The Division of Parkes is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.
| Parkes Australian House of Representatives Division | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Division of Parkes in New South Wales, as of the 2016 federal election | |||||||||||||||
| Created | 1984 | ||||||||||||||
| MP | Mark Coulton | ||||||||||||||
| Party | Nationals | ||||||||||||||
| Namesake | Sir Henry Parkes | ||||||||||||||
| Electors | 109,133 (2022) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 393,413 km2 (151,897.6 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Demographic | Rural | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
History
The former Division of Parkes (1901–1969) was located in suburban Sydney, and was not related to this division, except in name.
The division is named after Sir Henry Parkes, seventh Premier of New South Wales and sometimes known as the 'Father of Federation'. The division was proclaimed at the redistribution of 11 October 1984, and was first contested at the 1984 federal election. The seat is currently a safe Nationals seat. It was substantially changed by the 2006 redistribution and is now considered by many observers as the successor to the abolished Division of Gwydir. As a result, the then member for Parkes, John Cobb, instead contested the Division of Calare. The current Member for Parkes, since the 2007 federal election, is Mark Coulton, a member of the National Party of Australia.[1]
According to the 2011 census, approximately 78 per cent of the population within the division identify as Christian,[2] more than any other electorate in Australia at that time.[3]
The 2015 redistribution resulted in Parkes expanded westwards to cover the state's Far West, including Broken Hill.[4] The seat previously lost this area to the Division of Farrer in the 2006 redistribution.[5]
Boundaries
Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. 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.[6]
The largest electorate in the state, it is located in the far north west of the state, adjoining the border with Queensland in the north and with South Australia in the west. Its largest population centre is Dubbo. It also includes the towns of Broken Hill, Dunedoo, Coonabarabran, Coonamble, Walgett, Narrabri, Moree, Warren, Nyngan, Cobar and Bourke. The division does not include the namesake town of Parkes, which is in the Division of Riverina.
Members
| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Michael Cobb (1945–) | Nationals | 1 December 1984 – 31 August 1998 | Retired | |
| | Tony Lawler (1961–) | 3 October 1998 – 8 October 2001 | Retired | ||
 | John Cobb (1950–) | 10 November 2001 – 24 November 2007 | Served as minister under Howard. Transferred to the Division of Calare | ||
 | Mark Coulton (1958–) | 24 November 2007 – present | Served as minister under Morrison. Incumbent |
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | Mark Coulton | 43,931 | 49.32 | −1.44 | |
| Labor | Jack Ayoub | 18,009 | 20.22 | −3.34 | |
| One Nation | Deborah Swinbourn | 6,662 | 7.48 | +7.48 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Peter Rothwell | 5,723 | 6.42 | −1.64 | |
| Indigenous-Aboriginal | Derek Hardman | 4,466 | 5.01 | +5.01 | |
| Greens | Trish Frail | 4,214 | 4.73 | +0.56 | |
| United Australia | Petrus Van Der Steen | 2,372 | 2.66 | −3.63 | |
| Independent | Stuart Howe | 2,191 | 2.46 | +2.46 | |
| Informed Medical Options | Benjamin Fox | 1,512 | 1.70 | +1.70 | |
| Total formal votes | 89,080 | 92.31 | −1.83 | ||
| Informal votes | 7,421 | 7.69 | +1.83 | ||
| Turnout | 96,501 | 88.53 | −2.60 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| National | Mark Coulton | 60,433 | 67.84 | +0.93 | |
| Labor | Jack Ayoub | 28,647 | 32.16 | −0.93 | |
| National hold | Swing | +0.93 | |||
- Liberal