Editing Division of Cowper

{{short description|Australian federal electoral division}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2015}}
{{distinguish|Division of Cooper}}
{{Infobox Australian Electorate
| federal            = yes
| name               = Cowper
| image              = {{switcher
|{{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|from=Australian Federal Electorates/New South Wales (2016)/Cowper.map|zoom=8|frame-longitude=152.72|frame-latitude=-30.9|frame-height=300|frame-width=400|overlay-horizontal-alignment=right|overlay-vertical-alignment=bottom|overlay=[[File:Division of COWPER 2016.png|x100px]]
}}
|From the [[2016 Australian federal election|2016 federal election]] to 2025
|{{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|from=Australian Federal Electorates/New South Wales (2025)/Cowper.map|zoom=8|frame-longitude=152.72|frame-latitude=-30.9|frame-height=300|frame-width=400|overlay-horizontal-alignment=right|overlay-vertical-alignment=bottom|overlay=[[File:Division of Cowper 2025.svg|x100px]]
}}
|From the [[2025 Australian federal election|2025 federal election]]
|default=2
}}
| caption            = Interactive map of electorate boundaries
| created            = 1901
| mp                 = [[Pat Conaghan]]
| mp-party           = [[National Party of Australia|Nationals]]
| namesake           = [[Charles Cowper|Sir Charles Cowper]]
| electors           = 131719
| electors_year      = [[2025 Australian federal election|2025]]
| area               = 7271
| class              = Provincial
| near-n             = [[Division of Page|Page]]
| near-ne            = ''[[Pacific Ocean]]''
| near-nw            = [[Division of New England|New England]]
| near-e             = ''[[Pacific Ocean]]''
| near-w             = [[Division of New England|New England]]
| near-s             = [[Division of Lyne|Lyne]]
| near-se            = ''[[Pacific Ocean]]''
| near-sw            = [[Division of New England|New England]]
}}

The '''Division of Cowper''' is an [[Electorates of the Australian House of Representatives|Australian electoral division]] in the [[States and territories of Australia|state]] of [[New South Wales]]. It stretches along the coast comprising the cities of [[Port Macquarie]] and [[Coffs Harbour]].

Since 2019, its [[Australian House of Representatives|MP]] has been [[Pat Conaghan]] of the [[National Party of Australia|National 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>{{cite web |last1=Muller |first1=Damon |title=The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1718/Quick_Guides/FederalRedistributions |website=Parliament of Australia |access-date=19 April 2022 |date=14 November 2017}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Charlescowper.jpg|150px|thumb|left|[[Charles Cowper|Sir Charles Cowper]], the division's namesake]]
The division was created in 1900 and was one of the [[List of Australian electorates contested at every election|original 65 divisions]] contested at the [[1901 Australian federal election|first federal election]]. It is named after [[Charles Cowper|Sir Charles Cowper]], an early [[Premier of New South Wales]].<ref name="cowper">{{Citation|url=http://www.aec.gov.au/profiles/nsw/cowper.htm|title=Profile of the Electoral Division of Cowper|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref>

Except for one brief break, the seat has been held by the National Party (previously known as the Country Party) and its predecessors since 1919.<ref name = "cowper"/> Its most prominent member has been [[Earle Page|Sir Earle Page]], former leader of the Country Party and interim [[Prime Minister of Australia]] in 1939.  He represented Cowper from 1919 to 1961, longer than any other MP who represented one seat for his entire career. It has usually been a fairly safe National Party seat, and became more so when its more urbanised area (including Page's hometown of [[Grafton, New South Wales|Grafton]]) was shifted to the newly created [[Division of Page]] in 1984.

The division is located on the [[Mid North Coast|north coast]] of New South Wales, and on its current boundaries takes in the towns of [[Coffs Harbour]], [[Port Macquarie]], [[Kempsey, New South Wales|Kempsey]],  [[Macksville, New South Wales|Macksville]] and [[Nambucca Heads, New South Wales|Nambucca Heads]].

In February 2016, New South Wales federal electoral districts were redistributed. The northern parts of Cowper, from Sapphire Beach to Red Rock were shifted to the division of Page. Since the [[2019 Australian federal election|2019 election]], the member for Cowper has been [[Pat Conaghan]], representing the [[National Party of Australia]].
{{Clear left}}
==Members==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan=2 | Image
! Member
! Party
! Term
! Notes
|-

|-
| {{Australian party style|Protectionist}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:Francis Clarke.jpg|100px]] 
| [[Francis Clarke (New South Wales politician)|Francis Clarke]]<br />{{small|(1857–1939)}}
| [[Protectionist Party|Protectionist]]
| nowrap | [[1901 Australian federal election|30 March 1901]] –<br/>[[1903 Australian federal election|16 December 1903]]
| Previously held the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly]] seat of [[Electoral district of Hastings and Macleay|Hastings and Macleay]]. Served as [[List of whips in the Australian House of Representatives#Protectionist Party|Chief Government Whip in the House]] under [[Alfred Deakin|Deakin]]. Lost seat

