Electoral district of Kimberley

Kimberley
Labor
Kimberley; Labor
Namesake	Kimberley region
Electors	15,735 (2021)
Area	536,571 km2 (207,171.2 sq mi)
Demographic	Remote and provincial
	Electorates around Kimberley:

Kimberley is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, located in the state's far north and named after the Kimberley region. The electorate has one of the highest Aboriginal enrolments of any seat in the Parliament.

The seat has been held by the

Labor Party since 1980—inclusive of one term under a Labor independent (1996–2001), but has become increasingly marginal in recent years. It saw an extremely close and almost unprecedented four-way race at the 2013 state election, with relatively small primary vote margins separating the Labor, Liberal, National and Green candidates in a result that was not known for several days. However, Labor candidate Josie Farrer was able to hold the seat for Labor, winning the seat on Green preferences. In the 2021 state election Divina D'Anna

retained the seat for Labor.

History

First created for the

Liberal Party at the 1968 state election

.

The seat became the focus of controversy at the 1977 state election. A significant turnover in voters had occurred, with 1,750 voters including many Aboriginal people being entitled to vote for the first time. The Labor Party endorsed Ernie Bridge, an Aboriginal businessman and president of the Shire of Halls Creek, against the sitting member, Liberal Minister for Lands Alan Ridge. Ridge won the vote but it was successfully challenged in the Court of Disputed Returns on 7 November due to claims of irregular treatment of Aboriginal voters at polling stations and various other concerns, and a by-election was called for 17 December 1977. However, Ridge won the vote on a decreased voter turnout and an increased majority.

At the

Labor government—the first Aboriginal cabinet minister in any Australian government. In 1996, Bridge resigned from the Labor Party and was re-elected at the 1996 state election as an independent before retiring at the 2001 state election. His successor was Carol Martin

, the first Aboriginal woman elected to an Australian parliament.

Four out of seven of the Indigenous Australians that have entered the Western Australian Parliament have originated from this seat.^[1]

Geography

Named for the

Shire of Derby-West Kimberley, Shire of Halls Creek, all of them in their entirety. Its major population centres include Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Kununurra and Wyndham. It also includes the eastern parts of the Shire of East Pilbara, to the east of the Canning Stock Route

.

Members for Kimberley

	Party	Term
Francis Connor	Independent	1904–1905
Arthur Male	Ministerial	1905–1911
Arthur Male	Liberal	1911–1917
Michael Durack	Nationalist	1917–1920
	Country	1920–1923
	Country (MCP)	1923–1924
Aubrey Coverley	Labor	1924–1953
John Rhatigan	Labor	1953–1968
Alan Ridge	Liberal	1968–1980
Ernie Bridge	Labor	1980–1996
Ernie Bridge	Independent	1996–2001
Carol Martin	Labor	2001–2013
Josie Farrer	Labor	2013–2021
Divina D'Anna	Labor	2021–present

Election results

2021 Western Australian state election: Kimberley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Divina D'Anna	5,747	53.9	+9.0
	Liberal	Geoff Haerewa	2,187	20.5	+3.2
	Greens	Naomi Pigram	1,601	15.0	+5.8
	National	Millie Hills	658	6.2	−10.1
	One Nation	Roger Modolo	221	2.1	−6.0
	Independent	Kai Jones	98	0.9	−1.0
	No Mandatory Vaccination	A. Herman	85	0.8	+0.8
	Western Australia	Karl Fehlauer	68	0.6	+0.6
Total formal votes			10,665	96.3	+0.4
Informal votes			410	3.7	−0.4
Turnout			11,075	70.4	−9.2
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Divina D'Anna	7,618	71.5	+8.3
	Liberal	Geoff Haerewa	3,044	28.5	−8.3
	Labor hold		Swing	+8.3

References

^ "Indigenous Western Australian MPs" (PDF). Parliament of Western Australia. July 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
^ 2021 State General Election – Kimberley District Results, WAEC

External links

ABC election profiles: 2005 2008
WAEC district maps: current boundaries, previous distributions

[1] "Indigenous Western Australian MPs" (PDF). Parliament of Western Australia. July 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2023.

[2] 2021 State General Election – Kimberley District Results, WAEC

[1]

[2]

Labor (53)		Albany Armadale Balcatta Baldivis Bassendean Bateman Belmont Bicton Bunbury Burns Beach Butler Cannington Carine Churchlands Cockburn Collie-Preston Darling Range Dawesville Forrestfield Fremantle Geraldton Hillarys Jandakot Joondalup Kalamunda Kalgoorlie Kimberley Kingsley Kwinana Landsdale Mandurah Maylands Midland Mirrabooka Morley Mount Lawley Murray-Wellington Nedlands Perth Pilbara Riverton Rockingham Scarborough Southern River South Perth Swan Hills Thornlie Victoria Park Wanneroo Warnbro Warren-Blackwood West Swan Willagee
National (4)	Central Wheatbelt Moore North West Central Roe
Liberal (2)	Cottesloe Vasse