being able to vote for as many candidates as there were vacancies.
History
Bourke was created in 1880, one of 23 new districts, established under the ''Electoral Act'' 1880 (NSW)
[.] which was the first major redistribution since 1858.
The district was formed from parts of
The Bogan,
Balranald
Balranald is a town within the local government area of Balranald Shire, in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia.
The town of Balranald is located where the Sturt Highway crosses the Murrumbidgee River in a remote, semi-desert ...
and included the major towns of Bourke and Cobar. It included the
pastoral district of
Warrego as well as parts of the pastoral districts of
Bligh,
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
and
Albert
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
.
It did not include any part of the
Bourke County which was in
The Murrumbidgee. Bourke was a key agricultural trading hub, owing to its position as a port on the
Darling River
The Darling River ( Paakantyi: ''Baaka'' or ''Barka'') is the third-longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its conflu
ence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its longes ...
, while Cobar's economy was centered around copper mining.
At its establishment in 1880 Bourke had the largest number of enrolled voters per seat with 3,478 voters returning a single member,
compared with the state average of 1,549 for a country seat and 2,361 for an urban one,
The ''Electoral Act'' 1880
provided that a district would return a second member if the electoral roll reached 3,000, a third member upon reaching 5,000 and a fourth member on reaching 8,000.
Bourke returned a second member from the
1882 election, and a third member from the
1889 election.
When multi-member constituencies were abolished in 1894, Bourke was reduced in size and parts were given to the new districts of
Cobar
Cobar is a town in central western New South Wales, Australia whose economy is based mainly upon base metals and gold mining. The town is by road northwest of the state capital, Sydney. It is at the crossroads of the Kidman Way and Barrier Hig ...
and
The Barwon.
The district was abolished in 1904 as a result of the
1903 New South Wales referendum
A referendum concerning the reduction of the members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was put to voters on 16 December 1903, in conjunction with the 1903 federal election. The referendum was conducted on the basis of optional preferen ...
, which reduced the number of members of the Legislative Assembly from 125 to 90.
Bourke was absorbed by the new district of
The Darling, along with parts of
The Barwon and
Wilcannia
Wilcannia is a small town located within the Central Darling Shire in north western New South Wales, Australia. Located on the Darling River, the town was the third largest inland port in the country during the river boat era of the mid-19th ce ...
.
Members for Bourke
Election results
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourke
Former electoral districts of New South Wales
Constituencies established in 1880
Constituencies disestablished in 1904
1880 establishments in Australia
1904 disestablishments in Australia