Wagga Wagga – NSW 2015

LIB 27.8%

Incumbent MP
Daryl Maguire, since 1999.

Geography
Southwestern NSW. The seat covers all of the City of Wagga Wagga and Lockhart Shire, and most of Tumut Shire.

Map of Wagga Wagga's 2011 and 2015 boundaries. 2011 boundaries marked as red lines, 2015 boundaries marked as white area. Click to enlarge.
Map of Wagga Wagga’s 2011 and 2015 boundaries. 2011 boundaries marked as red lines, 2015 boundaries marked as white area. Click to enlarge.

Redistribution
Wagga Wagga lost a small area to Goulburn in the north-eastern corner of the electorate.

History
The seat of Wagga Wagga was first created in 1894. With the exception of the period 1904-1913 and 1920-1927, the seat has existed ever since. The seat has been held by the Liberal Party since 1957.

The seat was held by the Country Party from 1927 to 1941, when it was won by the ALP’s Eddie Graham. He served as a minister from 1944 until his death in 1957.

The Liberal Party’s Wal Fife won the 1957 by-election. He served as a minister from 1967 until 1975, when he resigned from Wagga Wagga to contest the federal seat of Farrer. He served as a federal minister from 1977 to 1983. He moved to the seat of Hume in 1984, and held the seat until his retirement in 1993.

The 1975 Wagga Wagga by-election was won by Joe Schipp. He served as a minister in the Coalition government from 1988 to 1993, and retired in 1999.

Wagga Wagga has been held since 1999 by Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.

Candidates

Assessment
Wagga Wagga is a very safe Liberal seat.

2011 election result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Daryl Maguire Liberal 24,393 53.5 -5.5
Joe McGirr Independent 13,960 30.6 +30.6
Glenn Elliott-Rudder Labor 4,609 10.1 -22.4
Ros Prangnell Greens 1,527 3.4 -5.0
Sylvia Mulholland Christian Democrats 1,070 2.3 +2.3

2011 two-candidate-preferred result

Candidate Party Votes %
Daryl Maguire Liberal 25,542 60.3
Joe McGirr Independent 16,823 39.7

2011 two-party-preferred result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Daryl Maguire Liberal 28,628 77.8 +14.7
Glenn Elliott-Rudder Labor 8,172 22.2 -14.7
Polling places in Wagga Wagga at the 2011 NSW state election. Lockhart in yellow, Tumut in orange, Wagga Wagga in green, Wagga Wagga Surrounds in blue. Click to enlarge.
Polling places in Wagga Wagga at the 2011 NSW state election. Lockhart in yellow, Tumut in orange, Wagga Wagga in green, Wagga Wagga Surrounds in blue. Click to enlarge.

Booth breakdown
Booths in Wagga Wagga have been split into four parts. There are three local government areas in the electorate of Wagga Wagga. Polling places in Tumut and Lockhart council areas have been grouped together. Those in the Wagga Wagga council area, which covers a large majority of the seat’s population, were split between those in the city itself (“Wagga Wagga”) and those in the surrounding rural areas (“Wagga Wagga Surrounds”).

The Liberal Party won a majority of the primary vote in three out of four areas, ranging from 54.3% in Tumut to 63.3% in Lockhart. The Liberal Party won just under 50% of the vote in Wagga Wagga itself.

Independent candidate Joe McGirr came second, with a vote ranging from 20% in Lockhart to 35% in Wagga Wagga.

The Labor vote ranged from 7% in Wagga Wagga Surrounds to 18.5% in Tumut.

Voter group LIB % IND % ALP % Total % of votes
Wagga Wagga 49.6 35.0 9.4 20,857 45.8
Wagga Wagga Surrounds 57.3 30.4 7.2 5,664 12.4
Tumut 54.3 22.5 18.5 4,818 10.6
Lockhart 63.3 19.9 10.5 1,604 3.5
Other votes 56.8 28.1 9.4 12,616 27.7
Liberal primary votes in Wagga Wagga at the 2011 NSW state election.
Liberal primary votes in Wagga Wagga at the 2011 NSW state election.
Primary votes for independent candidate Joe McGirr in Wagga Wagga at the 2011 NSW state election.
Primary votes for independent candidate Joe McGirr in Wagga Wagga at the 2011 NSW state election.
Labor primary votes in Wagga Wagga at the 2011 NSW state election.
Labor primary votes in Wagga Wagga at the 2011 NSW state election.
Liberal primary votes in the Wagga Wagga urban area at the 2011 NSW state election.
Liberal primary votes in the Wagga Wagga urban area at the 2011 NSW state election.
Primary votes for independent candidate Joe McGirr in the Wagga Wagga urban area at the 2011 NSW state election.
Primary votes for independent candidate Joe McGirr in the Wagga Wagga urban area at the 2011 NSW state election.
Labor primary votes in the Wagga Wagga urban area at the 2011 NSW state election.
Labor primary votes in the Wagga Wagga urban area at the 2011 NSW state election.

4 COMMENTS

  2. In an election climate other than 2011 McGirr may well have won. It was one of the better results for indies in 2011.

  4. Mr Maguire, is very lucky he has such a majority, as I know for the first time in 58 years my dad will not vote Liberal… He use to belong to the party when Jo Schipp was the member.

    If there was a Independent alternative with get up and go, I think this would be a lot closer.

    Daryl takes a lot of credit for the Hospital but really if Joe McGirr hadn’t “stirred the pot” last election, Wagga and surrounding districts still would have a 1950 & 60’s public hospital.

    The Labor Party’s candidate Dan Hayes will do a lot better than people think. He is a fresh face and very electable. I hope Mr Maguire squirms on election night as the younger generation don’t like people who self promote AND DO NOTHING.

Comments are closed.