Division of Riverina

Not to be confused with Division of Riverina-Darling.

The Division of Riverina (/rɪvəriːnə/)^[1] is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.

Riverina Australian House of Representatives Division
From the 2016 federal election to 2025 From the 2025 federal election Interactive map of electorate boundaries
Dates current	1901–1984, 1993–present
MP	Michael McCormack
Party	Nationals
Namesake	Riverina
Electors	128,630 (2025)
Area	52,410 km2 (20,235.6 sq mi)
Demographic	Rural
Electorates around Riverina: Parkes Calare Whitlam Eden-Monaro Farrer Riverina ACT Farrer Vic Eden-Monaro

It is located in southwest New South Wales and includes the city of Wagga Wagga.

Geography

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]

The division is located in southwest New South Wales, generally in the Murrumbidgee River valley. Part of its eastern border from the border with the Australian Capital Territory. It includes the local government areas of Wagga Wagga, Lockhart Shire, Snowy Valleys, Cootamundra–Gundagai, Junee Shire, Coolamon Shire, Temora Shire, Hilltops, Weddin Shire, Cowra Shire, Upper Lachlan Shire and Yass Valley. It includes the city of Wagga Wagga, as well as the towns of Cowra, Junee, Cootamundra, Temora, West Wyalong, Young, Tumut, Gundagai and Yass. The division covers a primarily agricultural, rural area with many small towns. Parts of the Hume Highway, the Sturt Highway, the Newell Highway, the Olympic Highway, the Mid-Western Highway and the Snowy Mountains Highway run through the division.

History

The region of Riverina, the division's namesake

The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election, although it was abolished between 1984 and 1993, so has not been contested at every federal election. The division was named after the Riverina region in which it is located, though its modern borders do not correspond exactly with the Riverina region.

The seats first incarnation tilted toward the Nationals' predecessor, the Country Party, for much of its history, but it was occasionally taken by Labor during high-tide elections. Between 1969 and 1974, when it included the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, now in Farrer, it was held by Al Grassby, Minister for Immigration in the Whitlam government. It was fairly marginal for most of the 1970s and early 1980s, when it included the strongly pro-Labor mining towns of Broken Hill and Cobar which are now in Parkes. In the 1984 redistribution, the division was abolished and replaced by Riverina-Darling.

Since its re-creation in 1993, it has been a safe Nationals seat. Prior to the 2024 redistribution, it included Parkes, Forbes and West Wyalong. Since the 2024 redistribution, it has included Tumut, Yass, Tumbarumba and Crookwell.

The current Member for Riverina, since the 2010 federal election, is Michael McCormack, former Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the National Party of Australia from 2018 to 2021.

Members

First incarnation (1901–1984)

Image		Member	Party	Term	Notes
		John Chanter (1845–1931)	Protectionist	29 March 1901 – 16 December 1903	Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Deniliquin. Lost seat
		Robert Blackwood (1861–1940)	Free Trade	16 December 1903 – 13 April 1904	1903 election results declared void. Lost seat in subsequent by-election
		John Chanter (1845–1931)	Protectionist	18 May 1904 – 26 May 1909	Lost seat
			Labor	26 May 1909 – 31 May 1913
		Franc Falkiner (1867–1929)	Liberal	31 May 1913 – 5 September 1914	Lost seat. Later elected to the Division of Hume in 1917
		John Chanter (1845–1931)	Labor	5 September 1914 – 14 November 1916	Lost seat
			National Labor	14 November 1916 – 17 February 1917
			Nationalist	17 February 1917 – 16 December 1922
		William Killen (1860–1939)	Country	16 December 1922 – 27 November 1931	Retired
		Horace Nock (1879–1958)		19 December 1931 – 21 September 1940	Lost seat
		Joe Langtry (1880–1951)	Labor	21 September 1940 – 10 December 1949	Lost seat
		Hugh Roberton (1900–1987)	Country	10 December 1949 – 21 January 1965	Served as minister under Menzies. Resigned to become Australian Ambassador to Ireland
		Bill Armstrong (1909–1982)		27 February 1965 – 25 October 1969	Lost seat
		Al Grassby (1926–2005)	Labor	25 October 1969 – 18 May 1974	Served as minister under Whitlam. Lost seat
		John Sullivan (1929–)	Country	18 May 1974 – 2 May 1975	Lost seat. Later elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Sturt in 1981
			National Country	2 May 1975 – 10 December 1977
		John FitzPatrick (1915–1997)	Labor	10 December 1977 – 19 September 1980	Previously held the Division of Darling. Retired
		Noel Hicks (1940–)	National Country	18 October 1980 – 16 October 1982	Transferred to the Division of Riverina-Darling after Riverina was abolished in 1984
			Nationals	16 October 1982 – 1 December 1984

Second incarnation (1993–present)

Image		Member	Party	Term	Notes
		Noel Hicks (1940–)	Nationals	13 March 1993 – 31 August 1998	Previously held the Division of Riverina-Darling. Retired
		Kay Hull (1954–)		3 October 1998 – 19 July 2010	Retired
		Michael McCormack (1964–)		21 August 2010 – present	Served as minister and Deputy Prime Minister under Turnbull and Morrison. Incumbent

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the Division of Riverina

2025 Australian federal election: Riverina^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Michael McCormack	42,678	40.32	+5.93
	Labor	Mark Jeffreson	19,506	18.43	−6.50
	One Nation	Mark Craig	10,427	9.85	+2.50
	Independent	Jenny Rolfe	6,909	6.53	+6.53
	Independent	James Gooden	5,080	4.80	+4.80
	Greens	Pheonix Valxori	4,767	4.50	−2.24
	Shooters, Fishers, Farmers	Desiree Gregory	4,217	3.98	−0.09
	Libertarian	Christine Onley	2,338	2.21	−3.53
	Citizens	Richard Foley	2,233	2.11	+2.11
	Family First	Mark Burge	2,151	2.03	+2.03
	Independent	Grant Hardwick	1,861	1.76	+1.76
	Independent	Barbara Baikie	1,858	1.76	+1.76
	Independent	Jake Davis	1,812	1.71	+1.71
Total formal votes			105,837	88.73	−4.21
Informal votes			13,442	11.27	+4.21
Turnout			119,279	92.73	+1.04
Two-party-preferred result
	National	Michael McCormack	66,277	62.62	+2.91
	Labor	Mark Jeffreson	39,560	37.38	−2.91
	National hold		Swing	+2.91

This section is an excerpt from 2025 Australian federal election in New South Wales § Riverina.[edit]

Results are not final. Last updated on 2 June 2025 at 2:45 PM AEST.