A little bit about Newcastle
The seat of Newcastle has changed somewhat over time.
The electorate is now 47 square kilometres roughly the area east of Brunker Rd, Royal Rd, Lambton Rd, Edith St, Hanbury St, Vine St and Tourle St. The electorate has a predicted number of voters of just over 48,000.
From 1859 until 1894, Newcastle was a multi-member district. Newcastle East and West were combined to create the seat of Newcastle in 1904 when the Legislative Assembly was cut from 125 to 90 seats.
Serving as a multi-member regional seat during the proportional representation period 1920-27, Newcastle has been held by the Labor Party for 77 of the 80 years since it reverted to single member status.
The one term out of Labor hands was 1988-91, when real estate agent and head of the business chamber, George Keegan, won the seat in the electoral backlash that defeated the Unsworth government. Newcastle was one of four traditional Labor strongholds won by Independents in 1988, and it was Labor's success in winning all four seats back in 1991 that brought Bob Carr surprisingly close to winning the election.
Historical Pattern
1859 – 1860 Arthur HODGSON Independent
1860 – 1869 James HANNELL Independent
1869 – 1877 George Alfred LLOYD Independent
1877 – 1880 Richard Ryther Steer BOWKER Independent
1880 – 1882 George Alfred LLOYD Independent
1880 – 1891 James FLETCHER Independent
1885 – 1887 George Alfred LLOYD Independent
1882 – 1885 James Cole ELLIS Independent
1887 – 1889 James Cole ELLIS Independent
1889 – 1891 Alexander BROWN Progressive
1889 – 1891 James CURLEY Independent
1889 – 1894 William GRAHAME Independent
1891 – 1894 John Lionel FEGAN Australian Labor Party
1891 – 1894 David SCOTT Protectionist
1904 – 1907 William Thomas DICK Liberal Party
1907 – 1910 Owen GILBERT Liberal Party
1910 – 1922 Arthur Rowland GARDINER Australian Labor Party
1920 – 1921 William KEARSLEY Australian Labor Party
1920 – 1922 John ESTELL Australian Labor Party
1920 – 1922 John Lionel FEGAN National Party
1920 – 1925 Hugh John CONNELL Australian Labor Party
1921 – 1927 David MURRAY Australian Labor Party
1922 – 1925 Magnus CROMARTY -
1922 – 1927 John Marcus BADDELEY Australian Labor Party
1922 – 1927 Walter Peden Joyce SKELTON Independent
1925 – 1927 George BOOTH Australian Labor Party
1927 – 1935 Peter CONNOLLY Australian Labor Party
1935 – 1968 Francis Harold HAWKINS Australian Labor Party
1968 – 1988 (William) Arthur WADE Australian Labor Party
1988 – 1991 Ernest George KEEGAN Independent
1991 – 2007 Bryce James GAUDRY Australian Labor Party
Information from the NSW Electoral Commission and the ABC's Antony Green.
