Division of Curtin

The Division of Curtin is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. The division was created in 1949 and is named for John Curtin, who was Prime Minister of Australia 1941-45. Before 1949, much of this area was part of the Division of Fremantle, which Curtin represented for most of the time from 1928 to 1945. It is located in the wealthy beachside suburbs of Perth, including Claremont, Cottesloe, Mosman Park, Nedlands, Subiaco and Swanbourne.

It was created as a notional Labor seat. However, this area is naturally Liberal territory, and the Liberals won it resoundingly as part of their massive victory in the 1949 election, turning it into a safe Liberal seat in one stroke. It has been held comfortably by the Liberals ever since, although Allan Rocher won it in 1996 after losing his Liberal endorsement and held until the 1998 election, when current member Julie Bishop reclaimed it for the Liberals.

Its most prominent member has been Paul Hasluck, who was a senior Cabinet minister in the Menzies and Holt governments and then Governor-General of Australia after leaving politics. Other prominent members include Victor Garland, a minister in the McMahon and Fraser governments, and Julie Bishop, the current Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party (the first woman to hold this role) and a minister in the Howard, Abbott, and Turnbull governments. With a two-party preferred margin as of the 2016 election of 20.7%, it is currently the safest federal seat in Western Australia.