ALP 13.7%
Incumbent MP
Stephen Jones, since 2016. Previously member for Throsby 2010-2016.
Geography
Southern Illawarra and Southern Highlands of NSW. Whitlam covers the entirety of the Shellharbour council area along with southern parts of the City of Wollongong. These suburbs mostly surround Lake Illawarra, including Shellharbour, Dapto and Albion Park. It also includes distinct areas in the Southern Highlands, covering the most populated parts of Wingecarribee Shire, stretching as far west as the Hume Highway and covering Bowral, Mittagong and Moss Vale.
History
The seat of Whitlam was known as Throsby until 2016. Throsby was first created for the 1984 election, and has always been held by the ALP. It has always been won by the ALP by a large margin, with well over 60% at every election since 1993.
The seat was first won in 1984 by Colin Hollis. Hollis had previously been elected in Macarthur for one term in 1983. Hollis retired in 2001, and was succeeded by former ACTU President Jennie George. George held the seat from 2001 to 2010.
In 2010, Stephen Jones won the seat for the ALP upon Jennie George’s retirement. Jones was re-elected in 2013, and re-elected again for the renamed seat in 2016.
Candidates
- Angelo Cuda (United Australia)
- Frank Rodolfo Nero (Christian Democratic Party)
- Stephen Wentworth (Nationals)
- Stephen Jones (Labor)
- Jamie Dixon (Greens)
- Ken Davis (Sustainable Australia)
Assessment
Whitlam is a safe Labor seat.
2016 result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
| Stephen Jones | Labor | 51,939 | 52.8 | +8.4 |
| Marcus Hewitt | Liberal | 25,870 | 26.3 | -3.4 |
| Tom Hunt | Greens | 8,162 | 8.3 | +2.5 |
| Jan Mandelson | Nationals | 6,341 | 6.4 | -2.4 |
| Susan Pinsuti | Christian Democratic Party | 4,048 | 4.1 | +1.6 |
| Wayne Hartman | Non-Custodial Parents | 2,081 | 2.1 | +1.7 |
| Informal | 5,628 | 5.4 |
2016 two-party-preferred result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
| Stephen Jones | Labor | 62,730 | 63.7 | +6.8 |
| Marcus Hewitt | Liberal | 35,711 | 36.3 | -6.8 |
Booth breakdown
Booths have been divided into three areas, along local government boundaries. Those polling places in Wingecarribee Shire have been grouped as Southern Highlands. Polling places in the City of Wollongong have been grouped as Wollongong. The remainder is in Shellharbour.
Labor won a large majority in two out of three areas, polling 70.2% in Shellharbour and 74.2% in Wollongong. The Liberal Party polled 56.5% in the Southern Highlands, the least populous part of the electorate.
| Voter group | ALP 2PP % | Total votes | % of votes |
| Shellharbour | 70.2 | 27,287 | 27.7 |
| Wollongong | 74.2 | 19,890 | 20.2 |
| Southern Highlands | 43.5 | 14,419 | 14.6 |
| Other votes | 62.2 | 8,601 | 8.7 |
| Pre-poll | 60.9 | 28,244 | 28.7 |
Two-party-preferred votes in Whitlam at the 2016 federal election
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Two 88s. That’s a fair effort. Obviously the drawing of this seat is not ideal.
Easiet solution for this seat would be if it lost the southern highlands and gained Kiama LGA, that would very easily bring Whitlam and Gilmore back to the an even quota considering they are both well over.
Grazier, James Harker-Mortlock is running for the Nats here.
https://www.yasstribune.com.au/story/6003386/the-nationals-endorse-bango-grazier-as-whitlam-candidate/
Giving Harker-Mortlock the Nat a go here might make things happen. Nothing will happen in safe ALP seat.
This is a horribly-drawn seat. It makes absolutely no sense that the Southern Highlands is connected with this seat.
I agree with L96. This should have the Kiama LGA added.
Hawkeye
THIS & Hume. What a mess. Amazing that we can all see the obvious solutions, & the inevitable outcome. The dunderheads at the AEC are the only fools defending this appalling debacle. Idiots.
With NSW GAINING a seat in the next assessment this can’t continue.It will be interesting