Electoral district of Wagga Wagga explained

Wagga Wagga
State:nsw
Lifespan:1894–1904
1913–1920
1927–present
Mp:Joe McGirr
Namesake:Wagga Wagga
Electors:55688
Electors Year:2019
Area:12108.11
Class:Provincial and rural
Near-N:Cootamundra
Near-Ne:Goulburn
Near-E:Australian Capital Territory
Near-Se:Monaro
Near-S:Albury
Near-Sw:Albury
Near-W:Albury
Near-Nw:Cootamundra

Wagga Wagga is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. The district has been held by MP Joe McGirr since the September 2018 by-election.

Wagga Wagga is a regional electorate. It entirely covers two local government areas: the City of Wagga Wagga and Lockhart Shire. It also covers part of the Snowy Valleys Council, which was established following the merger of Tumut Shire and Tumbarumba Shire.[1]

History

Wagga Wagga was created in 1894. In 1920, Wagga Wagga, Albury and Corowa was absorbed into Murray and elected three members under proportional representation. When proportional representation was replaced by single-member electorates in 1927, Wagga Wagga was recreated, with Matthew Kilpatrick, the Country Party candidate, winning the October election. According to the Wagga Daily Advertiser, it was a decisive vote against the continuance of the Labor government led by Jack Lang.[2]

Labor regained the seat in its 1941 landslide, holding it until the Liberals took it back in 1957. It remained safely Liberal for most of the last half-century, despite being located in the midst of an area considered Country/ National heartland. This tradition was broken in 2018, when longtime Liberal member Daryl Maguire was forced out of politics due to a corruption scandal. At the ensuring by-election, the Liberal primary vote almost halved, allowing independent Joe McGirr to take the seat on 59.6 percent of the two-candidate vote. Although Labor was knocked down to third place on the primary vote, the swing against the Liberals was large enough to make Wagga Wagga a notional Labor seat in a "traditional" two-party matchup with the Liberals.

McGirr retained the seat with an increased majority at the 2019 state election, with the Liberals standing down in favour of the Nationals. Unlike the preceding by-election, the National candidate won the notional "traditional" two-party matchup with Labor.

Members for Wagga Wagga

First incarnation (1894–1904)
MemberPartyTerm
 James Gormly[3] 1894–1901
 1901–1904
Second incarnation (1913–1920)
MemberPartyTerm
 Walter Boston[4] 1913–1917
 George Beeby[5] 1917–1920
Third incarnation (1927–present)
MemberPartyTerm
 Matthew Kilpatrick[6] 1927–1941
 Eddie Graham[7] 1941–1957
 Wal Fife[8] 1957–1975
 Joe Schipp[9] 1975–1999
 Daryl Maguire[10] 1999–2018
 Joe McGirr[11] 2018–present

Election results

See main article: Electoral results for the district of Wagga Wagga.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wagga Wagga . . 23 November 2019.
  2. News: Kilpatrick Wins Easily. 10 October 1927. Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga, NSW). 6 February 2015.
  3. Mr James Gormly (1836-1922) . 703 . Yes . 8 June 2019.
  4. Mr Walter James Boston (1874–1968) . 1261 . Yes . 7 May 2019.
  5. Sir George Stephenson Beeby (1869–1942) . 1209 . Yes . 1 May 2019.
  6. Mr Matthew Kilpatrick (1875–1949) . 1287 . Yes . 16 June 2019.
  7. The Hon. Edgar Hugh Graham (1897-1957) . 1587 . Yes . 30 April 2019.
  8. The Hon. Wallace Clyde Fife (1929–2017) . 1890 . Yes . 1 May 2019.
  9. The Hon. Joseph John Schipp (1932-2017) . Yes . 5 May 2019 . 1908.
  10. Mr Daryl William Maguire (1959 -) . 12 . Yes . 2 April 2019.
  11. Dr (Joe) Joseph Gregory McGirr MP . 2237 . 28 October 2019.