Division of Bourke
| Bourke Australian House of Representatives Division | |
|---|---|
| Created | 1901 |
| Abolished | 1949 |
| Namesake | Sir Richard Bourke |
The Division of Bourke was an Australian electoral division in Victoria. The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. The division was named for Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales at the time of the founding of Melbourne. After 1910, it was a safe seat for the Australian Labor Party, but was lost to an independent Labor member in 1946.
When the division was first proclaimed, it covered a large area of the northern suburbs of Melbourne, spanning from Essendon in the west, to what was later Watsonia North in the north-east, and to Ivanhoe East in the south-east.[1] The division underwent boundary changes throughout its existence and at one point, also covered Thomastown. It underwent its largest boundary change in 1922, when it was significantly shrunk to cover mainly the suburbs of Brunswick and Coburg only, as well as parts of Pascoe Vale.[1]
The division was abolished in 1949.[1] It was replaced by the similarly-named Division of Burke (named after a different person Robert O'Hara Burke), which also covered the Brunswick area, and the newly-created Division of Wills which covered the Coburg area.[2][3]
Members
[edit]| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
James Hume Cook (1866–1942) |
Protectionist | 29 March 1901 – 26 May 1909 |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of East Bourke Boroughs. Served as Chief Government Whip in the House under Deakin. Served as minister under Deakin. Lost seat | |
| Liberal | 26 May 1909 – 13 April 1910 | ||||
.jpg)
|
Frank Anstey (1865–1940) |
Labor | 13 April 1910 – 7 August 1934 |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Brunswick. Served as minister under Scullin. Retired | |
|
Maurice Blackburn (1880–1944) |
Labor | 15 September 1934 – 15 November 1935[4] |
Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Clifton Hill. Lost seat. Wife was Doris Blackburn | |
| Independent Labor | 15 November 1935 – 27 March 1937 | ||||
| Labor | 27 March 1937 – 3 October 1941[5] | ||||
| Independent Labor | 3 October 1941 – 21 August 1943 | ||||
|
Bill Bryson (1898–1973) |
Labor | 21 August 1943 – 28 September 1946 |
Lost seat. Later elected to the Division of Wills in 1949 | |
|
Doris Blackburn (1889–1970) |
Independent Labor | 28 September 1946 – 26 June 1947 |
Failed to win the Division of Wills after Bourke was abolished in 1949. Husband was Maurice Blackburn | |
| Blackburn-Mutton Labor | 26 June 1947 – 10 December 1949 | ||||
Election results
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Bourke". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ^ "Burke". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ^ "Wills". Parliamentary Handbook. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ^ "MR. BLACKBURN OUT". Tweed Daily. 16 November 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ "MR. BLACKBURN EXPELLED FROM LABOR PARTY". Advocate. 4 October 1941. p. 7. Retrieved 25 January 2025.