Lowan – Victoria 2010

NAT 22.1%

Incumbent MP
Hugh Delahunty, since 2002. Previously Member for Wimmera 1999-2002.

Geography
Western Victoria. Lowan covers western parts of Victoria along the South Australian border, covering Hindmarsh, Horsham, Southern Grampians and West Wimmera local government areas, and parts of Ararat, Glenelg and Moyne local government areas. It covers the towns of Casterton, Coleraine, Dartmoor, Dimboola, Hamilton, Horsham, Jeparit, Kaniva, Nhill and Rainbow.

History
Lowan was first created as an electoral district in 1889. It has existed for most of the last 121 years, with the exception of two periods when the seat was abolished for a decade before being restored, from 1945-1955 and from 1992-2002. Apart from a few periods of the seat going to the Liberals in the 1960s and 1970s, the seat has been held by the Country/National Party since 1920.

Jim McGrath of the Liberal Party won the seat in 1964, the first non-Country Party member since 1920. He held the seat for one term, losing in 1967 to the Country Party’s Ray Buckley, but he won the seat back in 1970. McCabe held the seat until his defeat in 1979.

The seat was won in 1979 by the Nationals’ Bill McGrath. He moved to the seat of Wimmera when Lowan was abolished in a redistribution. He served as a minister in the Kennett government from 1992 to 1999, and retired at the 1999 election.

Wimmera was won in 1999 by Hugh Delahunty, who won Lowan in 2002 when Wimmera was abolished. Delahunty was re-elected in 2006 with over 70% of the two-party-preferred vote.

Candidates

• Randall Reimer (Family First)
• Ben Wilkie (Greens)
• Mandy Kirsopp (Labor)
• Hugh Delahunty (Nationals)

Political situation
Lowan is a very safe Nationals seat.

2006 result

2006 two-candidate-preferred result

Booth breakdown
Lowan covers parts of seven local government areas. There are no polling booths in Moyne Shire, but the polling booths have been divided between the other six LGAs. The Nationals two-party vote varied from 63-64% in Glenelg and Southern Grampians to 81% in West Wimmera.