Seats of the week: Kooyong and Higgins

A double dose of the Liberal Party’s inner eastern Melbourne heartland, encompassing the seats held by Josh Frydenberg and Kelly O’Dwyer.

Kooyong

Blue and red numbers respectively indicate booths with two-party majorities for Liberal and Labor. Click for larger image. Map boundaries courtesy of Ben Raue at The Tally Room.

Presently covering Melbourne’s affluent inner east from Kew and Hawthorn eastwards to Balwyn North and Camberwell, Kooyong has been held by the prevailing conservative forces of the day without interruption since its creation at federation, including by Robert Menzies throughout his 31-year career in federal parliament. The seat has had only seven members in its long history, of whom the first two were William Knox and Robert Best, the latter succeeding the former in 1910. Best was defeated as Nationalist candidate at the 1922 election by conservative independent John Latham, who ran in opposition to the prime ministership of Billy Hughes. With that end accomplished by an election that left the anti-Hughes Country Party holding the balance of power, Latham in time joined the Nationalists and served as Attorney-General in Stanley Bruce’s government from 1925 until its defeat in 1929. Bruce’s loss of his seat of Flinders at that election saw Latham emerge as Opposition Leader, but the defeat of the Labor government two years later was effected when Joseph Lyons led Labor defectors into a merger with conservative forces as the United Australia Party, with Latham agreeing to serve as Lyons’s deputy. Latham served as Attorney-General and External Affairs Minister in the Lyons government from 1931 until his retirement at the 1934 election, and a year later was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court.

Latham’s successor as both member for Kooyong and Attorney-General was Robert Menzies, who had been a state parliamentarian since 1928 and Deputy Premier since 1932. Menzies ascended to the prime minister after Joseph Lyons’ death in April 1939, serving for two years as the nation’s wartime leader before resigning in August 1941 after losing the support of his cabinet colleagues. Following Labor’s landslide win at the 1943 election, Menzies returned to the leadership of the United Australia Party which had been held in the interim by Billy Hughes, and brought fragmented conservative forces together a year later under the new banner of the Liberal Party. Two elections later he led the party to a resounding victory, commencing an epic 16-year tenure as prime minister from December 1949 until his retirement in January 1966.

Menzies was succeeded in Kooyong at an April 1966 by-election by Andrew Peacock, who went on to serve as a senior minister in Malcolm Fraser’s government from 1975 until April 1981, when he unsuccessfully challenged Fraser for the leadership. He briefly returned to the ministry from November 1982 until the election defeat the following March, after which he defeated John Howard in the ballot for the party leadership. Despite leading the party to an honourable defeat at the December 1984 election, he was obliged to surrender the leadership the following September after a bungled attempt to force Howard out as deputy. A party room coup returned him to the leadership in May 1989, but he failed to win the March 1990 election despite securing for the Coalition a narrow majority of the two-party preferred vote. He then relinquished the leadership to John Hewson, and served in the shadow ministry until his retirement from politics in November 1994.

The seat’s next member for Petro Georgiou, who as member for so prestigious a seat was generally assumed to have a career as a heavy-hitter ahead of him. However, he instead emerged as a permanent back-bencher and a thorn in the side of the Howard government, particularly in relation to his liberal views on asylum seekers. Georgiou retired at the 2010 election and was succeeded by Josh Frydenberg, a banker and former adviser to Alexander Downer and John Howard who had earlier challenged Georgiou for preselection in 2007. Frydenberg won the 2010 preselection with the backing of the Michael Kroger faction, while rivals associated with the then state Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu initially backed John Roskam, the director of the Institute of Public Affairs. However, Roskam declined to run and instead threw his weight behind industrial relations lawyer John Pesutto, whom Frydenberg defeated in the final round by 283 votes to 239. Frydenberg was promoted to parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister after the September 2013 election victory.

Higgins

Blue and red numbers respectively indicate booths with two-party majorities for Liberal and Labor. Click for larger image. Map boundaries courtesy of Ben Raue at The Tally Room.

