Created 1984 Electors 109,370 (2016) Founded 1984 | Demographic Outer Metropolitan Area 175 km² Elector 109,370 | |
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The Division of Calwell is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. The division was created in 1984 and is named for Arthur Calwell, who was Minister for Immigration 1945–1949 and Leader of the Australian Labor Party 1960–1967.
Contents
The division is located in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne. It covers an area of approximately 175 square kilometres (68 sq mi) from Craigieburn in the north to Keilor Park in the south and from Calder Park in the west to Somerton in the east. Localities include Attwood, Broadmeadows, Calder Park, Campbellfield, Coolaroo, Dallas, Gladstone Park, Greenvale, Jacana, Keilor, Keilor Downs, Keilor North, Meadow Heights, Melbourne Airport, Roxburgh Park, Somerton, Sydenham, Taylors Lakes and Westmeadows and part of Craigieburn.
The current Member for Calwell, since the 2001 federal election, is Maria Vamvakinou, a member of the Australian Labor Party.
History
Calwell has been a safe Labor seat since it was first contested. The seat's first MP elected in 1984 was Andrew Theophanous. After failing to retain Labor preselection due to issues of criminality, Theophanous unsuccessfully contested the 2001 election as an Independent, polling 9.6% of the vote.
At the 2011 Census, Calwell had the nation's most stable population, with only 25.6% of residents having moved in the last five years. The electorate had the nation's third highest proportion of Catholics (38.5%) and the third highest proportion of residents of Islamic faith (16.8%), the highest in Victoria.
Election results
Notes
1 The Liberal candidate John Hsu resigned from the party's ticket in June 2016. However, due to the AEC's nomination deadlines, Mr Hsu's name still appeared under the Liberal Party ticket on the ballot paper.