Division of Robertson

The Division of Robertson is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.

Originally located in rural central NSW at Federation, the division has gradually moved eastwards in successive redistributions to the Central Coast, which it still covers as of 2025.

Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions in a particular state occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes, or when divisions in a state are malapportioned.^[1]

When the division was created in 1900, it was located in the state's Central West, west of the Blue Mountains. It included Dubbo, Wellington and Mudgee. In 1906, it was shifted east into the Upper Hunter, losing Dubbo but gained Murrurundi, Scone, Muswellbrook, Singleton and Branxton.^[2]

In 1913, it expanded into the Central Coast up to the Hawkesbury River, and gained areas such as Morisset, Gosford, Wyong and The Entrance. However, it also lost Wellington in the Central West to the Division of Calare.^[3] In 1922, it gained areas north of Newcastle. It effectively surrounded the city and the lower Hunter Valley, but did not include the city itself. The gains in the north included Raymond Terrace, Bulahdelah and Forster. The division also lost Murrurundi, Scone and Branxton.^[2]

In 1934, the division lost the northern areas it gained in 1922, as well as losing Mudgee and Muswellbrook. At the same time, it expanded into Sydney, gaining many areas in north-west Sydney previously part of the Division of Parramatta, particularly areas north and west of Parramatta (but not inclusive).^[4] These areas include Blacktown, Rouse Hill, Castle Hill, Dural and Hornsby. It also extended into Old Guildford south of Parramatta. In 1949, the division started to shrink in area. It lost most of the Sydney areas to the new Division of Mitchell, except Hornsby and the surrounding Ku-ring-gai areas.^[5] It also lost regional areas to the north and west, including Singleton. In 1968, it shrunk again to cover the Central Coast only, losing any remaining areas in Sydney (to the new Division of Berowra) and the Hunter.^[6] In the 1977 and 1984 redistributions, it further lost the northern areas of the Central Coast, with these northern areas becoming the Division of Dobell in the latter redistribution.^[7] Since 1984, the division only covered the southern areas of the Central Coast generally centred around Gosford, with some minor boundary changes during redistributions.^[2]

Since 1949, there is no longer an overlap between the division and the area it originally covered at federation, as the division had effectively moved south-east from the Central West towards the Central Coast gradually over time.^[2]

Since 2025, the division covers only the south-western half of the Central Coast Council.^[8] It encompasses Gosford and the towns of Woy Woy, Gosford and Terrigal.

The division was proclaimed at Federation, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election in 1901. It was named after the fifth Premier of New South Wales, Sir John Robertson, and was originally centred in rural central NSW, encompassing the area around Dubbo, Mudgee and Wellington. It moved eastwards to the Central Coast to take in Gosford in 1913.

The division no longer includes any of its original territory, but has retained the name of Robertson, in part because the Australian Electoral Commission is required to preserve the names of original electorates where possible.^[9]

Two of its members have served as Senators prior or subsequent to their tenures in Robertson. Former senator, Belinda Neal, was elected in Robertson in 2007, and Deborah O'Neill became a senator shortly after losing Robertson in 2013.

In recent years, Robertson has been a bellwether electorate in federal elections, and has taken on a character similar to mortgage belt seats on Sydney's outer fringe. It has been held by a member of the party of government since the 1983 federal election. After Mike Kelly became the first opposition MP elected to represent Eden-Monaro (in 2016) since 1975, Robertson currently holds the record for the longest-running bellwether seat in Australia.

The current Member for Robertson, since the 2022 federal election, is Gordon Reid, a member of the Australian Labor Party.

Ahead of the 2016 election, ABC psephologist Antony Green listed Robertson in his election guide as one of eleven which he classed as bellwether electorates. Prior to the 2016 election, the seat of Eden-Monaro had been long-regarded as Australia's premier bellwether electorate. From the 1972 election until the 2013 election – over 40 years – Eden-Monaro had been won by the party that also won government.

However, Eden-Monaro lost that title after the Labor opposition won it at the 2016 election, and the nation's new longest-running bellwether is Robertson – continually won by the party that won government since the 1983 election.^[10] This trend in Robertson continued in the 2022 and 2025 elections, with Labor winning the seat and Government.

• Division of Robertson – Australian Electoral Commission

33°22′55″S 151°12′47″E / 33.382°S 151.213°E / -33.382; 151.213