Division of Wills

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Wills
Australian House of Representatives Division
State or territory: Victoria
Created: 1949
MP: Kelvin Thomson
Party: Labor
Namesake: William Wills
Electors: 96,185
Area: 57 km² (22.0 sq mi)
Demographic: Inner Metropolitan

The Division of Wills is an Australian electoral division (electorate) of Victoria. It is currently held by the Australian Labor Party's Kelvin Thomson.

The electorate encompasses many of the suburbs in the City of Moreland in Melbourne's north, including Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner, Glenroy, and Essendon Airport. It was named after William John Wills of Burke and Wills fame.

One of Labor's safest seats with a 20 per cent swing required for the Liberals to win, Wills has been always been held by the ALP except between the 1992 by-election and 1996, when it was held by independent Phil Cleary. Its highest-profile member was former Prime Minister Bob Hawke.

The 1992 by-election is remarkable for a number of reasons: It was caused by Bob Hawke's retirement from parliament; it had twenty-two candidates standing; it was won by an independent; the results were thrown out as the winner, Phil Cleary, was on unpaid leave from the state education system (the Australian Constitution forbids people employed by the Crown from standing for election). No replacement by-election was held as the court decision which threw out the results was made shortly before a general election was due.

[edit] Members

Member Party Term
  William Bryson Labor 1949—1955
  Labor (Anti-Communist) 1955—1955
  Gordon Bryant Labor 1955—1980
  Bob Hawke Labor 1980—1992
  Phil Cleary Independent 1992—1996
  Kelvin Thomson Labor 1996—present

[edit] Election results

Australian federal election, 2007: Wills
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Kelvin Thomson 49,050 56.89 +3.07
Liberal Claude Tomisich 21,166 24.55 -4.15
Greens David Collis 11,912 13.82 +0.82
Democrats Edward Clarke 2,005 2.33 +0.91
Family First Ihab Kelada 1,233 1.43 -0.12
Socialist Alliance Zane Alcorn 624 0.72 -0.34
Citizens Electoral Council Craig Isherwood 227 0.26 -0.19
Total formal votes 86,217 95.67 +1.17
Informal votes 3,902 4.33 -1.17
Turnout 90,119 93.69 +0.70
Two Candidate Preferred Result
Labor Kelvin Thomson 62,432 72.41 +5.51
Liberal Claude Tomisich 23,785 27.59 -5.51
Labor hold Swing -3.67
Australian federal election, 2004: Wills
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Kelvin Thomson 44,158 53.82 -2.22
Liberal Blair Hamilton 23,549 28.70 +3.23
Greens Toby Archer 10,663 13.00 +4.72
Family First Deborah Suraci 1,275 1.55 +1.55
Democrats Robert Stone 1,163 1.42 -4.81
Socialist Alliance David Glanz 867 1.06 +1.06
Citizens Electoral Council Noelene W Isherwood 373 0.45 -1.04
Total formal votes 82,048 94.50 -0.15
Informal votes 4,772 5.50 +0.15
Turnout 86,820 92.99 -0.80
Two Candidate Preferred Result
Labor Kelvin Thomson 54,893 66.90 -3.67
Liberal Blair Hamilton 27,155 33.10 +3.67
Labor hold Swing -3.67
v • d • e
Electoral Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives in Victoria

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Abolished: Balaclava · Bourke · Burke (1949-55) · Burke (1969-2004) · Corinella (1901-06) · Corinella (1990-96) · Darebin · Diamond Valley · Echuca · Fawkner · Grampians · Henty · Higinbotham · Hoddle · Isaacs (1949-69) · Laanecoorie · Mernda · Moira · Northern Melbourne · Scullin (1955-69) · Southern Melbourne · Streeton · Wimmera · Yarra
Divisions in: New South Wales · Victoria · Queensland · Western Australia · South Australia · Tasmania · Australian Capital and Northern Territories
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