Held by the Liberals since its creation in 1949, Higgins owes its blue-ribbon status to the affluence of Toorak and suburbs further to the east, including Glen Iris and Malvern. Prahran in the electorate’s west provides a strong basis of support for Labor and the Greens, while Carnegie and Ashburton in the south-east are naturally marginal. At the time of the electorate’s creation the Toorak end was accommodated by Fawkner, which prior to 1949 had boundaries resembling those of Higgins today. Higgins assumed its present character when Fawkner was abolished at the 1969 election. The seat’s inaugural member was Harold Holt, who had previously been member for Fawkner since 1935. Holt remained in the seat until his disappearance in December 1967, at which point it was used to parachute Senator John Gorton into the the lower house to enable him to assume the prime ministership. Gorton stayed on for two elections after being deposed as Prime Minister in March 1971, before indulging in a quixotic bid to win one of the Australian Capital Territory’s newly acquired Senate seats as an independent in 1975. Roger Shipton subsequently held the seat until 1990, achieving prominence only in 1988 when he stood firm against maverick businessman John Elliott’s designs on his seat. Shipton stared down Elliott only to lose preselection to Peter Costello, who was at no stage troubled in Higgins through his 11 frustrating years as Treasurer and Liberal deputy.

On the morning after the November 2007 election defeat, Costello made the surprise announcement that he would not assume the leadership. Speculation that he might later do so lingered until October 2009, when he announced his resignation from parliament. The Liberals had at this time just completed their preselection for the following election, which was won by Kelly O’Dwyer, a National Australia Bank executive who had earlier spent four years as an adviser to Costello. O’Dwyer was chosen ahead of Toorak businessman Andrew Abercrombie by 222 votes to 112, with candidates earlier falling by the wayside including Tim Wilson, then a policy director at the Institute of Public Affairs and now a Human Rights Commissioner, and the IPA’s executive director John Roskam, whose bid reportedly suffered from an article he wrote for The Punch which had put Costello’s nose out of joint. Tony Abbott said in April 2011 that O’Dwyer was “knocking hard on the door of that Shadow Cabinet”, but she is nonetheless yet to have won promotion.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

1,620 comments on “Seats of the week: Kooyong and Higgins”

Comments Page 26 of 33
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  2. [1225
    Jackol

    Oooh Day and LDP guy are total Laffer curve nuts.

    Increase revenue by lowering taxes!

    Hurray for magical thinking.]

    They’re the usual transparently disingenuous rightwing nut-jobs…

  3. Well.

    The best of days, the worst of days.

    I’m just typing this because it has been both awful and great.

    I said last night that I was attending an address on the SA Home Builders Club. As part of History Week.

    So I did. I was reluctant to go, because my eldest brother was attending too. And I am not happy with him. My dearest brother, who has spent a couple of years betraying me. Sadly.

    He did nothing to defuse my disillusion on the way. Except to raise it to a huge level.

    Anyway, back to the Builders Club.

    My parents along with many others formed a cooperative whereby they donated hours to build homes, of their own and each others. I had the great fortune of growing up in our beautiful house.

    My dad, working full time, and my mum necessarily put into this massive endeavour. Huge! As did all the people who did this stuff.

    It was so heart warming and unexpected to hear the UniSA people who did the research, refer to my brother, me and others in the audience as ‘the children.’

    I was a bit reluctant to attend, because of my brother, but my childhood friend said, do it, for Peg and Cyril. My parents, that is.

    And it was fantastic. They gave us and the other ‘children’ their lovely compilation, which is $15 to any one other.

    The conveners asked us to speak and offer anecdotes.

    Which we did and drew laughter and further discussion.

    A bloke behind me, cited ‘They’re a Weird Mob’ as parody/reality of this kind of effort. He was older than I, and asked if I knew of it. Yep, sure do. But had not connected it with the home builders. Certainly identified with it however.

    My brother and I were able to offer them architectural drawings of our home, photos and such which they will copy and add to their historical collection.

    So it was all very worthwhile.

    And while I would like to go on about the said brother’s other awful behavior, maybe leave it for another day.

  7. Deblonay complains about a possible 400 Blackwater staff going into the Ukraine but ignores the Spetsnatzkis.

    Those socialists.

  10. Morning all. Time to see whether Hockey is all bluff or really is going to impose unnecessary cuts and kill our job market? That being said, some of the proposed taxation measures are sensible. The return of fuel levy indexation is a good policy, and the greens are correctly supporting it. Labor will instead make a principled stand for every disgruntled marginal vote.
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/12/voters-disapprove-of-raising-pension-age-medicare-co-payment-plans

    Of course, given the behaviour of the Liberals in opposition, they can expect no better.

  11. Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
    Abbott is banking on the voters accepting pain as good for them and their development.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/government-braces-for-postbudget-poll-crash-20140512-zraa2.html
    VERY GOOD READ. Peter Martin exposes the myth that the rich will suffer too. He tells us about the leeches that are supporters of the Liberals. It’s a bloody disgrace. I have absolutely no time for these bastards.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/budget-pain-not-for-millionaires-who-pay-no-tax-20140512-zr9o3.html
    Greg Jericho with some more of those pesky fiscal facts.
    http://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2014/may/12/australia-needs-deep-cuts-in-the-budget-like-it-needs-a-hole-in-the-head
    Nice work Rolf. You should be proud of yourself.
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/rolf-harris-hugged-girl-then-sexually-assaulted-her-court-told-20140512-zrao9.html
    Mark Dreyfus – George Brandis is a dangerously divisive A-G.
    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/12/george-brandis-the-dangerously-divisive-attorney-general
    Adele Ferguson on the scandalous changes to FoFA rules.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/fofa-reforms-sell-retirees-short-20140512-385tm.html
    Kate McClymont on ICAC as the brown stuff flows higher and higher up the Liberal organisations.
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/chris-hartcher-would-have-known-about-laundering-donations-icac-hears-20140512-zr9b9.html
    Is there no end to Abbott’s ignorance? “In the age of information ignorance is a choice”, as somebody recently said.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/arenas-axing-would-mean-end-of-tony-abbotts-support-for-renewables-says-industry-20140512-zrae5.html
    When ideology collides with facts.
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/budget-welfare-cuts-aimed-at-areas-growing-the-slowest-analysis-shows-20140512-385×5.html

  13. Section 2 . . .

    Albo should have a field day with this. Maybe even launch a little blue book.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/coalitions-infrastructure-spending-how-much-is-new-20140512-zraap.html
    Some ideas on how to improve QandA.
    http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/australia-culture-blog/2014/may/12/what-qa-needs-to-do-to-improve
    The classy Morriscum will probably get his own way over this.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/greens-push-for-code-of-conduct-for-asylum-seekers-to-be-disallowed-20140512-zra0s.html
    An ominous warning from Joe Ludwig.
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/12/budget-2014-splitting-watchdogs-would-shut-door-on-open-government
    MUST SEE! David Pope just couldn’t resist the opportunity given by Hockey and Cormann.
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/opinion/cartoons/david-pope-20120214-1t3j0.html
    Nor could Alan Moir (back from a long break).
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/alan-moir-20090907-fdxk.html
    Pat Campbell with a somewhat esoteric contribution.
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/pat-campbell-20120213-1t21q.html
    Ron Tandberg on Abbott’s infrastructure funding.
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/ron-tandberg-20090910-fixc.html
    David Rowe with the Budget magic act.
    http://www.afr.com/p/national/cartoon_gallery_david_rowe_1g8WHy9urgOIQrWQ0IrkdO

  14. Yes, it’s about all of us tightening our belts for the good of the budget.

    [The RAAF 737 VIP jet flew empty to Perth yesterday to carry four Government MPs and eight staff back to Canberra today, including Justice Minister Michael Keenan and Defence Minister David Johnson.

    The estimated cost to taxpayers is $140,483. That works out at around $12,000 a head.

    Don Randall, the Federal Member for Canning was also on the flight and according to a Seven News report he said the price was “actually cheaper than flying Qantas”.

    A quick search found a Qantas flight for $334 and a Virgin flight for $291.]
    https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/23453295/wa-mps-on-taxpayer-funded-private-jet/

    When was the last time anyone paid $12,000 to fly from Perth to Canberra? Randall, like so many of his colleagues is so out of touch.

  16. What we should have on Budget night is a real budget – that is, the costs shouldn’t just be calculated in terms of what the government spends/saves, but include the costs/saving to the community.

    In many cases, the reason that the government delivers a service rather than a private operator or you and me is that that’s the most efficient way to deliver that particular service.

    If a government ‘saves’ money by cutting a service which then costs those who need it an extra (say) $10, then that should be part of the Budget report.

  19. [Tsarina RubyRainbow‏@ColouredView·10 mins
    Explosive evidence before Royal Commission into Union corruption backs 2 decades of allegations that 25 years ago ex-PM JG had a boyfriend.]

  21. [The Greens will oppose the Abbott government’s “debt levy” on high-income earners in the Senate after leader Christine Milne won an internal stoush over the policy.]

    [..Fairfax Media revealed on Sunday that Senator Milne had angered some of her colleagues, and Greens supporters, by rejecting the temporary tax increase on Australians earning over $150,000 a year.]

    [..“It’s a temporary levy; we’re not going to support it.

    “Long term structural adjustment is what is necessary. Come up with a marginal tax rate increase that’s permanent and that’s a different thing.”]

    [..A senior Greens source told Fairfax Media: “Senator Milne’s been out since day one saying she doesn’t support [the tax], despite the fact it is Greens party policy.]

    http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/2276884/christine-milne-wins-greens-stoush-to-oppose-debt-levy-on-the-rich/?cs=12

    A nice example of the ‘all or nothing’ approach the Greens sometimes adopt. If their policy is to raise tax rates for the rich, then they should support even a temporary measure to do so, and then fight to keep it in place.

