The Division of Burke was an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was named after

Robert O'Hara Burke Robert O'Hara Burke (6 May 1821c. 28 June 1861) was an Irish soldier and police officer who achieved fame as an Australian explorer. He was the leader of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition, which was the first expedition to cross Australi ...

, an explorer who led the Victorian expedition in 1860, the first to cross Australia from south to north. The division was created in 1969 and abolished in 2004. When it was first created in 1969, it was located in the outer northern and western suburbs of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, including Broadmeadows, Thomastown, Sunbury,

Sydenham Sydenham may refer to: Places Australia * Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Sydenham railway station, Sydney * Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne ** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne un ...

and Keilor, as well as rural areas north of Melbourne, including Donnybrook, Wallan and Heathcote Junction. The division replaced a significant portion of the

Division of Lalor The Division of Lalor ( ) is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian Electoral Division in the States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Located in the south-western suburbs of Mel ...

, and previously

Division of Corio The Division of Corio () is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in the states and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was ...

before 1949. Beginning from the 1977 redistribution, it gradually shifted west into other rural areas including

Bacchus Marsh Bacchus Marsh ( Wathawurrung: ''Pullerbopulloke'') is a town in Victoria, Australia, located approximately north-west of the state capital Melbourne, at a near equidistance to the major cities of Melbourne, Ballarat and Geelong. As of the ...

, Gisborne and Lancefield, away from the outer northern suburbs. In 1984 and 1988, the division was massively expanded to include Heathcote to the north, Castlemaine to the north-west, Daylesford and Ballan to the west, and Meredith to the south-west. Most of this expansion was undone in the 1989 redistribution. In that redistribution, it also lost areas in the northern suburbs, such as Greenvale and Somerton, to the Division of Calwell. From that same redistribution onwards, it began expanding south-easternly from Bacchus Marsh back into the outer wester suburbs of Melbourne, such as Melton, Deer Park and Caroline Springs. It expanded into Tarneit in 1994. When it was abolished at the 2004 federal election, the division was split among multiple divisions: * the Gisborne, Woodend and Lancefield areas were transferred to the

Division of McEwen The Division of McEwen is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian Electoral Division in the States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Classed as a rural seat, the electorate is loc ...

Kyneton Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of central Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. The town has three main streets: Mollison Street, Piper Street and High Street. Piper Street has ...

was transferred to the

Division of Bendigo The Division of Bendigo is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in the states and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was ...

* Sunbury was transferred to the Division of Calwell * Bacchus Marsh was transferred to the

Division of Ballarat The Division of Ballarat (spelt Ballaarat from 1901 until the 1977 election) is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in the states and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Vic ...

* Melton and Tarneit were transferred to the

* the Deer Park and Caroline Springs areas were transferred to the new Division of Gorton The division was held by the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

for its entire existence. However, a 1984 redistribution made it far less secure for Labor, and for the next two decades it was usually a marginal Labor seat. The last member for Burke, Brendan O'Connor, was elected for the new seat of

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England. It is to the southeast of Manchester city centre. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A ...

in 2004.

Members

Election results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke (1969-2004) 1969 establishments in Australia Constituencies established in 1969 2004 disestablishments in Australia Constituencies disestablished in 2004 Burke (1969-2004)

Members

Election results

See also

References