# Electoral district of Canterbury

Canterbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, currently represented by Sophie Cotsis of the Labor Party.

## Geography

On its current boundaries, Canterbury includes the suburbs of Belmore, Campsie, Canterbury, Clemton Park, Earlwood, Lakemba, Undercliffe, and parts of Beverly Hills, Kingsgrove, Roselands, and Wiley Park.

## History

Canterbury was created in 1859, replacing part of Cumberland (South Riding), named after and including the then town, now Sydney suburb, of Canterbury. It was bordered on the east by Glebe and Newtown, and from 1880, Balmain and Redfern and stretched in the north to Drummoyne and Rhodes, south to Georges River and west to a line between Salt Pan Creek and Homebush Bay. It was a multi-member electorate, electing two members until 1882 and then four members until the abolition of multi-member electorates in 1894, when it was split into Canterbury, Ashfield, Burwood, Petersham and St George. It was abolished in 1920, with the introduction of proportional representation and absorbed into St George. It was recreated in 1927, and has been held by Labor for all but one term since. In recent decades it has become one of Labor's safest seats.

## Members for Canterbury

First incarnation (1859-1920) :
| 1859–1882, 2 members ||||
| Member | Member | Party | Term | Member | Member | Party | Term |
| | Edward Flood | None | 1859–1860 | | Samuel Lyons | None | 1859–1860 |
| | John Lucas | None | 1860–1865 | | Edward Raper | None | 1860–1864 |
| | John Lucas | None | 1860–1865 | | James Oatley | None | 1864–1869 |
| | James Pemell | None | 1865–1868 | | James Oatley | None | 1864–1869 |
| | Richard Hill | None | 1868–1877 | | James Oatley | None | 1864–1869 |
| | Richard Hill | None | 1868–1877 | | Montagu Stephen | None | 1869–1870 |
| | Richard Hill | None | 1868–1877 | | John Lucas | None | 1871–1880 |
| | Henry Parkes | None | 1877–1880 | | John Lucas | None | 1871–1880 |
| | William Pigott | None | 1880–1882 | | William Henson | None | 1880–1882 |
| 1882–1885, 3 members ||||
| Member | Member | Party | Term | Member | Member | Party | Term | Member | Member | Party | Term |
| | William Pigott | None | 1882–1884 | | Henry Moses | None | 1882–1885 | | Septimus Stephen | None | 1882–1885 |
| | Mark Hammond | None | 1884–1885 | | Henry Moses | None | 1882–1885 | | Septimus Stephen | None | 1882–1885 |
| | Mark Hammond | None | 1884–1885 | | William Henson | None | 1885–1885 | | Septimus Stephen | None | 1882–1885 |
| 1885–1894, 4 members ||||
| Member | Member | Party | Term | Member | Member | Party | Term | Member | Member | Party | Term | Member | Member | Party | Term |
| | Mark Hammond | None | 1885–1887 | | William Henson | None | 1885–1887 | | Septimus Stephen | None | 1885–1887 | | William Judd | None | 1885–1887 |
| | William Lovel Davis | Free Trade | 1887–1889 | | William Henson | Free Trade | 1887–1889 | | Alexander Hutchison | Free Trade | 1887–1891 | | Joseph Carruthers | Free Trade | 1887–1894 |
| | James Wilshire | Free Trade | 1889–1891 | | John Wheeler | Free Trade | 1889–1891 | | Alexander Hutchison | Free Trade | 1887–1891 | | Joseph Carruthers | Free Trade | 1887–1894 |
| | Cornelius Danahey | Labor | 1891–1894 | | James Eve | Free Trade | 1891–1894 | | Thomas Bavister | Labor | 1891–1894 | | Joseph Carruthers | Free Trade | 1887–1894 |
| 1894–1920, 1 member ||||
| Member | Member | Party | Term |
| | Varney Parkes | Free Trade | 1894–1900 |
| | Sydney Smith | Free Trade | 1900–1900 |
| | Thomas Taylor | Independent | 1900–1901 |
| | Thomas Mackenzie | Liberal Reform | 1901–1907 |
| | Varney Parkes | Independent Liberal | 1907–1907 |
| | Varney Parkes | Liberal Reform | 1907–1913 |
| | Henry Peters | Labor | 1913–1914 |
| | George Cann | Labor | 1914–1920 |
| Second incarnation (1927-present) ||||
| 1927–present, 1 member ||||
| Member | Member | Party | Term |
| | Arthur Tonge | Labor | 1927–1932 |
| | Edward Hocking | United Australia | 1932–1935 |
| | Arthur Tonge | Labor | 1935–1962 |
| | Kevin Stewart | Labor | 1962–1985 |
| | Kevin Moss | Labor | 1986–2003 |
| | Linda Burney | Labor | 2003–2016 |
| | Sophie Cotsis | Labor | 2016–present |

## Election results

2023 New South Wales state election: Canterbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Sophie Cotsis | 28,892 | 59.8 | +6.2 |
| | Liberal | Nemr Boumansour | 8,341 | 17.3 | −12.5 |
| | Greens | Bradley Schott | 4,354 | 9.0 | −2.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vanessa Hadchiti | 3,941 | 8.2 | +8.2 |
| | Sustainable Australia | Joe Sinacori | 1,379 | 2.9 | +2.9 |
| | Animal Justice | Kacey King | 1,376 | 2.8 | +2.6 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 48,283 | 95.3 | −0.1 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 2,386 | 4.7 | +0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,669 | 86.5 | −0.2 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Labor | Sophie Cotsis | 32,829 | 75.8 | +10.5 |
| | Liberal | Nemr Boumansour | 10,494 | 24.2 | −10.5 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | +10.5 | |