| Federal | yes |
|---|---|
| Created | 1949 |
| Mp | Matt Smith |
| Mp-party | Labor |
| Namesake | Ludwig Leichhardt |
| Electors (2025) | 122787 |
| Class | Rural and provincial |
| Near-n | Torres Strait |
| Near-ne | Coral Sea |
| Near-e | Coral Sea |
| Near-se | Kennedy |
| Near-s | Kennedy |
| Near-sw | Kennedy |
| Near-w | Gulf of Carpentaria |
| Near-nw | Gulf of Carpentaria |
The Division of Leichhardt (/laɪkɑːrt/) is an Australian electoral division in the state of Queensland. Its MP has been Matt Smith of the Labor Party since 2025.
Leichhardt is located in Far North Queensland. It is a very mixed electorate, with its classification ranging from provincial in the south and rural and remote elsewhere. It includes the city of Cairns, as well as many towns such as Cooktown, Port Douglas and Weipa, and several Indigenous communities on the Cape York Peninsula and in the Torres Strait Islands.
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.[1]
It is located in Far North Queensland and includes the Torres Strait Islands. It includes the local government areas of Cairns, Cook, Douglas, Torres and Wujal Wujal.
Demographics
As of the 2021 Australian census, Leichhardt had a total of 175,620 residents (including those who are not on the electoral roll).[2] 50.4% of the population is female, and 49.6% is male.[2] This reflects a trend across northern Australia where the male population tends to be above average. The median age is 39, compared to the state and national average of 38.[2]
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 16.3% of the total population, significantly above the state average of 4.6% and national average of 3.2%.[2]
44.8% of people in Leichhardt are unmarried, significantly higher than the national and state averages. 38.3% of residents have a registered marriage, while 16.9% are in a de facto marriage.[2]
Leichhardt is somewhat multicultural. 31.8% of the population has English ancestry, 26.9% have Australian ancestry, 10.9% have Aboriginal ancestry, 9.7% have Irish ancestry and 8.7% have Scottish ancestry.[2]
History
The division was first contested in 1949 after the expansion of seats in the Parliament of Australia. It is one of Australia's largest electorates, covering an area stretching from Cairns to Cape York and the Torres Strait, including the Torres Strait Islands. It is the northernmost-reaching federal division in Australia (although it averages slightly south of the Division of Solomon in the Northern Territory).
The division is named after Ludwig Leichhardt, an explorer and scientist. The area was first covered by the seat of Herbert from 1901 to 1934 and then by the seat of Kennedy until 1949.
Most of the electorate is almost uninhabited except for small Aboriginal communities, but the extreme southeast, consisting of the northern half of the Wet Tropics, with rich volcanic soils instead of the extraordinarily infertile lateritic sands and gravels of Cape York proper, is quite densely populated and includes urban Cairns. There are small, intensive sugar cane, banana and mango farms in this region, though they are prone to damage from droughts and cyclones.
A safe Labor seat from the late 1950s to the 1970s, it has been marginal for most of the time since then. While Cairns has historically tilted toward Labor, the more rural areas tilt toward the Liberals and Nationals.
It was a bellwether seat held by the party of government from the 1972 election until the 2010 election. When Warren Entsch, who held the seat from 1996 to 2007, won it back for the LNP in 2010, he became the seat's first opposition member in four decades. It also marked the first time Labor had been in government without holding Leichhardt.
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.[3]
Warren Entsch retired from federal politics upon the dissolution of the 47th Parliament on 28 March 2025 in the lead-up to the 2025 federal election. Former professional basketball player Matt Smith subsequently won the seat for Labor, defeating LNP candidate Jeremy Neal.[4]
Members
| Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Gilmore (1908–1994) | Country | 10 December 1949 – 28 April 1951 | Lost seat. Later elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland seat of Tablelands in 1957 | ||
| Harry Bruce (1884–1958) | Labor | 28 April 1951 – 11 October 1958 | Previously held the Legislative Assembly of Queensland seat of The Tableland. Died in office | ||
| Bill Fulton (1909–1988) | 22 November 1958 – 11 November 1975 | Retired | |||
| David Thomson (1924–2013) | National Country | 13 December 1975 – 16 October 1982 | Served as minister under Fraser. Lost seat | ||
| Nationals | 16 October 1982 – 5 March 1983 | ||||
| John Gayler (1943–2022) | Labor | 5 March 1983 – 8 February 1993 | Retired | ||
| Peter Dodd (1953–) | 13 March 1993 – 2 March 1996 | Lost seat | |||
| Warren Entsch (1950–) | Liberal | 2 March 1996 – 24 November 2007 | Retired | ||
| Jim Turnour (1966–) | Labor | 24 November 2007 – 21 August 2010 | Lost seat | ||
| Warren Entsch (1950–) | Liberal[a] | 21 August 2010 – 28 March 2025 | Retired | ||
| Matt Smith (1979–) | Labor | 3 May 2025 – present | Incumbent | ||
Election results
Notes
- ^ Member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland sitting with the federal parliamentary Liberal Party.
References
- ^ Muller, Damon (14 November 2017). "The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "2021 Leichhardt, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics"
- ^ The Bellwether Contests: Antony Green ABC
- ^ Green, Antony (4 May 2025). "Leichhardt (Key Seat) Federal Election 2025 Results". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived 3 May 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 May 2025.