Division of Page


The Division of Page is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.
Ahead of the 2016 federal election, ABC psephologist Antony Green listed the seat in his election guide as one of eleven which he classed as "bellwether" electorates.

History

The division is named after the Right Honourable Sir Earle Page, the second leader of the Country Party of Australia and the Prime Minister of Australia after the death of Joseph Lyons in 1939. The division was proclaimed at the redistribution of 11 October 1984, and was first contested at the 1984 federal election.
Unlike most country seats in northern NSW, which are fairly safe for the Nationals, Page has usually been a marginal seat, frequently changing hands between the National Party and the Labor Party. It is one of the few country seats where Labor is usually competitive. It has been a bellwether seat since the 1990 election, having been won by the party winning government at every election.
It was previously held by Ian Causley, the Deputy Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives. Causley retired at the 2007 election, and Chris Gulaptis, a former Mayor of Maclean, was endorsed as the Nationals' candidate. Labor selected Janelle Saffin, a former member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, who took the seat with a swing of around 8 per cent. Saffin increased her majority in 2010, however was defeated in 2013 by the Nationals' Kevin Hogan, who won with a swing of 6.71 per cent. Saffin ran against Hogan in the 2016 election but did not regain the seat.
Hogan moved to the crossbench in 2018 in protest over the spate of leadership spills in the Liberal Party. However, he still supported the Coalition on confidence and supply, and remained a National in good standing. He was reelected as a National at the 2019 election, boosting his majority to 59 percent, the strongest result in the seat's history. He rejoined the Coalition soon afterward.

Boundaries

The division is located in the far north-east of the state, adjoining the border with Queensland and the Tasman Sea. It includes the towns of Lismore, Casino, Grafton, Tyringham, Bonalbo, Nimbin, Yamba and Iluka. Originally, much of its current territory was located in neighbouring Cowper, which Page represented from 1919 to 1961. In February 2016, Page's borders were extended as far south as Sapphire Beach.

Members

Election results