Goulburn – NSW 2011

LIB 1.3% vs IND

Incumbent MP
Pru Goward, since 2007.

Geography
Southern NSW. The district of Goulburn covers all of Goulburn Mulwaree council area and most of Wingecarribee Shire. It also covers parts of Upper Lachlan Shire and Palerang Shire. It covers the towns of Goulburn, Moss Vale, Bowral and Mittagong.

History
An electoral district named Goulburn existed continuously from 1859 until 1991. It was restored in 2007. The ALP dominated the seat from 1925 to 1965, and was held by the Country/National Party from 1965 until 1991. It is now a Liberal seat.

When proportional representation was introduced in NSW in 1920, Goulburn was expanded to cover Nowra, Yass, Bega, Eden, Queanbeyan and Cooma and elected three members. The district elected one Nationalist, one Progressive and one Labor in 1920 and 1922, but in 1925, elected two Labor and one Nationalist.

When Goulburn once again became a single-member district in 1927, it was won by the ALP’s Jack Tully, who had held one of Goulburn’s seats since 1925.

Jack Tully held the seat for the next two decades, with the exception of one term. In 1932 he lost to Peter Loughlin of the United Australia Party, then won it back in 1935. He then held his seat until his retirement in 1946.

The 1946 Goulburn by-election was won by Tully’s son, Laurie Tully. The younger Tully held the seat until his retirement in 1965.

In 1965, Goulburn was won by Mulwaree Shire president Ron Brewer, running for the Country Party. He resigned from the seat in 1974 to contest the federal seat of Eden-Monaro. After losing the federal race, he won back his state seat at the following by-election. He held the seat until his retirement in 1984.

The National Party’s Robert Webster won Goulburn in 1984. He was re-elected in 1988. By the 1988 election, Goulburn had shifted west so that it stretched out to the north and west of Goulburn, covering much of Lachlan Shire and the town of Cowra. Webster became a minister in the Liberal-National coalition government in 1989.

In 1991, the seat of Goulburn was abolished, and the neighbouring Liberal seat of Southern Highlands took over the town of Goulburn, while the rest of the seat shifted into Burrinjuck, which was then a Liberal seat. Webster shifted to the Legislative Council, where he remained until his retirement in 1995. He served as a minister until his retirement from politics.

The town of Goulburn was now included in the seat of Southern Highlands, which was held by senior minister John Fahey. He became Premier in 1992 when Nick Greiner resigned. Fahey lost power in 1995, and in 1996 he resigned from Southern Highlands to contest the federal seat of Macarthur, which he won. He went on to hold Macarthur until his retirement in 2001, and served as Finance Minister in the Howard government.

Fahey was succeeded in Southern Highlands in 1996 by Liberal candidate Peta Seaton. Seaton held the seat until her retirement in 2007.

The 1999 redistribution shifted Southern Highlands deeper into the Wollondilly area, while the town of Goulburn shifted into the neighbouring seat of Burrinjuck. Burrinjuck had been held by Liberal MP Alby Schultz from 1988 until 1998, when he left the seat to win the federal seat of Hume. His state seat was won by National Party candidate Katrina Hodgkinson. She still holds Burrinjuck today.

At the 2007 election, the seat of Southern Highlands was abolished. The northern part of the seat was added to the new seat of Wollondilly, while the Southern Highlands itself was combined with the town of Goulburn in the restored seat of Goulburn.

In 2007, the seat was won by former federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward. She saw off a challenge from Goulburn Mulwaree mayor Paul Stephenson.

Candidates

• Pru Goward (Liberal)
• Robert Parker (Independent)
• Maree Byrne(Greens)
• Crystal Validakis (Labor)
• Adrian van der Byl (Christian Democratic Party)

Political situation
Goulburn was only narrowly won by the Liberal Party in 2007. The Liberal Party is expected to perform strongly in 2011, which would suggest that Goward should win re-election easily. If Stephenson or another strong independent runs, however, she could still be in danger. There is a strong sentiment in favour of independents and against all major parties, and this could make Goulburn the only Liberal-held seat in any real danger of being lost.

2007 result

2007 two-candidate-preferred result

Booth breakdown
Booths in Goulburn have been divided into three areas. The town of Goulburn has been grouped together as one area. the remainder of Goulburn Mulwaree local government area, along with the small number of booths in Upper Lachlan Shire, have been grouped as ‘West’. Booths in Wingecarribee Shire have been grouped as ‘Southern Highlands’.

Liberal MP Pru Goward won almost 60% of the two-candidate vote in the Southern Highlands, but in Goulburn and the West, independent candidate Paul Stephenson won large majorities of around 60%. The ALP even outpolled Stephenson on primary votes in the Southern Highlands.