| Federal | yes |
|---|---|
| Created | 1949 |
| Mp | Zhi Soon |
| Mp-party | Labor |
| Namesake | Sir Joseph Banks |
| Electors (2025) | 119385 |
| Area | 61 |
| Class | Inner metropolitan |
| Near-n | Watson |
| Near-ne | Barton |
| Near-nw | Fowler |
| Near-e | Barton |
| Near-se | Cook |
| Near-s | Hughes |
| Near-sw | Hughes |
| Near-w | Hughes |
The Division of Banks is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Sydney.
Banks is represented by Zhi Soon for the Australian Labor Party.
History
The division was created in 1949 and is named for Sir Joseph Banks, the British naturalist and botanist who accompanied James Cook on his voyage to Australia in 1770. It has always been based in the south-western and southern suburbs of Sydney, including the suburbs of Padstow, Panania, Peakhurst and Revesby.
Up until 2013, it was held since its creation by the Australian Labor Party, but has grown increasingly marginal from the 1990s onward. It was almost lost in 2004, but the 2006 redistribution added areas to the west in Bankstown and Condell Park which strengthened the seat for Labor. Those areas were lost in the 2009 redistribution, which pushed Banks into new areas to the east, around Hurstville. Long-term Labor member, Daryl Melham, was defeated at the 2013 federal election by David Coleman. Coleman became the first non-Labor member for the seat, breaking a 64-year tradition. In 2025, Zhi Soon defeated Liberal incumbent, David Coleman to return the seat to Labor for the first time in 12 years.
Geography
Banks is located in parts of the local government areas of Canterbury Bankstown and Georges River in the southwestern suburbs of Sydney. It includes the suburbs of Carss Park, Connells Point, East Hills, Hurstville Grove, Kyle Bay, Lugarno, Milperra, Mortdale, Narwee, Oatley, Padstow, Padstow Heights, Panania, Peakhurst, Peakhurst Heights, Picnic Point and Revesby Heights; and parts of Bankstown, Beverly Hills, Blakehurst, Hurstville, Penshurst, Punchbowl, South Hurstville, Revesby, Roselands and Riverwood.[1]
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.[2]
Demographics
| 2021 Australian census[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancestry | |||
| Response | Banks | NSW | Australia |
| Chinese | 20.0% | 7.2% | 5.5% |
| English | 18.4% | 29.8% | 33.0% |
| Australian | 18.4% | 28.6% | 29.9% |
| Irish | 6.1% | 9.1% | 9.5% |
| Greek | 6.0% | 1.8% | 1.7% |
| Country of birth | |||
| Response | Banks | NSW | Australia |
| Australia | 55.9% | 65.4% | 66.9% |
| China | 9.9% | 3.1% | 2.2% |
| Nepal | 3.3% | 0.8% | 0.5% |
| Vietnam | 1.9% | 1.2% | 1.0% |
| Hong Kong | 1.8% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| Lebanon | 1.8% | 0.8% | 0.3% |
| Religious affiliation | |||
| Response | Banks | NSW | Australia |
| No religion | 27.1% | 32.8% | 38.4% |
| Catholicism | 22.7% | 22.4% | 20.0% |
| Anglicanism | 8.5% | 11.9% | 9.8% |
| Eastern Orthodoxy | 8.5% | 2.5% | 2.1% |
| Islam | 6.3% | 4.3% | 3.2% |
| Language spoken at home | |||
| Response | Banks | NSW | Australia |
| English | 49.1% | 67.6% | 72.0% |
| Mandarin | 9.2% | 3.4% | 2.7% |
| Cantonese | 7.3% | 2.8% | 1.2% |
| Arabic | 5.4% | 2.8% | 1.4% |
| Greek | 3.8% | 1.0% | 0.9% |
| Nepali | 3.4% | 0.8% | 0.5% |
Members
| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Costa (1900–1976) | Labor | 10 December 1949 – 29 September 1969 | Retired | ||
| Vince Martin (1920–2001) | 25 October 1969 – 19 September 1980 | Lost preselection and retired | |||
| John Mountford (1933–2022) | 18 October 1980 – 19 February 1990 | Retired | |||
| Daryl Melham (1954–) | 24 March 1990 – 7 September 2013 | Lost seat | |||
| David Coleman (1974–) | Liberal | 7 September 2013 – 3 May 2025 | Served as minister under Turnbull and Morrison. Lost seat | ||
| Zhi Soon (1985–) | Labor | 3 May 2025 – present | Incumbent. | ||
Election results
References
- ^ "Profile of the electoral division of Banks (NSW)". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ Muller, Damon (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "2021 Banks, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics"