Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox Australian Electorate

The Division of Barton is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.

HistoryEdit

The division was created in 1922 and is named for Sir Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia. For much of its history, Barton has been a marginal seat, held by the Australian Labor Party for most of the time after 1940, but won by the Liberals (or their predecessors) at "high-tide" elections.

Barton's most prominent member has been Dr H. V. Evatt, who was Leader of the Labor Party between 1951 and 1960. After seeing his majority more than halved in 1949, and nearly being defeated in 1951 and 1955, he transferred to the safe seat of Hunter in 1958. A former minister in the Hawke and Keating ministries, Gary Punch, held the seat for Labor between 1983 and 1996. Robert McClelland, Attorney-General in the Rudd and Gillard governments, held the seat for Labor between 1996 and 2013.

Nickolas Varvaris won the seat for the Liberals at the 2013 federal election, achieving a swing of 7.2 percent to finish with a two-party-preferred vote of just 50.3 percent, which made Barton the Coalition government's most marginal seat,<ref>2013 federal election results: AEC</ref> but was defeated in 2016 by Labor’s former state deputy opposition leader Linda Burney,<ref>Barton - 2016 federal election: Antony Green ABC</ref> who held it unto her retirement at the 2025 election, when it was won by Ash Ambihaipahar, also Labor.

The Division of Barton is linked to one of the more unusual episodes in Australian politics. The first member for Barton, Labor's Frederick McDonald, disappeared after his 1925 defeat by Nationalist Thomas Ley, and it is now believed that Ley had him murdered.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After being found guilty of an unrelated murder in England in 1947, Ley was declared insane<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and died in Broadmoor Asylum four months later.

BoundariesEdit

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The division has always been based in the inner southern suburbs of Sydney, and currently includes the suburbs of Allawah, Arncliffe, Banksia, Bardwell Park, Bardwell Valley, Bexley, Bexley North, Carlton, Clemton Park, Earlwood, Kingsgrove, Kogarah, Kogarah Bay, Rockdale, Turrella, Undercliffe, and Wolli Creek; as well as parts of Belmore, Beverly Hills, Campsie, Canterbury, Hurstville, Ramsgate, Roselands and Penshurst.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

DemographicsEdit

2021 Australian census<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Ancestry
Response Barton NSW Australia
Chinese 19.0% 7.2% 5.5%
Australian 12.5% 29.8% 33.0%
Greek 9.6% 1.8% 1.7%
Lebanese 6.1% 2.2% 1.0%
Country of birth
Response Barton NSW Australia
Australia 45.8% 65.4% 66.9%
China 9.7% 3.1% 2.2%
Nepal 4.7% 0.8% 0.5%
Greece 3.0% 0.4% 0.4%
Lebanon 2.4% 0.8% 0.3%
Philippines 2.0% 1.3% 1.2%
Religious affiliation
Response Barton NSW Australia
No religion 28.9% 32.8% 38.4%
Catholicism 19.5% 22.4% 20.0%
Eastern Orthodoxy 12.8% 2.5% 2.1%
Islam 8.2% 4.3% 3.2%
Language spoken at home
English 37.1% 67.6% 72.0%
Mandarin 9.2% 3.4% 2.7%
Greek 7.3% 1.0% 0.9%
Arabic 6.8% 2.8% 1.4%
Cantonese 6.0% 1.8% 1.2%
Nepali 4.7% 0.8% 0.5%

MembersEdit

Image Member Party Term Notes
Template:Australian party style File:Frederick McDonald.jpg Frederick McDonald
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Labor 16 December 1922
14 November 1925
Lost seat
Template:Australian party style File:Thomas Ley.jpg Thomas Ley
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Nationalist 14 November 1925
17 November 1928
Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of St George. Lost seat
Template:Australian party style File:James Tully.jpg James Tully
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Labor 17 November 1928
19 December 1931
Lost seat
Template:Australian party style File:Albert Lane.jpg Albert Lane
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United Australia 19 December 1931
21 September 1940
Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Balmain. Lost seat
Template:Australian party style File:Herbert V. Evatt.jpg Dr. H.V. Evatt
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Labor 21 September 1940
22 November 1958
Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Balmain. Served as minister under Curtin, Forde and Chifley. Served as deputy prime minister under Chifley. under Served as Opposition Leader from 1951 to 1960. Transferred to the Division of Hunter
Template:Australian party style File:LenReynolds1963.jpg Len Reynolds
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22 November 1958
26 November 1966
Lost seat
Template:Australian party style File:BillArthur1967.jpg Bill Arthur
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Liberal 26 November 1966
25 October 1969
Lost seat
Template:Australian party style File:LenReynolds1963.jpg Len Reynolds
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Labor 25 October 1969
11 November 1975
Retired
Template:Australian party style File:Liberal Placeholder.png Jim Bradfield
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Liberal 13 December 1975
5 March 1983
Lost seat
Template:Australian party style File:Second Keating Cabinet 1994 (cropped Punch).png Gary Punch
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Labor 5 March 1983
29 January 1996
Served as minister under Hawke and Keating. Retired
Template:Australian party style File:Robert McClelland 2011-02 (cropped).jpg Robert McClelland
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2 March 1996
5 August 2013
Served as minister under Rudd and Gillard. Retired
Template:Australian party style File:Liberal Placeholder.png Nickolas Varvaris
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Liberal 7 September 2013
2 July 2016
Lost seat
Template:Australian party style File:Linda Burney.jpg Linda Burney
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Labor 2 July 2016
28 March 2025
Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Canterbury. Served as minister under Albanese. Retired
Template:Australian party style File:Labor Placeholder.png Ash Ambihaipahar 3 May 2025
present
Incumbent

Election resultsEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

Template:Australian federal divisions of New South Wales

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