|-
| {{Australian party style|Free Trade}}|&nbsp;
| rowspan=2 | [[File:Henry William Lee.jpg|100px]]
| rowspan=2 | [[Henry Lee (Australian politician)|Henry Lee]]<br />{{small|(1856–1927)}}
| [[Free Trade Party|Free Trade]]
| nowrap | [[1903 Australian federal election|16 December 1903]] –<br/>1906
| rowspan=2 | Lost seat
|-
| {{Australian party style|Free Trade}}|&nbsp;
| nowrap | [[Free Trade Party|Anti-Socialist]]
| nowrap | 1906 –<br/>[[1906 Australian federal election|12 December 1906]]

|-
| {{Australian party style|Protectionist}}|&nbsp;
| rowspan=3 | [[File:John Thomson (Australian politician).jpg|100px]]
| rowspan=3 | [[John Thomson (Australian politician)|John Thomson]]<br />{{small|(1862–1934)}}
| [[Protectionist Party|Protectionist]]
| nowrap | [[1906 Australian federal election|12 December 1906]] –<br/>26 May 1909
| rowspan=3 | Previously held the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly]] seat of [[Electoral district of Manning|Manning]]. Served as [[List of whips in the Australian House of Representatives#Nationalist Party of Australia|Chief Government Whip in the House]] under [[Billy Hughes|Hughes]]. Lost seat
|-
| {{Australian party style|Commonwealth Liberal}}|&nbsp;
| nowrap | [[Liberal Party (Australia, 1909)|Liberal]]
| nowrap | 26 May 1909 –<br/>17 February 1917
|-
| {{Australian party style|Nationalist}}|&nbsp;
| nowrap | [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist]]
| nowrap | 17 February 1917 –<br/>[[1919 Australian federal election|13 December 1919]]

|-
| {{Australian party style|Country}}|&nbsp;
| rowspan=2 | [[File:Earle Page.jpg|100px]]
| rowspan=2 | [[Earle Page|(Sir) Earle Page]]<br />{{small|(1880–1961)}}
| [[National Party of Australia|Farmers and Settlers' Association]]
| nowrap | [[1919 Australian federal election|13 December 1919]] –<br/>22 January 1920
| rowspan=2 | Served as minister under [[Stanley Bruce|Bruce]], [[Lyons Government|Lyons]], [[Menzies Government (1939-41)|Menzies]] and [[Fadden Government|Fadden]]. Served as [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] in [[Page Ministry|1939]]. Lost seat
|-
| {{Australian party style|Country}}|&nbsp;
| nowrap | [[National Party of Australia|Country]]
| nowrap | 22 January 1920 –<br/>[[1961 Australian federal election|9 December 1961]]

|-
| {{Australian party style|Labor}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:FrankMcGuren1962.jpg|100px]] 
| [[Frank McGuren]]<br />{{small|(1909–1990)}}
| [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]]
| nowrap | [[1961 Australian federal election|9 December 1961]] –<br/>[[1963 Australian federal election|30 November 1963]]
| Lost seat

|-
| {{Australian party style|Country}}|&nbsp;
| rowspan=3 | [[File:Ian Robinson 1974 (cropped).jpg|100px]]
| rowspan=3 | [[Ian Robinson (Australian politician)|Ian Robinson]]<br>{{small|(1925–2017)}}
| [[National Party of Australia|Country]]
| nowrap | [[1963 Australian federal election|30 November 1963]] –<br/>2 May 1975
| rowspan=3 | Previously held the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly]] seat of [[Electoral district of Casino|Casino]]. Transferred to the Division of [[Division of Page|Page]]
|-
| {{Australian party style|National Country}}|&nbsp;
| [[National Party of Australia|National Country]]
| nowrap | 2 May 1975 –<br/>16 October 1982
|-
| {{Australian party style|National}}|&nbsp;
| rowspan="4" | [[National Party of Australia|Nationals]]
| nowrap | 16 October 1982 –<br/>[[1984 Australian federal election|1 December 1984]]

|-
| {{Australian party style|National}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:Nationals Placeholder.png|100px]]
| [[Garry Nehl]]<br />{{small|(1934–2023)}}
| nowrap | [[1984 Australian federal election|1 December 1984]] –<br/>[[2001 Australian federal election|8 October 2001]]
| Retired

|-
| {{Australian party style|National}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:Luke Hartsuyker 2017 (cropped).png|100px]]
| [[Luke Hartsuyker]]<br />{{small|(1959–)}}
| nowrap | [[2001 Australian federal election|10 November 2001]] –<br/>[[2019 Australian federal election|11 April 2019]]
| Served as minister under [[Turnbull Government|Turnbull]]. Retired

|-
| {{Australian party style|National}}|&nbsp;
| [[File:North Coast Regional Gardens Glasshouse Opening 2022 (cropped).jpg|100px]]
| [[Pat Conaghan]]<br />{{small|(1971–)}}
| nowrap | [[2019 Australian federal election|18 May 2019]] –<br/>present
| Incumbent
|}

==Election results==
{{main|Electoral results for the Division of Cowper}}
{{Excerpt|Results of the 2025 Australian federal election in New South Wales|section=Cowper}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Notes===
{{notelist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.aec.gov.au/profiles/nsw/Cowper.htm Division of Cowper - Australian Electoral Commission]

{{Australian federal divisions of New South Wales}}
{{Mid North Coast NSW |state=autocollapse}}
{{coord|-30.384|152.870|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowper, Division of}}
[[Category:Electoral divisions of Australia]]
[[Category:Electoral divisions of Australia in New South Wales]]
[[Category:Constituencies established in 1901]]
[[Category:1901 establishments in Australia]]