# Electoral district of Hawthorn

Hawthorn is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It was first proclaimed in 1888, taking effect at the 1899 election.
The seat is located in eastern Melbourne and is centred on the suburbs of Hawthorn and Hawthorn East. It also includes Camberwell and parts of Canterbury, Glen Iris, and Surrey Hills.

## History

Hawthorn has usually been a safe seat for the Liberal Party and its predecessors, having been held by a number of leaders and senior ministers. In the 1960s, the seat of Hawthorn included parts of working class Richmond, making it less secure for the Liberals than in recent decades.
With the exception of two occasions when Liberal MPs defected and sat as independents, it has only been held by non-Liberal MPs three times in its history: independent Leslie Hollins from 1940 to 1945, Labor-turned-Labor (Anti-Communist) MP Charles Murphy from 1952 to 1955, and Labor MP John Kennedy in 2018.
Kennedy's victory over Liberal MP John Pesutto at the 2018 state election was considered a shock, with Guardian Australia saying he had "little chance" going into the election. Pesutto was a panelist on ABC on election night when he was told on live television that he had lost his seat.
Pesutto re-contested Hawthorn at the 2022 state election, defeating Kennedy and teal independent candidate Melissa Lowe. He is the current member, as well as the leader of the Victorian Liberal Party.
Notable former members for Hawthorn include former premiers Sir William McPherson and Ted Baillieu, as well as Walter Jona, a minister in the Hamer government.

## Members for Hawthorn

| Member | Party | Term | Notes |
| Charles Taylor (1849–1898) | Liberal | 1 April 1889 – 1 September 1894 | |
| Robert Murray Smith (1831–1921) | Conservative | 1 October 1894 – 1 October 1900 | |
| Robert Barbour (1845–1914) | Liberal | 1 November 1900 – 1901 | |
| Robert Barbour (1845–1914) | Ministerialist | 1901 – 1 September 1902 | |
| George Swinburne (1861–1928) | Ministerialist | 1 October 1902 – 1907 | |
| George Swinburne (1861–1928) | Independent | 1907 – 1911 | |
| George Swinburne (1861–1928) | Liberal | 1911 – 31 July 1913 | |
| William Murray McPherson (1865–1932) | Liberal | 1 September 1913 – 1916 | Premier of Victoria from 1928 until 1929 |
| William Murray McPherson (1865–1932) | Economy | 1916 – 1917 | Premier of Victoria from 1928 until 1929 |
| William Murray McPherson (1865–1932) | Nationalist | 1917 – 1 August 1930 | Premier of Victoria from 1928 until 1929 |
| John Austin Gray (1892–1939) | Nationalist | 27 September 1930 – 15 September 1931 | Died in office |
| John Austin Gray (1892–1939) | United Australia | 15 September 1931 – 6 May 1939 | Died in office |
| Les Tyack (1899–1970) | United Australia | 10 June 1939 – 16 March 1940 | Won by-election |
| Leslie Hollins (1897–1984) | Independent | 16 March 1940 – 10 November 1945 | |
| Fred Edmunds (1901–1985) | Liberal | 10 November 1945 – 22 March 1949 | Suspended (then expelled) from LCP party room for disloyalty. Briefly expelled as LCP member but readmitted and contested 1950 election without endorsement. Lost seat |
| Fred Edmunds (1901–1985) | Liberal and Country | 22 March 1949 – 10 February 1950 | Suspended (then expelled) from LCP party room for disloyalty. Briefly expelled as LCP member but readmitted and contested 1950 election without endorsement. Lost seat |
| Fred Edmunds (1901–1985) | Independent Liberal | 10 February 1950 – 31 March 1950 | Suspended (then expelled) from LCP party room for disloyalty. Briefly expelled as LCP member but readmitted and contested 1950 election without endorsement. Lost seat |
| Fred Edmunds (1901–1985) | Independent | 31 March 1950 – 1 April 1950 | Suspended (then expelled) from LCP party room for disloyalty. Briefly expelled as LCP member but readmitted and contested 1950 election without endorsement. Lost seat |
| Fred Edmunds (1901–1985) | Independent Liberal | 1 April 1950 – 13 May 1950 | Suspended (then expelled) from LCP party room for disloyalty. Briefly expelled as LCP member but readmitted and contested 1950 election without endorsement. Lost seat |
| Les Tyack (1899–1970) | Liberal | 13 May 1950 – 6 December 1952 | |
| Charles Murphy (1909–1997) | Labor | 6 December 1952 – 30 March 1955 | |
| Charles Murphy (1909–1997) | Labor (Anti-Communist) | 30 March 1955 – 27 May 1955 | |
| Jim Manson (1908–1974) | Liberal | 27 May 1955 – 31 May 1958 | |
| Peter Garrisson (1923–2013) | Liberal | 31 May 1958 – 1963 | |
| Peter Garrisson (1923–2013) | Independent | 1963 – 27 June 1964 | |
| Walter Jona (1926–2007) | Liberal | 27 June 1964 – 2 March 1985 | |
| Phil Gude (1941–) | Liberal | 2 March 1985 – 18 September 1999 | Deputy Liberal leader from 1991–1999 |
| Ted Baillieu (1953–) | Liberal | 18 September 1999 – 29 November 2014 | Premier of Victoria from 2010 until 2013 |
| John Pesutto (1970–) | Liberal | 29 November 2014 – 24 November 2018 | Lost seat |
| John Kennedy (1947–) | Labor | 24 November 2018 – 26 November 2022 | Lost seat |
| John Pesutto (1970–) | Liberal | 26 November 2022 – present | Leader of the Opposition from 2022 until 2024. Incumbent |

## Election results

2022 Victorian state election: Hawthorn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Pesutto | 18,728 | 42.3 | −1.8 |
| | Labor | John Kennedy | 9,799 | 22.1 | −10.9 |
| | Independent | Melissa Lowe | 8,851 | 20.0 | +20.0 |
| | Greens | Nick Savage | 4,927 | 11.1 | −6.4 |
| | Animal Justice | Faith Fuhrer | 660 | 1.5 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Peppard | 583 | 1.3 | +1.3 |
| | Family First | Ken Triantafillis | 408 | 0.9 | +0.9 |
| | Democratic Labour | Stratton Bell | 354 | 0.8 | +0.8 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 44,310 | 97.4 | +1.0 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,178 | 2.6 | −1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,488 | 90.8 | +1.2 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Liberal | John Pesutto | 22,927 | 51.7 | +2.3 |
| | Labor | John Kennedy | 21,383 | 48.3 | –2.3 |
| | Liberal gain from Labor | Liberal gain from Labor | Swing | +2.3 | |