Created 1906 Electors 108,942 (2016) Area 66 km² | Demographic Inner Metropolitan Founded 1906 Elector 108,942 | |
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The Division of Batman is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. The division was created in 1906, replacing the Division of Northern Melbourne. It takes its name from John Batman, one of the founders of the city of Melbourne.
The current Member for Batman, since the 2013 federal election, is David Feeney, a member of the Australian Labor Party.
Batman has historically been the safest Labor seat in the nation, but came narrowly within being lost to the Australian Greens at the 2016 federal election after having been overtaken by them on the primary vote.
The division is located in Melbourne's northern suburbs. It covers an area of approximately 66 square kilometres (25 sq mi) from Thomastown/Bundoora in the north to Clifton Hill in the south, with Merri Creek providing the vast majority of the western boundary and Darebin Creek, parts of Macleod and Plenty Road in Bundoora providing the eastern boundary. The suburbs of Alphington, Clifton Hill, Fairfield, Kingsbury, Northcote, Preston, Reservoir, and Thornbury; and parts of Bundoora, Coburg North, Macleod, and Thomastown are in this division.
History
When it was created it covered the inner suburbs of Carlton and Fitzroy, but successive boundary changes have moved it steadily northwards. Today it includes Northcote, Preston, Reservoir and Thornbury.
Located in Labor's traditional heartland of north Melbourne, Batman has been in Labor hands for all but two terms since 1910, and without interruption since 1969. It has been held by senior Labor figures since 1977. It was held by Brian Howe from 1977 to 1996, a senior minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, and also Deputy Prime Minister 1991–95. Howe was succeeded at the 1996 election by Martin Ferguson, moving to Parliament after six years as President of the ACTU. Ferguson served as a senior Labor frontbencher, and a minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments, before resigning from the ministry in March 2013 after the failed challenge to Gillard's leadership. He was succeeded at the 2013 election by former Senator David Feeney, who had been a parliamentary secretary in the Rudd and Gillard governments.
Batman is currently the safest two-party seat for Labor in the nation with a 21 percent two-party margin. However, with the Greens finishing second, their two-candidate margin is 10.6 percent.
The top 10 Greens lower house primary votes at the last election were: Melbourne (Vic) 42.6%, Batman (Vic) 26.4%, Grayndler (NSW) 23.0%, Wills (Vic) 22.2%, Melbourne Ports (Vic) 20.2%, Richmond (NSW) 17.7%, Sydney (NSW) 17.3%, Higgins (Vic) 16.8%, Gellibrand (Vic) 16.7% and Kooyong (Vic) 16.6%.