Fremantle is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.

The district is located in the inner south-west of Perth, centring on the port of Fremantle.

Fremantle had been a safe Labor seat, having been continually held by the party from 1924 until their defeat by Greens WA candidate Adele Carles at the Fremantle state by-election, 2009.

[edit] Geography

Fremantle is a north–south elongated electorate. It is bounded to the north by the Swan River and to the west by the Indian Ocean. A series of roads make up the district's short southern and long eastern boundary. The district takes in the suburbs of Beaconsfield, East Fremantle, Fremantle, North Coogee, South Fremantle and White Gum Valley, as well as parts of the suburbs of Bicton, Hamilton Hill, Palmyra and Spearwood. The district also includes Rottnest Island.

[edit] History

Created for the 1890 state election. Fremantle was one of the original 30 districts of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. It has remained as an electorate ever since. In its early years, the seat changed hands regularly between different candidates. However, the seat became more favourable to the Labor Party in the early 20th century, and has been a Labor seat at all times since 1924.

Fremantle's longest serving member was Joseph Sleeman, member for 35 years from 1924 to 1959. David Parker, member for Fremantle from 1980 to 1990, served as Deputy Premier of Western Australia under Premier Peter Dowding from 1988 to 1990. The seat's member until his retirement in 2009 was Jim McGinty, who was the Opposition Leader from 1994 to 1996 and Attorney-General in the Gallop and Carpenter governments from 2001 to 2008. He was replaced in the Fremantle state by-election, 2009 by Greens candidate Adele Carles, who won the seat having outpolled Labor on the primary vote, and gaining sufficient preference flow to fill McGinty's vacancy. In doing so, Carles set a number of firsts for the Greens in Australia.

[edit] Members

[edit] See also

• Fremantle state by-election, 1990
• Fremantle state by-election, 2009

[edit] External links

• ABC Election Profiles: 2005 2008
• WAEC District Maps: 1996–2005 2005–2008 2008–