The Division of Braddon is an Australian electoral division in the state of Tasmania. The current MP is Anne Urquhart of the Labor Party, who was elected at the 2025 federal election.

Braddon is a rural electorate covering approximately 21,369 square kilometres (8,251 sq mi) in the north-west and west of Tasmania, including King Island. The cities of Burnie and Devonport are major population centres in the division. Other towns include Currie, Latrobe, Penguin, Queenstown, Rosebery, Smithton, Somerset, Stanley, Strahan, Ulverstone, Waratah, Wynyard and Zeehan.

Braddon has traditionally been a marginal seat. However, in 2022 the trend was broken, with Braddon becoming a "fairly safe" seat for the first time in twelve years, with the Liberal Party holding it while losing government nationally. In 2025, large swings towards the Labor Party saw Anne Urquhart gain the seat for Labor.

Geography

Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.

History

Sir Edward Braddon, the division's namesake

The division was created at the Tasmanian redistribution on 30 August 1955, essentially as a reconfigured version of the Division of Darwin. It is named for Sir Edward Braddon, a Premier of Tasmania and one of Tasmania's five original federal members of parliament.

Following the election of the Whitlam government and the period following the Franklin Dam controversy, Braddon became a relatively safe seat for the Liberal Party. In more recent years, the division has usually been a marginal seat, changing hands between the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party. Its most prominent member was Ray Groom. Groom was later to represent Denison in the Tasmanian Parliament 1986–2001 and served as Tasmanian Premier 1992–96.

Members

ImageMemberPartyTermNotes
Aubrey Luck (1900–1999)Liberal10 December 1955 – 22 November 1958Previously held the Division of Darwin. Lost seat
Ron Davies (1919–1980)Labor22 November 1958 – 13 December 1975Lost seat
Ray Groom (1944–)Liberal13 December 1975 – 26 October 1984Served as minister under Fraser. Retired. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Denison in 1986
Chris Miles (1947–)1 December 1984 – 3 October 1998Lost seat
Sid Sidebottom (1951–)Labor3 October 1998 – 9 October 2004Lost seat
Mark Baker (1958–)Liberal9 October 2004 – 24 November 2007Lost seat
Sid Sidebottom (1951–)Labor24 November 2007 – 7 September 2013Lost seat
Brett Whiteley (1960–)Liberal7 September 2013 – 2 July 2016Lost seat
Justine Keay (1975–)Labor2 July 2016 – 10 May 2018Election results declared void due to dual citizenship. Subsequently re-elected. Lost seat
28 July 2018 – 18 May 2019
Gavin Pearce (1967–)Liberal18 May 2019 – 28 March 2025Retired. Later elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Braddon in 2025
Anne Urquhart (1957–)Labor3 May 2025 – presentPreviously a member of the Senate. Incumbent

Election results

2025 Australian federal election: Braddon
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LaborAnne Urquhart29,57939.52+17.02
LiberalMal Hingston23,70031.67−12.44
GreensErin Morrow6,3188.44+1.72
IndependentAdam Martin6,1748.25+8.25
One NationChristopher Methorst5,7097.63+3.29
Trumpet of PatriotsStephen Kenney3,3604.49+4.49
Total formal votes74,84095.47+3.13
Informal votes3,5534.53−3.13
Turnout78,39393.05+0.29
Two-party-preferred result
LaborAnne Urquhart42,80957.20+15.23
LiberalMal Hingston32,03142.80−15.23
Labor gain from LiberalSwing+15.23

External links

41°38′53″S 145°24′50″E/41.648°S 145.414°E/ -41.648; 145.414