South West Region (Western Australia)

The South West Region is a multi-member electoral region of the Western Australian Legislative Council the South West, Peel and part of the Great Southern regions of the state. It was created by the Acts Amendment (Electoral Reform) Act 1987, and became effective on 22 May 1989 with seven members who had been elected at the 1989 state election three months earlier. At the 2008 election, it was reduced to six members. The region includes the cities of Albany, Bunbury and Mandurah.

South West Region
Western AustraliaLegislative Council
Location of South West Region in
StateWestern Australia
Created1989
MP
Party
  •   Labor (2)
  •   Liberal (1)
  •   Independent (3)
Electors242,983 (2021)
Area38,592 km2 (14,900.5 sq mi)
DemographicRegional

Legislation to abolish the region, along with all other Western Australian Electoral Regions was passed in November 2021, with the 2025 state election to use a single state-wide electorate of 37 members.[1]

Geography

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The Region is made up of several complete Legislative Assembly districts, which change at each distribution.

Redistribution Period Electoral districts Electors % of state electors Area
29 April 1988[2] 22 May 1989 – 22 May 1997

Albany, Bunbury, Collie, Mandurah, Mitchell, Murray, Stirling, Vasse, Warren, Wellington (10)

99,510 10.94% 43,659 km2 (16,857 sq mi)
28 November 1994[3] 22 May 1997 – 22 May 2005

Albany, Bunbury, Collie, Dawesville, Mandurah, Mitchell, Murray-Wellington, Stirling, Vasse, Warren-Blackwood (10)

121,408 11.74% 43,659 km2 (16,857 sq mi)
4 August 2003[4] 22 May 2005 – 22 May 2009

Albany, Bunbury, Capel, Collie-Wellington, Dawesville, Leschenault, Mandurah, Murray, Stirling, Vasse, Warren-Blackwood (11)

152,494 12.55% 37,493 km2 (14,476 sq mi)
29 October 2007[5] 22 May 2009 – 22 May 2017

Albany, Blackwood-Stirling, Bunbury, Collie-Preston, Dawesville, Mandurah, Murray-Wellington, Vasse (8)

167,871 13.33% 41,008 km2 (15,833 sq mi)
27 November 2015[6] 22 May 2017 – 22 May 2021

Albany, Bunbury, Collie-Preston, Dawesville, Mandurah, Murray-Wellington, Vasse, Warren-Blackwood (8)

226,051 14.19% 45,079 km2 (17,405 sq mi)
27 November 2019[7] 22 May 2021 – 22 May 2025

As per 2015

242,983 14.15% 38,592 km2 (14,900 sq mi)

Representation

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Distribution of seats

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As 7-member seat:

Election Seats won
1989–1993              
1993–1997              
1997–2001              
2001–2005              
2005–2009              

As 6-member seat:

Election Seats won
2009–2013            
2013–2017            
2017–2021            
2021–2025            

Legend:

  Labor
  Liberal
  National
  Greens WA
  One Nation
  Legalise Cannabis

Members

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Since its creation, the electorate has had 17 members. Four of these members had previously been members of the Legislative Council—Beryl Jones (Lower West Province), Bill Stretch (Lower Central Province), Doug Wenn and Barry House (both South West Province).

Members for South West Region
Year Member Party Member Party Member Party Member Party Member Party Member Party Member Party
1989 Beryl Jones Labor Bob Thomas Labor Doug Wenn Labor Bill Stretch Liberal Muriel Patterson Liberal Barry House Liberal Murray Montgomery Nationals
1993 John Cowdell Labor
1996 Chrissy Sharp Greens
2001 Adele Farina Labor Robyn McSweeney Liberal Paddy Embry One Nation
2003 New Country
2005 Sally Talbot Labor Matt Benson-Lidholm Labor Nigel Hallett Liberal Paul Llewellyn Greens
2008 Colin Holt Nationals
2013
2016 Shooters, Fishers, Farmers
2017 Diane Evers Greens Steve Thomas Liberal Colin Tincknell One Nation
2021 Alannah MacTiernan Labor Jackie Jarvis Labor Sophia Moermond Legalise Cannabis James Hayward Nationals
2021 Independent
2023a Ben Dawkins Independent Labor
2023b Independent Louise Kingston Nationals
2024a Independent
2024b Independent

