LIB 15.8%
Incumbent MP
Scott Morrison, since 2007.
Geography
Southern Sydney, Cook covers parts of the Sutherland Shire and the St George area. Suburbs in Sutherland include Cronulla, Sylvania, Miranda, Gymea, Caringbah and Taren Point. Suburbs in the St George area include Sans Souci, Ramsgate, Sandringham, Monterey, Beverley Park, Kogarah Bay, Kyle Bay and Blakehurst.
Redistribution
Cook shifted north, jumping over the Georges River to take in the suburbs of Sans Souci, Ramsgate, Sandringham, Monterey, Beverley Park and Kogarah Bay from Barton, and Kyle Bay and Blakehurst from Banks. Cook then lost the suburbs of Grays Point, Kirrawee, Kareela, Jannali, Como, Oyster Bay, Bonnet Bay and the remainder of Sutherland to Hughes. These changes cut the Liberal margin from 16.4% to 15.8%.
History
Cook was first created for the 1969 election. The suburbs around the current seat of Cook were first included in the seat of Illawarra from federation until the 1922 election, when it was transferred to Werriwa, when Werriwa was a large rural seat covering areas south of Sydney. The seat of Hughes was created in 1955, which was the first seat based in Sutherland. Cook was then created in 1969. This used the same name as an earlier seat based in inner Sydney, which had been a safe Labor seat before its abolition in 1955.
For the previous sixty years the seat covering Sutherland had been mostly held by the Labor Party, although Hughes was lost to Liberal candidate Don Dobie in 1966, and Cook has been held by the Liberals for most of its existence.
Dobie transferred to Cook in 1969, but was defeated by Labor’s Ray Thorburn in 1972. Thorburn was defeated by Dobie in 1975 and Dobie held the seat until his retirement in 1996.
Dobie was succeeded by Stephen Mutch, a member of the NSW upper house, in 1996, and Mutch was defeated for preselection by Bruce Baird in 1998. Baird had previously been a state MP and Minister for Transport from 1988 to 1995, as well as taking charge of Sydney’s Olympic big up to 1993.
Baird held the seat for nine years, during which time he developed a reputation as an independent-minded Liberal backbencher who was occasionally critical of the Howard government.
Baird announced his retirement at the 2007 election, and the Liberal preselection was originally won by Michael Towke. Towke’s preselection was overturned amid allegations of branch stacking in a controversial contest, and he was replaced by the former director of the NSW Liberal Party, Scott Morrison.
Morrison won the seat, and was re-elected in 2010 and 2013. Morrison has served as a senior minister since 2013, and as Treasurer since 2015.
Candidates
- John Brett (Independent)
- Scott Morrison (Liberal)
- George Capsis (Christian Democratic Party)
- Nathan Hunt (Greens)
- David Atkins (Labor)
Assessment
Cook is a safe Liberal seat.
2013 result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Redist |
| Scott Morrison | Liberal | 55,707 | 60.4 | +2.5 | 60.0 |
| Peter Scaysbrook | Labor | 22,850 | 24.8 | -4.1 | 25.9 |
| Mithra Cox | Greens | 6,058 | 6.6 | -1.2 | 5.9 |
| Matt Palise | Palmer United Party | 3,765 | 4.1 | +4.1 | 4.0 |
| Beth Smith | Christian Democratic Party | 1,981 | 2.2 | +0.2 | 2.0 |
| Graeme Strang | Independent | 1,321 | 1.4 | -0.3 | 1.0 |
| Jim Saleam | Australia First | 617 | 0.7 | +0.7 | 0.5 |
| Others | 0.8 | ||||
| Informal | 5,813 | 6.3 |
2013 two-party-preferred result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Redist |
| Scott Morrison | Liberal | 61,244 | 66.4 | +3.7 | 65.8 |
| Peter Scaysbrook | Labor | 31,055 | 33.7 | -3.7 | 34.2 |
Booth breakdown
Booths have been divided into five parts named after key suburbs. All of the booths in the St George area have been grouped as “Sans Souci”. Those in the Sutherland Shire have been split between Sylvania in the north, Cronulla in the east, Gymea-Miranda in the south-west and Caringbah in the centre.
