Division of Bowman

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Bowman
Australian House of Representatives Division
State or territory: Queensland
Created: 1949
MP: Andrew Laming
Party: Liberal
Namesake: David Bowman
Electors: 88,977
Area: 560 km² (216.2 sq mi)
Demographic: Outer Metropolitan

The Division of Bowman is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1949 and is named for David Bowman, an early leader of the Australian Labor Party, in Queensland. The seat is located in the eastern suburbs of Brisbane, and currently includes the suburbs of Capalaba, Cleveland, Redland Bay, Birkdale, Thorneside, Alexandra Hills, Thornlands, Mt Cotton, Cornubia, Ormiston, Wellington Point and Victoria Point. The division also incorporates various islands of Moreton Bay including Coochiemudlo the inhabited southern Bay Islands (Russell, Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb) as well as the big tourist destination of North Stradbroke.

Bowman is 573 km² in area and is defined as outer metropolitan. At the last election there were 86,262 enrolled voters. It is generally a residential electorate with some crops, poultry, various light industries and tourism.

Bowman has traditionally been a highly marginal seat, regularly changing hands between the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party. However, in the 2004 Federal Election, an energetic campaign by Dr Andrew Laming, and an electoral redistribution (due to the creation of the new Division of Bonner), saw Bowman returned to the Liberal Party by a significant margin (59.12% two party preferred) and the division was then considered by pollsters such as Antony Green to be a fairly safe Liberal seat.

In the 2007 Federal Election the electorate experienced a strong swing of 8.86% towards the Australian Labor Party. Incumbent Liberal MP Andrew Laming held the seat by 0.04%, or 64 votes. It is one of the most marginal seats in the country.

[edit] Members

Member Party Term
  Malcolm McColm Liberal 1949—1961
  Jack Comber Labor 1961—1963
  Wylie Gibbs Liberal 1963—1969
  Leonard Keogh Labor 1969—1975
  David Jull Liberal 1975—1983
  Leonard Keogh Labor 1983—1987
  Con Sciacca Labor 1987—1996
  Andrea West Liberal 1996—1998
  Con Sciacca Labor 1998—2004
  Andrew Laming Liberal 2004—present

[edit] Election results

Australian federal election, 2007: Bowman
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Andrew Laming 37,886 46.16 -4.27
Labor Jason Young 36,207 44.11 +8.37
Greens Brad Scott 4,475 5.45 +0.67
Family First Alan Lucas 2,405 2.93 -1.03
Democrats Paul Holland 676 0.82 -0.25
One Nation Dave Chidgey 433 0.53 +0.53
Total formal votes 82,082 96.62 +1.56
Informal votes 2,873 3.38 -1.56
Turnout 84,955 95.48 +0.89
Two Candidate Preferred Result
Liberal Andrew Laming 41,073 50.04 -8.86
Labor Jason Young 41,009 49.96 +8.86
Liberal hold Swing -8.86
Australian federal election, 2004: Bowman
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Andrew Laming 39,363 50.59 +3.19
Labor Donna Webster 27,631 35.51 -4.74
Greens Paula Nadas 3,729 4.79 +2.18
Family First Mal Cayley 3,126 4.02 +4.02
National Joe Ross 3,125 4.02 +4.02
Democrats Robert H Bromwich 835 1.07 -3.62
Total formal votes 77,809 95.04 +0.18
Informal votes 4,063 4.96 -0.18
Turnout 81,872 94.51 -0.04
Two Candidate Preferred Result
Liberal Andrew Laming 41,073 59.12 +6.06
Labor Donna Webster 31,805 40.88 -6.06
Liberal hold Swing +6.06
v • d • e
Electoral Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives in Queensland

Blair · Bonner · Bowman · Brisbane · Capricornia · Dawson · Dickson · Fadden · Fairfax · Fisher · Flynn · Forde · Griffith · Groom · Herbert · Hinkler · Kennedy · Leichhardt · Lilley · Longman · Maranoa · McPherson · Moncrieff · Moreton · Oxley · Petrie · Rankin · Ryan · Wide Bay

Abolished: Darling Downs · Oxley (1901-34)
Divisions in: New South Wales · Victoria · Queensland · Western Australia · South Australia · Tasmania · Australian Capital and Northern Territories