Created 1984 Electors 108,276 (2016) Founded 1984 Member of parliament Ted O'Brien Namesake Ruth Fairfax | MP Ted O'Brien Demographic Rural Area 1,036 km² Elector 108,276 | |
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Party Liberal National Party of Queensland | ||
The Division of Fairfax is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1984 and is named after Ruth Fairfax, founder of the Country Women's Association. It is located in the Sunshine Coast region north of Brisbane and includes the towns of Coolum, Maroochydore, Buderim, Nambour, Montville, Kenilworth and Eumundi.
The Sunshine Coast is traditionally a conservative area, and as such Fairfax has always been held by a centre-right party. Originally a safe seat for the National Party, demographic change has made it equally safe for the Liberal Party. It came to national attention in the 2013 federal election, when Clive Palmer, the founder of the Palmer United Party, narrowly won it by 53 votes. Palmer did not run for reelection, and it was widely expected that it would revert to the merged Liberal National Party; the Coalition has never won less than 57 percent of the two-party vote in a "traditional" two-party matchup with Labor. As expected, Palmer's 2013 opponent, Ted O'Brien, won it resoundingly.