Division of Corangamite

The Division of Corangamite (Template:IPAc-en) is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. It is named for Lake Corangamite, although the lake no longer falls within the division's boundaries.

The division was redrawn in 2021 and 2024, becoming a much smaller seat due to increased population growth. It now covers Template:Convert (down from Template:Convert) along the Victorian coast, including an eastern part of the growing surf coast area and the southern suburbs of Geelong. Starting at Template:VICcity in the east, the electorate takes in the entire Bellarine Peninsula, then runs down the surf coast as far as Template:VICcity.<ref name="profile"/>

Since the 2019 federal election, the current Member for Corangamite is Libby Coker, a member of the Australian Labor Party.

Geography

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>

When the division was proclaimed in 1900, it covered roughly what is now City of Warrnambool, Moyne Shire, Corangamite Shire, Colac Otway Shire and Surf Coast Shire. It included the areas of Lake Corangamite, Warrnambool, Port Campbell, Apollo Bay, Camperdown, Colac and Winchelsea. Over time, its boundaries have changed massively in redistributions, and at some point in time, it had extended northwards up to Maryborough and Stawell and eastwards to Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula and Queenscliff.<ref name=boundaries>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1984, the division had shrunk to exclude Port Campbell and Camperdown, but still covered majority of the future Colac Otway and Surf Coast shires, some areas in Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula, and Lake Corangamite itself. It then covered similar areas until the 2021 redistribution.<ref name=boundaries/> In that redistribution, the seat was shrunk even further towards Geelong, losing its western half (including Lake Corangamite) to the adjacent seat of Wannon and the north to Ballarat.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2024, it was proposed that the seat be shrunk further towards Geelong and lose its western half to Corio and Wannon. Only a small portion of Surf Coast Shire including Torquay, Bellbrae and Jan Juc would remain included in the seat.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This was eventually formalised in October that year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Between the 2010 and 2024 redistributions, the seat had shrunk from Template:Convert to Template:Convert, an approximately 92% decrease.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="profile">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

File:View from Red Rock Victoria.jpg

Lake Corangamite (in the background), the division's namesake

Until the 1930s it was usually a marginal seat which leaned toward the conservative parties, but was won by the Australian Labor Party during high-tide elections. In 1918, it was the first seat won by what would become the Country Party.

It was held by the Liberals (and their immediate predecessor, the United Australia Party) without interruption from 1934 to 2007. A reasonably safe seat for most of the time from the 1950s to the 1990s, it became increasingly less safe from 1998 onward as successive redistributions pushed it further into Geelong. This resulted in the seat falling to Darren Cheeseman, the Labor candidate, by less than one percent at the 2007 federal election for the first time since 1929. Cheeseman was only the third Labor member ever to win the seat. Labor retained the seat in 2010 election against former journalist Sarah Henderson, making Cheeseman the first Labor MP to win re-election in the seat. Henderson sought a rematch in 2013, and won.

Henderson retained her seat in 2016 but a redistribution completed prior to the 2019 election pushed the seat further into Geelong. This resulted in the seat becoming notionally Labor, albeit with a very narrow margin. As Henderson failed to gain a swing towards her at the election, she lost the seat to the Labor candidate, Libby Coker. Coker's win in 2019 was historically significant, as it marked the first time that the non-Labor parties had been in government without holding Corangamite.

In 2018, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) published its report on the proposed redistribution of Victoria's federal divisions. The report proposed renaming Corangamite to Cox, after swimming instructor May Cox. Incumbent MP Sarah Henderson said the new name "has already prompted some ridicule on social media", due to "Cox" being a homophone of "cocks".<ref name="coxproposal">Template:Cite news</ref> In the commission's final determination, the decision was made to retain the name of Corangamite.<ref name="nochange">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2021, the AEC again proposed to rename Corangamite, this time to Tucker after Aboriginal activist Margaret Tucker, however in the final determination, the renaming proposal was also abandoned over concerns that the name would be vandalised as "Fucker".<ref name="tucker">Template:Cite news</ref>

In July 2021, City of Greater Geelong Mayor and Bellarine Ward Councillor Stephanie Asher was preselected as the Liberal candidate for Corangamite. <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, Coker won a second term with 57 percent of the two-party vote, a swing of six percent. This was the strongest showing for Labor in the seat’s history.

