Division of Franklin

Franklin Australian House of Representatives Division
Map Interactive map of boundaries
Created	1903
MP	Julie Collins
Party	Labor
Namesake	Sir John Franklin
Electors	80,331 (2022)
Area	10,009 km2 (3,864.5 sq mi)
Demographic	Outer metropolitan
State electorate(s)	Franklin

The Division of Franklin is an Australian electoral division in Tasmania.

The division is the southernmost in Australia, located in southern Tasmania around the state capital, Hobart. It is non-contiguous, with the two parts of the division separated by the Division of Clark, based around central Hobart. As at the 2016 election, slightly more than half its electors are located on the eastern shore of the River Derwent, incorporating the entire City of Clarence and the suburb of Old Beach from Brighton Council. The remaining electors in the division are drawn from the southern parts of the Kingborough Council, generally south of the Huon Highway and including Bruny Island, and the entire Huon Valley Council. The division also includes the southern parts of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and Macquarie Island, neither of which have permanent populations.

Geography[edit]

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.^[1]

History[edit]

The division was one of the five established when the former Division of Tasmania was redistributed on 2 October 1903 and is named for Sir John Franklin, the polar explorer who was Lt Governor of Van Diemen's Land 1843-46.

The Division of Franklin has always been a reasonably marginal seat, changing hands between the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party and its predecessors. However, after 14 years of representation by former Labor and independent member Harry Quick, the seat of Franklin was considered safe Labor with Franklin one of very few electorates to record a swing to Labor at the 2010 election. Franklin also has a strong history of voting for strong candidates rather than for a particular party.

In 2005, sitting Labor member Harry Quick announced that he would retire at the 2007 election. When Labor preselected union official Kevin Harkins as a replacement, Quick, seeing him as unsuitable, appeared to endorse the Liberal candidate, Vanessa Goodwin, which was partly responsible for his expulsion from the Labor party. Harkins was eventually dropped as a candidate, and the Labor Party state secretary Julie Collins was installed as the ALP candidate.

Collins won the seat of Franklin at the 2007 election despite Labor suffering a 3.11% swing against on two party preferred results and 5.03% swing against in general results. Liberal candidate Vanessa Goodwin recorded a swing towards the party while the Australian Greens a swing towards the party similar to that of the Liberals.

Members[edit]

	Image	Member	Party	Term	Notes
		William McWilliams (1856–1929)	Revenue Tariff	16 December 1903 – 1906	Previously held the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Ringarooma. Served as leader of the Country Party from 1920 to 1921. Lost seat
			Anti-Socialist	1906 – 26 May 1909
			Liberal	26 May 1909 – 17 February 1917
			Nationalist	17 February 1917 – 22 January 1920
			Country	22 January 1920 – 16 December 1922
		Alfred Seabrook (1867–1939)	Nationalist	16 December 1922 – 17 November 1928	Lost seat. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Franklin in 1931
		William McWilliams (1856–1929)	Independent	17 November 1928 – 22 October 1929	Died in office
		Charles Frost (1882–1964)	Labor	14 December 1929 – 19 December 1931	Lost seat
		Archibald Blacklow (1879–1965)	United Australia	19 December 1931 – 15 September 1934	Lost seat. Later elected to the Tasmanian Legislative Council in 1936
		Charles Frost (1882–1964)	Labor	15 September 1934 – 28 September 1946	Served as minister under Curtin, Forde and Chifley. Lost seat
		Bill Falkinder (1921–1993)	Liberal	28 September 1946 – 31 October 1966	Retired
		Thomas Pearsall (1920–2003)		26 November 1966 – 25 October 1969	Previously held the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Franklin. Lost seat
		Ray Sherry (1924–1989)	Labor	25 October 1969 – 13 December 1975	Lost seat. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Franklin in 1976
		Bruce Goodluck (1933–2016)	Liberal	13 December 1975 – 8 February 1993	Retired. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Franklin in 1996
		Harry Quick (1941–)	Labor	13 March 1993 – 20 August 2007	Retired
			Independent	20 August 2007 – 17 October 2007
		Julie Collins (1971–)	Labor	24 November 2007 – present	Served as minister under Gillard and Rudd. Incumbent. Currently a minister under Albanese

Election results[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Division of Franklin - Australian Electoral Commission

43°13′26″S 146°42′40″E / 43.224°S 146.711°E / -43.224; 146.711