ALP 2.7%
Incumbent MP
Margaret Quirk, since 2001.
Geography
Outer north of Perth. The entire seat lies on the eastern side of Wanneroo Road, including the suburbs of Darch, Girrawheen, Marangaroo, Lansdale and Madeley. The seat is contained in the southern end of the City of Wanneroo.
Redistribution
Girrawheen lost the remainder of Warwick to Kingsley and the remainder of Hamersley to Balcatta, as well as a strip of land on the eastern side of Alexander Drive to West Swan. These changes slightly increased the Labor margin from 2.4% to 2.7%.
History
Girrawheen was created at the 1996 election as a safe Labor seat in northern Perth.
The seat was first won by Ted Cunningham, who had held other seats for Labor since 1988.
After one term, the seat was won in 2001 by Margaret Quirk. She was appointed to the ministry after the 2005 election and has served as a shadow minister since the 2008 election.
The ALP’s margin was 12.6% at the first election in 1996, which increased at the 2001 and 2005 elections to a peak of 23.4%. The seat’s margin fell back to a reasonably safe 11.5% margin in 2008. The next redistribution made the seat less safe for Labor, and Quirk held on by a slim 2.4% margin in 2013.
Candidates
- Margaret Quirk (Labor)
- Sahaj Singh (Micro Business Party)
- Mushfiq Shah (Greens)
- David Phillips (Australian Christians)
- Che Tam Nguyen (Family First)
- Raymond Roach (Shooters, Fishers and Farmers)
- Dame Krcoski (Liberal)
Assessment
Girrawheen has stayed in Labor hands since 1996, but recent redistributions have reduced Labor’s margin, and the seat is now very marginal. Despite that marginality, the likely swing to Labor at the election should mean they retain Girrawheen.
2013 result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Redist |
| Margaret Quirk | Labor | 9,724 | 44.1 | -3.6 | 44.4 |
| John Halligan | Liberal | 9,408 | 42.6 | +5.0 | 42.2 |
| Saba Kafami | Greens | 1,289 | 5.8 | -5.9 | 5.7 |
| Che Tam Nguyen | Family First | 847 | 3.8 | +3.4 | 4.0 |
| Mel Davey | Australian Christians | 801 | 3.6 | +1.9 | 3.7 |
| Informal | 1,824 | 7.6 |
2013 two-party-preferred result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Redist |
| Margaret Quirk | Labor | 11,557 | 52.4 | -4.3 | 52.7 |
| John Halligan | Liberal | 10,501 | 47.6 | +4.3 | 47.3 |
Booth breakdown
Booths have been divided into three parts: central, north and south.
There is wide variation in the vote across the electorate. Labor won large majorities of the two-party-preferred vote in the centre (63%) and the south (70.8%), while the Liberal Party won almost 59% in the north.
| Voter group | ALP 2PP % | Total votes | % of votes |
| North | 41.1 | 7,969 | 40.1 |
| Central | 63.0 | 5,480 | 27.6 |
| South | 70.8 | 2,526 | 12.7 |
| Pre-poll | 47.6 | 995 | 5.0 |
| Other votes | 51.0 | 2,890 | 14.6 |
Two-party-preferred votes in Girrawheen at the 2013 WA state election
The booth map illustrates a profound divide either side of Hepburn Avenue. It used to be the northern boundary of the electorate, which is why Girrawheen was so much safer for Labor.