Created 1955 Electors 72,519 (2016) Founded 1955 Elector 72,519 | Demographic Rural Member of parliament Justine Keay Namesake Edward Braddon | |
 | ||
Area 20,826 km (8,041.0 sq mi) | ||
The Division of Braddon is an Australian electoral division in the state of Tasmania. The division was created at the Tasmanian redistribution of 30 August 1955, essentially as a reconfigured version of the Division of Darwin. It is named for Sir Edward Braddon, a Premier of Tasmania and one of Tasmania's five original federal members of parliament.
Braddon is a rural electorate covering approximately 20,826 square kilometres (8,041 sq mi) in the north-western and west of Tasmania and includes King Island. The cities of Burnie and Devonport are major population centres in the division. Other towns include Currie, Latrobe, Penguin, Queenstown, Rosebery, Smithton, Somerset, Stanley, Strahan, Ulverstone, Waratah, Wynyard and Zeehan.
The current Member for the Division of Braddon, since the 2016 federal election, is Justine Keay, a member of the Australian Labor Party.
History
Following the election of the Whitlam government and the period following the Franklin Dam controversy, Braddon became a relatively safe seat for the Liberal Party. In more recent years, the division has usually been a marginal seat, changing hands between the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party. Its most prominent member was Ray Groom. Groom was later to represent Denison in the Tasmanian Parliament 1986–2001 and served as Tasmanian Premier 1992–96.