Prominent members of the seat have included James Scullin, who later became the Prime Minister of Australia in 1929-32; Fraser government Minister Tony Street and longtime Liberal backbencher Stewart McArthur.<ref name=green>Template:Cite news</ref>

Members

Image		Member	Party	Term	Notes
Template:Australian party style|	File:Chester Manifold.jpg	Chester Manifold Template:Small	Protectionist	29 March 1901 – 23 November 1903	Retired
Template:Australian party style|	File:Gratton Wilson.jpg	John Gratton Wilson Template:Small	Free Trade	16 December 1903 – 1906	Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Villiers and Heytesbury. Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|			Anti-Socialist	1906 – 26 May 1909
Template:Australian party style|			Liberal	26 May 1909 – 13 April 1910
Template:Australian party style|	File:JamesScullin1910.png	James Scullin Template:Small	Labor	13 April 1910 – 31 May 1913	Lost seat. Later elected to the Division of Yarra in 1922
Template:Australian party style|	File:Chester Manifold.jpg	Chester Manifold Template:Small	Liberal	31 May 1913 – 17 February 1917	Died in office
Template:Australian party style|			Nationalist	17 February 1917 – 30 October 1918
Template:Australian party style|	File:William Gibson - Talma & Co (cropped).jpg	William Gibson Template:Small	Victorian Farmers' Union	14 December 1918 – 22 January 1920	Served as minister under Bruce. Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|			Country	22 January 1920 – 12 October 1929
Template:Australian party style|	File:RCrouch.JPG	Richard Crouch Template:Small	Labor	12 October 1929 – 19 December 1931	Previously held the Division of Corio. Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:William Gerrand Gibson.jpg	William Gibson Template:Small	Country	19 December 1931 – 7 August 1934	Transferred to the Senate
Template:Australian party style|	File:Geoffrey Street.jpg	Geoffrey Street Template:Small	United Australia	15 September 1934 – 13 August 1940	Served as minister under Lyons, Page and Menzies. Died in office. Son is Tony Street
Template:Australian party style|	File:Allan McDonald.jpg	Allan McDonald Template:Small		21 September 1940 – 21 February 1945	Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Polwarth. Served as minister under Menzies and Fadden. Died in office
Template:Australian party style|			Liberal	21 February 1945 – 10 June 1953
Template:Australian party style|	File:DanMackinnon1964.jpg	Dan Mackinnon Template:Small		29 August 1953 – 31 October 1966	Previously held the Division of Wannon. Retired
Template:Australian party style|	File:Tony Street 1974 (cropped).jpg	Tony Street Template:Small		26 November 1966 – 18 January 1984	Served as minister under Fraser. Resigned to retire from politics. Father was Geoffrey Street
Template:Australian party style|	File:Liberal Placeholder.png	Stewart McArthur Template:Small		18 February 1984 – 24 November 2007	Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:Darren Cheeseman.jpg	Darren Cheeseman Template:Small	Labor	24 November 2007 – 7 September 2013	Lost seat. Later elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of South Barwon in 2018
Template:Australian party style|	File:Senator sarah henderson 2019.jpg	Sarah Henderson Template:Small	Liberal	7 September 2013 – 18 May 2019	Lost seat. Later appointed to the Senate in 2019
Template:Australian party style|	File:Libby Coker 2022.jpg	Libby Coker Template:Small	Labor	18 May 2019 – present	Incumbent

Election results

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External links

• Division of Corangamite - Australian Electoral Commission
• https://web.archive.org/web/20101007120814/http://vtr.aec.gov.au/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-15508-207.htm