State New South Wales Member of parliament Michael Johnsen | MP Michael Johnsen | |
Dates current 1856–1894
1904–1920
1927–present Area 27,687.50 km (10,690.2 sq mi) Party National Party of Australia | ||
Upper Hunter is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Michael Johnsen of the Nationals.
Upper Hunter covers the entirety of Dungog Shire, Muswellbrook Shire, Upper Hunter Shire, Liverpool Plains Shire (excluding the area around Werris Creek), the northern half of Singleton Shire (including Singleton itself), northeastern Mid-Western Regional Council (including Bylong) and part of Mid-Coast Council.
History
In 1859, Upper Hunter replaced the Electoral district of Phillip, Brisbane and Bligh, established in the first Parliament in 1856. It had two members from 1880 to 1894. It was abolished in 1894 and largely replaced by Robertson and Singleton. In 1904 Robertson was abolished and Upper Hunter was recreated. It was abolished from 1920 with the introduction of proportional representation, but was recreated in 1927.
Upper Hunter is one of three electorates to have never been held by the Australian Labor Party and always by the conservative side of politics since the abolition of proportional representation in 1927, the other two being Tamworth and Oxley. The Nationals has held it without interruption since 1931.