# Division of Batman

The Division of Batman was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It took its name from John Batman, one of the founders of the city of Melbourne. The division was created in 1906, replacing the Division of Northern Melbourne, and was abolished in 2019 and replaced by the Division of Cooper.
The division was located in Melbourne's northern suburbs. It covered an area of approximately 66 square kilometres (25 sq mi) from Thomastown/Bundoora in the north to Clifton Hill in the south, with Merri Creek providing the vast majority of the western boundary and Darebin Creek, parts of Macleod and Plenty Road in Bundoora providing the eastern boundary. The suburbs of Alphington, Clifton Hill, Fairfield, Kingsbury, Northcote, Preston, Reservoir, and Thornbury; and parts of Bundoora, Coburg North, Macleod, and Thomastown were in this division.
Held by Labor for all but 10 years of its history, Batman traditionally had been a safe Labor seat. However, the Greens made the seat a contest beginning with the 2010 election, where they reduced Labor from a 26.0% margin to a 7.9% margin. Though Labor increased their margin against the Greens to 10.6% in 2013, the Greens reduced Labor's margin to just 1.0% in 2016. At the 2018 Batman by-election however, Labor increased their margin to 4.4% against the Greens.
In June 2018, the Australian Electoral Commission announced that, at the 2019 Australian federal election, the division would be re-named Cooper, after Aboriginal community leader and activist William Cooper.

## History

When it was created it covered the inner suburbs of Carlton and Fitzroy, but successive boundary changes moved it steadily northwards, ending with it including Northcote, Preston, Reservoir and Thornbury.
Located in Labor's traditional heartland of north Melbourne, Batman had been in Labor hands for all but two terms since 1910, and without interruption since 1969. It was held by Brian Howe from 1977 to 1996, a senior minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, and also Deputy Prime Minister 1991–95. Howe was succeeded at the 1996 election by Martin Ferguson, moving to Parliament after six years as President of the ACTU. Ferguson served as a senior Labor frontbencher, and a minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments, before resigning from the ministry in March 2013 after the failed challenge to Gillard's leadership. He was succeeded at the 2013 election by former Senator David Feeney, who had been a parliamentary secretary in the Rudd and Gillard governments.
In 2018, as a result of the 2017–18 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis, Feeney resigned and decided not to seek pre-selection to run at the ensuing by-election. The 2018 Batman by-election held on 17 March saw the election of Labor's Ged Kearney.

## Members

| Member | Party | Term | Notes |
| Jabez Coon (1869–1935) | Protectionist | 12 December 1906 – 26 May 1909 | Lost seat |
| Jabez Coon (1869–1935) | Liberal | 26 May 1909 – 13 April 1910 | Lost seat |
| Henry Beard (1864–1910) | Labor | 13 April 1910 – 18 December 1910 | Previously held the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Jika Jika. Died in office |
| Frank Brennan (1873–1950) | Labor | 8 February 1911 – 19 December 1931 | Served as minister under Scullin. Lost seat |
| Samuel Dennis (1870–1945) | United Australia | 19 December 1931 – 15 September 1934 | Lost seat |
| Frank Brennan (1873–1950) | Labor | 15 September 1934 – 31 October 1949 | Retired |
| Alan Bird (1906–1962) | Labor | 10 December 1949 – 21 July 1962 | Died in office |
| Sam Benson (1909–1995) | Labor | 1 September 1962 – 31 August 1966 | Expelled from Labor. Retired |
| Sam Benson (1909–1995) | Independent | 31 August 1966 – 29 September 1969 | Expelled from Labor. Retired |
| Horrie Garrick (1918–1982) | Labor | 25 October 1969 – 10 November 1977 | Lost preselection and retired |
| Brian Howe (1936–) | Labor | 10 December 1977 – 2 March 1996 | Served as minister and Deputy Prime Minister under Hawke and Keating. Retired |
| Martin Ferguson (1953–) | Labor | 2 March 1996 – 5 August 2013 | Served as minister under Rudd and Gillard. Retired |
| David Feeney (1970–) | Labor | 7 September 2013 – 1 February 2018 | Previously a member of the Senate. Election results declared void due to dual citizenship. Did not contest subsequent by-election |
| Ged Kearney (1963–) | Labor | 17 March 2018 – 11 April 2019 | Transferred to the Division of Cooper after Batman was abolished in 2019 |

## Election results

2018 Batman by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Ged Kearney | 36,840 | 43.14 | +7.87 |
| | Greens | Alex Bhathal | 33,725 | 39.49 | +3.26 |
| | Conservatives | Kevin Bailey | 5,471 | 6.41 | +6.41 |
| | Animal Justice | Miranda Smith | 2,528 | 2.96 | +1.29 |
| | Rise Up Australia | Yvonne Gentle | 2,217 | 2.60 | +2.60 |
| | Independent | Teresa van Lieshout | 1,245 | 1.46 | +1.46 |
| | Liberty Alliance | Debbie Robinson | 1,186 | 1.39 | +1.39 |
| | Sustainable Australia | Mark McDonald | 951 | 1.11 | +1.11 |
| | | Adrian Whitehead | 745 | 0.87 | +0.87 |
| | People's Party | Tegan Burns | 496 | 0.58 | +0.58 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 85,404 | 93.79 | +1.57 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 5,650 | 6.21 | −1.57 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 91,054 | 81.40 | −8.28 |
| Two-candidate-preferred result ||||||
| | Labor | Ged Kearney | 46,446 | 54.38 | +3.35 |
| | Greens | Alex Bhathal | 38,958 | 45.62 | −3.35 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | +3.35 | |