Electoral district of Mackay

Mackay Queensland—Legislative Assembly
Mackay (2008—)
State	Queensland
MP	Julieanne Gilbert
Party	Labor
Namesake	Mackay
Electors	29,674 (2015)
Area	63 km^2 (24.3 sq mi)
Coordinates	21°7′S 149°13′E / 21.117°S 149.217°ECoordinates: 21°7′S 149°13′E / 21.117°S 149.217°E

Mackay is a Legislative Assembly of Queensland electoral district in North Queensland, Australia, encompassing the inner suburbs of the city of Mackay. Outer suburbs of the city are included in the neighbouring electorates of Mirani and Whitsunday.

Mackay has been held by the Australian Labor Party for all but five years since 1915, when it was won by William Forgan Smith, who served as Premier of Queensland from 1932 to 1942. He retired undefeated in 1942 and was replaced by long-serving backbencher Fred Graham. Graham retired in 1969, and was succeeded by Ed Casey. Casey went to lose Labor preselection in 1972, but recontested and won as an independent, and did so again in 1975 before being readmitted to the party in 1977. He subsequently served as Labor leader from 1978 to 1982, and later as a minister in the Goss Labor government. He was succeeded upon his retirement by Tim Mulherin, who was comfortably elected six more times, winning with more than 60% of the vote in 2006.

For the better part of a century, Mackay was a safe Labor seat, remaining in Labor hands even at the height of Joh Bjelke-Petersen's popularity. Aside from Casey's stint as an independent, the only time Labor's grip on the seat was seriously threatened before 2012 was in 1986, when Casey was reduced to 53 percent of the two-party vote. At the 2012 election it became the most marginal ALP seat with Mulherin winning 50.5% of the two-party preferred vote. Mulherin was elected deputy leader of what remained of Labor; it was reduced to only seven seats.

Mulherin retired in 2012, and the seat reverted to its traditional status as a safe Labor seat, with Julieanne Gilbert retaining the seat for Labor on a swing of 12 percent.

Members for Mackay

First incarnation (1878–1888, 1 member)
Member		Party	Term
	Francis Amhurst	Unaligned	1878–1881
	Maurice Hume Black	Unaligned	1881–1888
Second incarnation (1888–1912, 2 members)
Member		Party	Term
	Maurice Hume Black	Unaligned	1888–1893
	David Dalrymple	Ministerialist	1888–1904
	James Chataway	Ministerialist	1893–1901
	Walter Paget	Ministerialist/Opposition	1901–1912
	Albert Fudge	Labor	1904–1907
	Edward Swayne	Opposition	1907–1912
Third incarnation (1912–present, 1 member)
Member		Party	Term
	Walter Paget	Ministerialist/Opposition	1912–1915
	William Forgan Smith	Labor	1915–1942
	Fred Graham	Labor	1943–1969
	Ed Casey	Labor	1969–1972
		Independent	1972–1977
		Labor	1977–1995
	Tim Mulherin	Labor	1995–2015
	Julieanne Gilbert	Labor	2015–present

Election results

Queensland state election, 2015: Mackay^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labor	Julieanne Gilbert	11,346	43.83	+5.25
	Liberal National	Deon Attard	6,680	25.80	−11.14
	Independent	Julie Boyd	5,720	22.10	+22.10
	Greens	Jonathon Dykyj	1,285	4.96	−0.58
	Family First	Lindsay Temple	857	3.31	+3.31
Total formal votes			25,888	97.54	−0.26
Informal votes			653	2.46	+0.26
Turnout			26,541	89.44	−0.31
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Julieanne Gilbert	13,542	62.39	+11.86
	Liberal National	Deon Attard	8,162	37.61	−11.86
	Labor hold		Swing	+11.86

References

1. 2015 State General Election - Mackay - District Summary, ECQ.

External links

• Electorate Profile (Antony Green, ABC)