Electoral district of Churchlands

Churchlands Western Australia—Legislative Assembly
State	Western Australia
Dates current	1996–present
MP	Sean L'Estrange
Party	Liberal
Namesake	Churchlands
Area	28.7 km^2 (11.1 sq mi)
Demographic	North Metropolitan

Churchlands is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Churchlands is named for the western suburb of Churchlands which falls within its borders, and was created at the 1994 redistribution, replacing the seat of Floreat which had existed since 1968.^[1]

It was held for most of its history by Liz Constable, the independent former member for who had won the predecessor seat in a 1991 by-election. However, the seat's demographics suggested it was a strongly Liberal seat on paper, and it was taken for granted Constable would be succeeded by a Liberal once she retired. Constable retired at the 2013 election, and was succeeded as expected by Liberal Sean L'Estrange.

Demographics

Churchlands and the neighbouring electorates of Nedlands to the southeast and Cottesloe to the southwest comprise the affluent western suburbs of Perth—the Australian Bureau of Statistics's SEIFA index (2001) ranked them as the highest three electorates by socio-economic status in Western Australia, with high scores on educational and employment opportunity. At the 2006 census, the median individual income in the Churchlands electorate, based on its 2005 boundaries, was $607 per week compared to $513 in the Perth metropolitan area, and the median weekly household income was $1,115 compared to $1,086 across Perth. 45.4% of the population were professionals or managers.^[2]

All three seats are comfortably safe Liberal seats, and they are almost entirely within the equally safe Liberal federal seat of Curtin.

Members for Churchlands

Member		Party	Term
	Liz Constable	Independent	1996–2013
	Sean L'Estrange	Liberal	2013–present

Results

Western Australian state election, 2013: Churchlands^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Sean L'Estrange	13,366	58.99	+58.99
	Labor	Patrick Ashforth	3,543	15.64	-2.26
	Independent	Wayne Monks	1,828	8.07	+8.07
	Greens WA	Cameron Pidgeon	1,740	7.68	-7.12
	Independent	Elizabeth Re	1,072	4.73	+4.73
	Independent	Jim Bivoltsis	783	3.46	+3.46
	Christians	Pat Seymour	327	1.44	+1.44
Total formal votes			22,659	96.47
Informal votes			829	3.53
Turnout			23,488	91.39
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Sean L'Estrange	15,887	70.16	+70.16
	Labor	Patrick Ashforth	6,756	29.84	+3.31
	Liberal gain from Independent		Swing	+70.16

References

1. "Electoral Distributions Act 1947 - Division of the State into Six Electoral Regions and 57 Electoral Districts by the Electoral Distribution Commissioners". Western Australia Government Gazette. 28 November 1994. p. 1994:6135-6327.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Community Profile Series : Churchlands (North Metropolitan) (State Electoral Division)". 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
   * Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Community Profile Series : Perth (Statistical Division)". 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
3. "Churchlands District Results". Western Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2013-03-23.

External links

• Electorate Profile (Antony Green, ABC)