The Liberal majority of the two-party-preferred vote ranged from 61.6% in Sans Souci to 72% in Sylvania.
| Voter group | LIB 2PP % | Total votes | % of votes |
| Caringbah | 71.2 | 14,219 | 16.6 |
| Gymea-Miranda | 65.0 | 14,120 | 16.4 |
| Sans Souci | 61.6 | 13,650 | 15.9 |
| Cronulla | 67.6 | 12,011 | 14.0 |
| Sylvania | 72.0 | 8,078 | 9.4 |
| Other votes | 62.8 | 23,784 | 27.7 |
My electorate. This area has really cemented for the Liberals, even only in the last 10 – 20 years. I can vividly remember my grandmother telling my of just how competitive the ALP used to be here – Whitlam himself used to live in Cronulla!
This a good documentary about the 1984 Labor campaign here http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/12866142?selectedversion=NBD6001796. Remarkable given trends here that state Labor was able to win Miranda as late as 2007 and at b/e.
bad boundaries all of Cook should remain in Sutherland shire
@MQ Trust me, locals are incensed about this.
Wreathy what is the size of the LGBT community there? About 10% as it is everywhere else? I wonder if marriage equality might be a smokey?
10% I don’t think so. I was under the impression that the national population of LGBT people was around 3 – 5%?
Nevertheless, from my inkling, the LGBT community here is minuscule. Besides, the majority of the Shire are really into Christian values and are hot on the immigration issue.
Let me clarify, there is no potential for a smokey here 😉
No Wreathy 10% LGBT is the norm spread across society, including devout Christians. I readily concede that % shrinks, when one factor’s in those who are openly LGBT. Alienating a potential 10% of an electorate is not something that many politicians would aspire to.
@JH Even if that were true, that 10% are likely ALP/Green voters anyway.
Excellent point Wreathy re their political allegiance, but for most LGBT people the issue of marriage equality is fundamental to their wish to be full members of society in every respect. Politicians who are in apparent conflict with that concern, do so at their peril.
Wreathy I think the PM’s comments today of allowing Coalition MP’s to have a free vote, even if the plebiscite is put and carried, will have profound consequences for the conservative momentum as we enter the last week of this election. What do you think?
@JH Well having a referendum AND a free vote is a silly idea – what’s the point of going to the people if MPs are simply going to vote their own way anyway?
While I don’t think it will have much bearing on the outcome of this election, the further that time drags on while the Liberal Party remains opposed will eventually erode their support in places like Victoria – certainly not in Cook though!
Well Wreathy you now have Brit Exit. Maybe a sliver of hope for the Libs?
My prediction: Treasurer Scott Morrison will be returned easily.
A bold prediction Anton LOL!
a totally uninteresting prediction – a statement of the bleeding obvious – which points to the problem of single member electorates that disenfranchise much of the electorate and I’ve them little reason to engage. If we didn’t have the Senate in which people feel their votes really count disillusion with the democratic process wold be much higher.
Well said doughyndnetspeedcomau (u need a shorter name), the unelected swill of the Senate, one of Paul Keating’s best lines, has saved our bacon from the excesses of government many times. Long may it continue.
Voting Labor in Cook today. Redistrubuted from Barton. Putting ScoMo last. Will be checking out the micro parties in the senate..sorry t o be included in cook. Laughable though that some feel that Cook should stay in the Shire. Need to get out more. Go Bill
It be interesting to see whether Labor’s totally uninteresting, nothing candidate can turn some of the marginal booths in the centre red.
As recently as 2007 the margin here was only ~ 7%.
reluctantly .. you could look on the brightside and revel at the impending certainty that you will have the PM as your local member.
Labor did atrociously here. As I have been saying, this has drifted even further out from Labor in the last decade. Of course, Morrison’s status as Treasurer probably also had a good impact here.
The ALP failed to turn the Miranda and Kirrawee booths red and didn’t do very well in the new areas from Barton either.
As counting continues, the ALP have done even worse here. A small swing to the Liberals in a safe seat with a state average swing of 4.2% is a great result for ScoMo IMO.
Suggested campaign slogans for Morrison in 2019
GOD IS ON MY SIDE
GLOBAL WARMING……… IT’s GODS FAULT
IF YOU DON’t VOTE FOR ME,I’M COOKED
TRADITIONAL VALUES……BACK TO THE 50’S