    Following a Greens party room meeting on Monday, Senator Milne said the party opposed the levy because it was not a permanent increase in taxation on the wealthy.

  22. zoomster:

    It is a puzzling stance by the Greens. “We want the wealthy to pay more tax, so we’re going to oppose a measure which does that just because it’s not permanent.”

    Bizarre.

  23. Zoom 1266

    You are so right – public transport and health are textbook examples. The trouble is it is hard to find even people in treasuries these days who understand that. They are rewarded for delivering surpluses and think only in terms of revenue and expenditure. Cut preventative health care programs? Great. Road maintenance – who needs it?

    I have had several attempts to suggest demand management policies to SA treasury in recent years but the only one they wanted was one that increased revenue. Some in Canberra treasury are much better than that but the Finance department is not.

  24. Socrates

    Points for trying to reason with Everything, but cherry-picking “facts” which purport to prove there is no AGW is her fun time.

  26. Abbott has lied when he stated that his Government inherited a $667 billion debt.

    According to Joe Hockey’s December 2013 MYEFO debt is $257.364 billion. The source for Hockey was the Reserve Bank

  27. BK

    Thanks for the link to the Peter Martin article, which is excellent, if depressing. Deductions for political donations are absurd, merely encouraging the corruption of our political system.

    Off to work for me, should be interesting. While I oppose the way they are funding them, infrastructure projects will be welcome in my industry. Many have lost their jobs since the double whammy of the mining boom ending and Swan deferring major project funding in his 2013 budget, “Moving Towards Recession Together”.

    Have a good day all.

  29. I was robo-polled last night, with questions about Victorian state politics. I accidentally hung up before I got to hear who was doing the polling, but I’m pretty sure it was for state Labor. The giveaway was that after I indicated I usually vote Labor, I was asked if I would like information on helping Labor in the community etc.

  32. victoria

    Not specifically, there was a question on how important it was to spend money on new roads, and a question on how important it was to spend money on Public Transport. You had four responses to choose from. I said both were important.

  34. [Alexander White ‏@alexanderwhite 14m
    ALP *should* oppose the temporary levy on the rich, because it is a temporary measure in exchange for permanent cuts to social welfare.]

    I tend to agree with this.

  35. sprocket_

    There is some good news though. That front page will cost Rupes

    [The depth of the never-ending stream of red ink at the Murdoch family’s Australian newspapers has been exposed in another filing with United States regulators that fleshes out the third-quarter report released on Friday.
    ………….. Including the foreign exchange impact, the newspapers lost more than US$8 million a week in the March quarter.]
    http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/05/12/fairfax-has-woes-but-the-red-ink-floods-news-corps-aussie-papers/

  36. [Melissa Clarke ‏@Clarke_Melissa 1h
    PM Tony Abbott tells 2GB: “I don’t want a pensioner to be able to look me in the eye and say ‘I’m bearing pain and you’re not.'” #budget]

    Sick making.

  40. lizzie

    If he’s serious he should make both the freeze on his salary and the tax for high income earners permanent, just as the cuts for pensioners are meant to be.

  43. sprocket

    Fran kelly said last week when talking to ABC radio in Melbourne with Jon faine that Blewitt would generate headlines. She should have added for the daily murdoch shit sheets

  46. I can understand Milne’s position. It’s a bullsh.. figleaf tax that won’t raise much revenue. Why play along with Tone’s game.
    This budget shows that this govt is more crony capitalist than small govt. The $7 doctor charge (introduced to help their mates in private health insurance) will be a crown of thorns for this mob. Next election, Labor will be able to run a campaign based on its abolition.

  48. Penny Wong.

    [From the man who promised no new taxes, and argued that “no country has ever taxed its way to prosperity,” here come the new taxes.

    This reveals more than a prime ministerial hypocrisy. It also makes clear the lie that is the “Budget emergency.” If the Budget were replete with wasteful Labor spending that could be cut, as Tony Abbott kept telling Australians before the election, there would be no need for tax hikes.

    The Coalition appeared to believe their political lines actually constituted fiscal policy. But they didn’t, and they won’t. Abbott’s addiction to scare campaigns is well known. From claiming whole cities would be wiped off the map to the Budget emergency, facts are sacrificed in pursuit of a political objective. But not one of the prime minister’s claims about the Budget stacks up against a simple fact check.]

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/13/tony-abbotts-budget-emergency-what-are-the-facts?CMP=twt_gu

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