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Division of Corangamite
Australian federal electoral division From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Division of Corangamite (/kəræŋɡəmaɪt/) is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. It is named for Lake Corangamite, although the lake no longer falls within the division's boundaries.
The division was redrawn in 2021 and 2024, becoming a much smaller seat due to increased population growth. It now covers 640 square kilometres (250 sq mi) (down from 5,441 square kilometres (2,101 sq mi)) along the Victorian coast, including an eastern part of the growing surf coast area and the southern suburbs of Geelong. Starting at Queenscliff in the east, the electorate takes in the entire Bellarine Peninsula, then runs down the surf coast as far as Bells Beach.[1]
Since the 2019 federal election, the current Member for Corangamite is Libby Coker, a member of the Australian Labor Party.
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Geography
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Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.[2]
When the division was proclaimed in 1900, it covered roughly what is now City of Warrnambool, Moyne Shire, Corangamite Shire, Colac Otway Shire and Surf Coast Shire. It included the areas of Lake Corangamite, Warrnambool, Port Campbell, Apollo Bay, Camperdown, Colac and Winchelsea. Over time, its boundaries have changed massively in redistributions, and at some point in time, it had extended northwards up to Maryborough and Stawell and eastwards to Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula and Queenscliff.[3]
In 1984, the division had shrunk to exclude Port Campbell and Camperdown, but still covered majority of the future Colac Otway and Surf Coast shires, some areas in Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula, and Lake Corangamite itself. It then covered similar areas until the 2021 redistribution.[3] In that redistribution, the seat was shrunk even further towards Geelong, losing its western half (including Lake Corangamite) to the adjacent seat of Wannon and the north to Ballarat.[4] In 2024, it was proposed that the seat be shrunk further towards Geelong and lose its western half to Corio and Wannon. Only a small portion of Surf Coast Shire including Torquay, Bellbrae and Jan Juc would remain included in the seat.[5] This was eventually formalised in October that year.[6]
Between the 2010 and 2024 redistributions, the seat had shrunk from 7,624 km2 (2,944 sq mi) to 640 km2 (250 sq mi), an approximately 92% decrease.[7][1]
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History
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Until the 1930s it was usually a marginal seat which leaned toward the conservative parties, but was won by the Australian Labor Party during high-tide elections. In 1918, it was the first seat won by what would become the Country Party.
It was held by the Liberals (and their immediate predecessor, the United Australia Party) without interruption from 1934 to 2007. A reasonably safe seat for most of the time from the 1950s to the 1990s, it became increasingly less safe from 1998 onward as successive redistributions pushed it further into Geelong. This resulted in the seat falling to Darren Cheeseman, the Labor candidate, by less than one percent at the 2007 federal election for the first time since 1929. Cheeseman was only the third Labor member ever to win the seat. Labor retained the seat in 2010 election against former journalist Sarah Henderson, making Cheeseman the first Labor MP to win re-election in the seat. Henderson sought a rematch in 2013, and won.
Henderson retained her seat in 2016 but a redistribution completed prior to the 2019 election pushed the seat further into Geelong. This resulted in the seat becoming notionally Labor, albeit with a very narrow margin. As Henderson failed to gain a swing towards her at the election, she lost the seat to the Labor candidate, Libby Coker. Coker's win in 2019 was historically significant, as it marked the first time that the non-Labor parties had been in government without holding Corangamite.
In 2018, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) published its report on the proposed redistribution of Victoria's federal divisions. The report proposed renaming Corangamite to Cox, after swimming instructor May Cox. Incumbent MP Sarah Henderson said the new name "has already prompted some ridicule on social media", due to "Cox" being a homophone of "cocks".[8] In the commission's final determination, the decision was made to retain the name of Corangamite.[9] In 2021, the AEC again proposed to rename Corangamite, this time to Tucker after Aboriginal activist Margaret Tucker, however in the final determination, the renaming proposal was also abandoned over concerns that the name would be vandalised as "Fucker".[10]
In July 2021, City of Greater Geelong Mayor and Bellarine Ward Councillor Stephanie Asher was preselected as the Liberal candidate for Corangamite. [11] However, Coker won a second term with 57 percent of the two-party vote, a swing of six percent. This was the strongest showing for Labor in the seat’s history.
Prominent members of the seat have included James Scullin, who later became the Prime Minister of Australia in 1929-32; Fraser government Minister Tony Street and longtime Liberal backbencher Stewart McArthur.[12]
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