Division of Casey

Casey Australian House of Representatives Division
Division of Casey in Victoria, as of the 2016 federal election.
Created	1969
MP	Tony Smith
Party	Liberal
Namesake	Richard Casey
Electors	102,908 (2016)
Area	2,337 km2 (902.3 sq mi)
Demographic	Outer Metropolitan

The Division of Casey is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. The division was created in 1969 and is named for Richard Casey, who was Governor-General of Australia 1965–69.

The division is located in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne and extends into the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. It covers an area of approximately 2,337 square kilometres (902 sq mi). Major suburbs and towns include Chirnside Park, Coldstream, Dixons Creek, Don Valley, Gladysdale, Gruyere, Healesville, Hoddles Creek, Kallista, Kalorama, Kilsyth, Kilsyth South, Launching Place, Lilydale, Millgrove, Monbulk, Mooroolbark, Mount Evelyn, Powelltown, Reefton, Seville, Seville East, Silvan, Wandin, Wandin East, Warburton, Wesburn, Woori Yallock, Yarra Glen, Yarra Junction and Yellingbo, and parts of Bayswater North, Croydon, Croydon South and Montrose.

The current Member for Casey, since the 2001 federal election, is Tony Smith, a member of the Liberal Party of Australia. Smith has been Speaker of the House since 2015; he is, after Bob Halverson, the second member for this electorate to occupy the chair.

History

When it was created it was a highly marginal seat, and at the 1972 federal election it was regarded as the "litmus seat", which the Australian Labor Party had to win to gain government. Lost when the Liberals won in 1975, Labor picked it up again when Labor regained government in 1983. However, a redistribution ahead of the following year's election made Casey marginally Liberal. The Liberals retook the seat in that election and have held it since then. Demographic changes have also contributed in making Casey a fairly safe seat for the Liberal Party, although a redistribution ahead of the 2013 federal election pushed the seat further north into the upper Yarra Valley, estimated to halve the Liberal two-party preferred majority of 4.2 per cent.

Prominent members to have represented Casey include Bob Halverson, who was Speaker of the House of Representatives 1996–98; Michael Wooldridge, who served as Minister for Health in the first five years of the Howard government (1996–2001); and the present MP Tony Smith, Speaker since 2015.

Members

Member		Party	Term
	Peter Howson	Liberal	1969–1972
	Race Mathews	Labor	1972–1975
	Peter Falconer	Liberal	1975–1983
	Peter Steedman	Labor	1983–1984
	Bob Halverson	Liberal	1984–1998
	Michael Wooldridge	Liberal	1998–2001
	Tony Smith	Liberal	2001–present

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Casey

Australian federal election, 2016: Casey

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Tony Smith	45,680	49.53	+0.35
	Labor	Hovig Melkonian	26,165	28.37	+0.52
	Greens	Elissa Sutherland	10,781	11.69	+0.80
	Animal Justice	Kristin Bacon	4,176	4.53	+4.53
	Independent	Peter Charleton	2,878	3.12	+3.12
	Rise Up Australia	Angela Dorian	2,551	2.77	+2.27
Total formal votes			92,231	96.22	+0.84
Informal votes			3,620	3.78	−0.84
Turnout			95,851	93.14	−1.81
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Tony Smith	51,703	56.06	−1.11
	Labor	Hovig Melkonian	40,528	43.94	+1.11
	Liberal hold		Swing	−1.11

External links

• Division of Casey - Australian Electoral Commission