Murray Valley – Victoria 2010

NAT 21.8%

Incumbent MP
Ken Jasper, since 1976.

Geography
Northern Victoria. Murray Valley covers areas along the Victorian side of the Murray river between Albury and Echuca, with the largest town in the seat being Wangaratta. Murray Valley covers parts of Wangaratta, Moira and Indigo local government areas, and the towns of Cobram, Numurkah, Rutherglen, Wangaratta and Yarrawonga.

History
Murray Valley was first created in 1945, and has always been held by the Country/National Party.

The seat was first won in 1945 by George Moss. He became leader of the Country Party in 1964, and served in that role until 1970. He retired from Murray Valley in 1973.

Murray Valley was won in 1973 by the National Party’s Bill Baxter. In 1976, a redistribution shifted Murray Valley’s boundaries, and he decided to contest the neighbouring seat of Benambra, where sitting National Thomas Mitchell was retiring after 29 years. Baxter topped the poll on primary votes but was defeated by the Liberal candidate.

Baxter then moved to the Legislative Council, winning a by-election for North Eastern Province in 1978. He held his seat until1984, when he resigned to run against the sitting Liberal MP for the overlapping federal seat of Indi, coming third on primary votes. He won back his Legislative Council seat at a 1985 by-election, and served until 2006, when his Legislative Council seat was abolished and he unsuccessfully attempted to win the Legislative Assembly seat of Benambra.

Murray Valley was won in 1976 by the National Party’s Ken Jasper. He has been re-elected nine times, and will be retiring at the upcoming election.

Candidates

• Lachlan Enshaw (Labor)
• Ray Hungerford (Family First)
• Peter Watson (Country Alliance)
• Tim McCurdy (Nationals)
• Roberto Paino (Independent)
• Doug Ralph (Greens)

Political situation
Murray Valley is a very safe Nationals seat.

2006 result

2006 two-candidate-preferred result

Booth breakdown
Polling booths in Murray Valley have been divided into three areas. Booths in Moira Shire have been grouped as “West”. Booths in the urban area around Wangaratta have been grouped together, while the remainder of booths in Indigo and Wangaratta council areas have been grouped as “east”.

The Nationals polled around 73-74% in the two rural areas in the seat, with a smaller 69% in Wangaratta itself.