Division of Dickson

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox Australian Electorate The Division of Dickson is an Australian electoral division in Queensland. The incumbent MP is Ali France. A member of the Labor Party, she defeated incumbent MP and Liberal Party Leader Peter Dutton in the 2025 federal election.

Dickson includes the suburbs of Kurwongbah, Petrie, Strathpine, Bunya, Arana Hills, Albany Creek, Eatons Hill, Samford, Samford Valley, Dayboro, McDowall, Ferny Hills, Everton Hills and Murrumba Downs. The electorate also includes Lake Samsonvale and Lake Kurwongbah and covers 724 square kilometres.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

File:James Robert Dickson.jpg

Sir James Dickson, the division's namesake

The division was formed in 1992 and is named after Sir James Dickson, a leading advocate in Australian Federation, Premier of Queensland and Minister for Defence in the first Australian ministry.

1993 election

There was an unusual circumstance at the 1993 election. The seat had been carved out of most of the Brisbane portion of the Sunshine Coast-based seat of Fisher, making it a natural choice for that seat's Labor MP, Michael Lavarch, to transfer ahead of the 1993 election.

However, one of the candidates, an independent, died very shortly before the election, making it necessary to hold a standalone supplementary election on 17 April (the rest of the country had already voted on 13 March). Following Labor's reelection, the Prime Minister Paul Keating announced the makeup of the Second Keating ministry to be sworn in on 24 March, but kept the portfolio of Attorney-General open for Lavarch subject to him winning Dickson on 17 April. He won the seat, and was appointed to the ministry on 27 April.

2025 election

Peter Dutton lost the seat at the 2025 federal election to three-time challenger Ali France, who previously contested the seat at the 2019 and 2022 elections.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Dutton lost over seven percent of his primary vote from 2022 and was defeated on a swing of 7.7 percent after all preferences were distributed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Dickson, Qld, 2025 Tally Room, Australian Electoral Commission.</ref> He is the first federal party leader to lose his own seat since John Howard lost his electorate of Bennelong at the 2007 federal election, and the first sitting opposition leader since Federation to lose his own seat in parliament.

Boundaries

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 is located in the outer north-western suburbs of Brisbane. The 2006 redistribution added the Shire of Esk to and removed part of Kallangur from the seat. It has historically been a marginal seat, changing hands between the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party.

Members

Image		Member	Party	Term	Notes
Template:Australian party style|	File:Labor Placeholder.png	Michael Lavarch Template:Small	Labor	17 April 1993 – 2 March 1996	Previously held the Division of Fisher. Served as minister under Paul Keating. Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:Liberal Placeholder.png	Tony Smith Template:Small	Liberal	2 March 1996 – 26 May 1998	Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|			Independent	26 May 1998 – 3 October 1998
Template:Australian party style|	File:Labor Placeholder.png	Cheryl Kernot Template:Small	Labor	3 October 1998 – 10 November 2001	Previously a member of the Senate. Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:Peter Dutton 2021.jpg	Peter Dutton Template:Small	Liberal	10 November 2001 – 3 May 2025	Served as minister under Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison. Served as Opposition Leader from 2022 to 2025. Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:Ali France.png	Ali France Template:Small	Labor	3 May 2025 – present	Incumbent

Election results

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External links

• Division of Dickson (Qld) — Australian Electoral Commission