Election results

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2021 Western Australian state election: South West[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Quota 29,300
Labor 1. Sally Talbot (elected 1)
2. Alannah MacTiernan (elected 3)
3. Jackie Jarvis (elected 4)
4. John Mondy
5. Ben Dawkins
6. Kylie Fitzgerald
114,713 55.93 +19.49
Liberal 1. Steve Thomas (elected 2)
2. Greg Stocks
3. Anita Shortland
4. Hayden Burbidge
37,736 18.40 −4.28
National 1. James Hayward (elected 6)
2. Louise Kingston
3. Rod Pfeiffer
12,254 5.97 −6.06
Greens 1. Diane Evers
2. Donald Clarke
3. Jodie Moffat
12,220 5.96 −1.62
Shooters, Fishers, Farmers 1. Rick Mazza
2. Russell McCarthy
3. Ray Hull
5,178 2.52 −1.59
Legalise Cannabis 1. Sophia Moermond (elected 5)
2. Nicola Johnson
4,531 2.21 +2.21
One Nation 1. Colin Tincknell
2. Paul Howard
3. Michael Pelle
3,841 1.87 −8.76
Christians 1. Laurence Van der Plas
2. Joan Albany
3,782 1.84 +0.15
No Mandatory Vaccination 1. Keith Bunton
2. Elisabeth Bluntschli
2,504 1.22 +1.22
Liberal Democrats 1. Eli Bernstein
2. David Fishlock
2,014 0.98 +0.03
Western Australia 1. Terri Sharp
2. Joanne Munro
1,420 0.69 +0.55
Sustainable Australia 1. Daniel Minson
2. Heather Scott
904 0.44 +0.44
WAxit 1. Chas Hopkins
2. Malcolm Gilmour
810 0.39 +0.20
Animal Justice 1. Vicki Bailey
2. Sarah Gould
798 0.39 −0.40
Health Australia 1. Justin Zwartkruis
2. Hayley Green
493 0.24 +0.24
Great Australian 1. Nick Robinson
2. Andy Gleeson
461 0.22 +0.22
Liberals for Climate 1. Mark Bentley
2. Pieter Lottering
410 0.20 −0.23
Daylight Saving 1. Garry Spiers
2. Lizabeth Taylor
283 0.14 −0.22
Independent 1. Yasmin Bartlett
2. Karen Perttula
242 0.12 +0.12
Independent Dave Schumacher 170 0.08 +0.08
Independent 1. George Seth
2. Noel Avery
145 0.07 +0.07
Independent 1. John Banks
2. Phillip Spencer
101 0.05 +0.05
Independent Bob Burdett 89 0.04 +0.04
Total formal votes 205,099 97.92 +0.83
Informal votes 4,357 2.08 −0.83
Turnout 209,456 86.20 −1.00

References

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  1. ^ "'Devastating for regional communities': WA government uses majority to overhaul state's electoral laws". ABC News. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Electoral Districts Act 1947-1985 - Order in Council". Western Australia Government Gazette. 29 April 1988. p. 1988:1339-1527.
  3. ^ "Electoral Distributions Act 1947 - Division of the State into Six Electoral Regions and 57 Electoral Districts by the Electoral Distribution Commissioners". Western Australia Government Gazette. 28 November 1994. p. 1994:6135-6327.
  4. ^ "Electoral Distributions Act 1947 - Division of the State into Electoral Regions and Districts by the Electoral Distribution Commissioners". Western Australia Government Gazette. 4 August 2003. p. 2003:3475-3566.
  5. ^ Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC) (29 October 2007). "South West Region Profile". Retrieved 22 October 2008.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC) (27 November 2015). "South West Region". Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  7. ^ "2019 Review of Western Australia's Electoral Boundaries" (PDF). Electoral Boundaries WA. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  8. ^ "2021 State General Election Results: South West Region". Western Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 April 2021.