Division of Cowan

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Cowan
Australian House of Representatives Division

Cowan, shown within Perth
State or territory: Western Australia
Created: 1984
MP: Luke Simpkins
Party: Liberal
Namesake: Edith Cowan
Electors: 93,407
Area: 195 km² (75.3 sq mi)
Demographic: Outer Metropolitan

The Division of Cowan is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. The division was created in 1984 and is named for Edith Cowan, the first woman elected to an Australian Parliament. It is located in the northern suburbs of Perth, including the suburbs of Girrawheen, Greenwood, Kingsley,Landsdale, Woodvale and Marangaroo. It is a marginal seat, changing hands between the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party. At the 2007 election, the retirement of popular Labor sitting member Graham Edwards and the scandal surrounding former Western Australian Labor Premier Brian Burke has made Cowan a key seat. It was contested by Luke Simpkins (LIB) and Liz Prime (ALP), with the result going to Simpkins by a narrow margin.

[edit] Members

Member Party Term
  Carolyn Jakobsen Labor 1984—1993
  Richard Evans Liberal 1993—1998
  Graham Edwards Labor 1998—2007
  Luke Simpkins Liberal 2007—present

[edit] Election results

Australian federal election, 2007: Cowan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Luke Simpkins 38,872 45.81 +1.42
Labor Liz Prime 35,633 41.99 -1.88
Greens Johannes Herrmann 4,778 5.63 +0.04
Christian Democrats Martin Firth 1,584 1.87 -0.58
Family First Rhonda Hamersley 1,452 1.71 +1.71
Liberty and Democracy Ken Lee 1,003 1.18 +1.18
One Nation Dave Tierney 783 0.92 -1.09
Independent Norm Ramsay 558 0.66 +0.66
Citizens Electoral Council Roger Blakeway 195 0.23 -0.14
Total formal votes 84,858 95.84 +0.85
Informal votes 3,679 4.16 -0.85
Turnout 88.537 94.79 +0.62
Two Candidate Preferred Result
Liberal Luke Simpkins 43,883 51.71 +2.49
Labor Liz Prime 40,975 48.29 -2.49
Liberal gain from Labor Swing -2.49
Australian federal election, 2004: Cowan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Luke Simpkins 33,905 44.39 +8.27
Labor Graham Edwards 33,510 43.87 -3.88
Greens Glen George 4,272 5.59 +1.53
Christian Democrats Richard Leeder 1,873 2.45 +0.91
One Nation Clem Winton 1,538 2.01 -3.67
Democrats Sarah Gilfillan 1,002 1.31 -2.97
Citizens Electoral Council Basil Atkins 282 0.37 +0.37
Total formal votes 76,382 94.99 -0.34
Informal votes 4,032 5.01 +0.34
Turnout 80,414 94.17 -1.55
Two Candidate Preferred Result
Labor Graham Edwards 38,784 50.78 -4.73
Liberal Luke Simpkins 37,498 49.22 +4.73
Labor hold Swing -4.73
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Electoral Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives in Western Australia

Brand · Canning · Cowan · Curtin · Forrest · Fremantle · Hasluck · Kalgoorlie · Moore · O'Connor · Pearce · Perth · Stirling · Swan · Tangney

Abolished: Coolgardie · Dampier
Divisions in: New South Wales · Victoria · Queensland · Western Australia · South Australia · Tasmania · Australian Capital and Northern Territories