Lowan – Victoria 2018

NAT 21.3%

Incumbent MP
Emma Kealy, since 2014.

Geography
Western Victoria. It covers the towns of Casterton, Coleraine, Dartmoor, Dimboola, Hamilton, Horsham, Jeparit, Kaniva, Nhill and Rainbow. 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, Moyne, Northern Grampians and Yarriambiack local government areas.

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 and 2010.

Candidates

• Emma Kealy (Nationals)
• Barry Shea (Independent)
• Maurice Billi (Labor)
• Trevor Grenfell (Socialists)
• Richard Lane (Greens)

Assessment
Lowan is a very safe Nationals seat.

2014 result

2014 two-party-preferred result

Booth breakdown

Booths in Lowan have been divided into four areas:

• Horsham – Rural City of Horsham, including the biggest urban centre in the electorate.
• North – Hindmarsh and Yarriambiack shires.
• South – Ararat, Glenelg and Southern Grampians shires.
• West – West Wimmera Shire.

The Nationals won a majority of the two-party-preferred vote in all four areas, ranging from 68.7% in the south to 77.2% in the west.

The primary vote for independent candidate Katrina Rainsford ranged from 7.9% in the north to 15.9% in the west.

Election results in Lowan at the 2014 Victorian state election
Toggle between two-party-preferred votes and primary votes for independent candidate Katrina Rainsford.

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