# Electoral district of Kew

The electoral district of Kew is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Located in eastern Melbourne, a few kilometres from the city centre, it is centred on the suburbs of Kew and Kew East. It also contains Balwyn, Balwyn North, Deepdene, and parts of Canterbury, Mont Albert, and Surrey Hills.
The current member for Kew is Jess Wilson.

## Geography

The boundaries of the Victorian electoral districts and regions, including Kew, are determined by the independent and impartial Electoral Boundaries Commission. Redivisions typically occur when there have been two state elections since the last redivision.
As of the 2022 Victorian state election, Kew follows the Yarra River along the north and west, follows Winfield Rd, Evelina St, Kerry Pde, Barloa Rd, and York St on the east, and follows Mont Albert Rd and Barkers Rd with the boundary extending down into Canterbury Rd between Balwyn Rd and Burke Rd on the south.
In the boundary redistribution for the 2022 Victorian state election, Kew gained 6,514 voters from the Box Hill district.
The seat is located almost entirely within the federal seat of Kooyong.

## Demography

As per the 2021 census data, the district of Kew encompasses 64,029 people (not all being registered voters) and 26,076 private dwellings. 50% of residents in the district have attained a bachelor's degree or above, which is 20 points higher than the state average. 43% of residents stated they weren't religious, 21% of residents identified as catholic, 7% of residents identified as Anglican, and 6% of residents identified as Eastern Orthodox.
96% of residents in the district of Kew that are in the labour force are employed. The median weekly personal income of residents is $991 ($188 higher that the state median), the median weekly household income of residents is $3,010 ($874 higher that the state median).
60% of residents in the district of Kew were born in Australia and 11% of residents were born in China. 24% of residents stated they have Chinese ancestry, 24% of residents stated they have English ancestry, and 20% of residents stated they had Australian ancestry. 62% of residents have had at least one of their parents born overseas.

## History

The seat was created in 1927 and has generally been a safe seat for the Liberal Party and its predecessors. The most notable former member is Dick Hamer, who was Premier of Victoria from 1972 until 1981. From 1927 to 1981, it was held by only three members, all of whom eventually became Deputy Premiers—Wilfrid Kent Hughes, Arthur Rylah and Hamer.
In 1851, Nicholas Fenwick purchased 122 acres (Lot 87) for four pounds and six shillings per acre and named the allotment Kew. In naming Kew, he is believed to have said "Kew in England is near Richmond, this place is near Richmond, why not call it Kew?".

## Members for Kew

| Member | Party | Term | Notes |
| Wilfrid Kent Hughes (1895–1970) | Nationalist | 9 April 1927 – 1931 | Served as minister under McPherson and Argyle. Served as Deputy Premier under Argyle and Hollway. Retired. Later held the federal seat of Chisholm and served as minister under Menzies |
| Wilfrid Kent Hughes (1895–1970) | United Australia | 15 September 1931 – 5 March 1945 | Served as minister under McPherson and Argyle. Served as Deputy Premier under Argyle and Hollway. Retired. Later held the federal seat of Chisholm and served as minister under Menzies |
| Wilfrid Kent Hughes (1895–1970) | Liberal | 5 March 1945 – 22 March 1949 | Served as minister under McPherson and Argyle. Served as Deputy Premier under Argyle and Hollway. Retired. Later held the federal seat of Chisholm and served as minister under Menzies |
| Wilfrid Kent Hughes (1895–1970) | Liberal and Country | 22 March 1949 – 31 October 1949 | Served as minister under McPherson and Argyle. Served as Deputy Premier under Argyle and Hollway. Retired. Later held the federal seat of Chisholm and served as minister under Menzies |
| Arthur Rylah (1909–1974) | Liberal and Country | 17 December 1949 – 1964 | Served as Deputy Premier under Bolte. Retired |
| Arthur Rylah (1909–1974) | Liberal | 1964 – 5 March 1971 | Served as Deputy Premier under Bolte. Retired |
| Dick Hamer (1916–2004) | Liberal | 17 April 1971 – 17 July 1981 | Previously a member of the Victorian Legislative Council. Served as minister under Bolte. Served as Premier from 1972 to 1981. Retired |
| Prue Sibree (1946–) | Liberal | 15 August 1981 – 19 March 1988 | Retired |
| Jan Wade (1937–) | Liberal | 19 March 1988 – 17 September 1999 | Served as minister under Kennett. Retired |
| Andrew McIntosh (1955–) | Liberal | 18 September 1999 – 29 November 2014 | Served as minister under Baillieu and Napthine. Resigned |
| Tim Smith (1983–) | Liberal | 29 November 2014 – 26 November 2022 | Retired |
| Jess Wilson (1990–) | Liberal | 26 November 2022 – present | Incumbent |

## Election results

2022 Victorian state election: Kew :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Jess Wilson | 19,321 | 44.3 | −5.0 |
| | Labor | Lucy Skelton | 9,896 | 22.7 | −8.8 |
| | Independent | Sophie Torney | 9,200 | 21.1 | +21.1 |
| | Greens | Jackie Carter | 3,612 | 8.3 | −6.9 |
| | Family First | Ann Seeley | 751 | 1.7 | +1.7 |
| | Animal Justice | Ruby Schofield | 507 | 1.2 | −0.9 |
| | Independent | Finlay Davis | 158 | 0.4 | +0.4 |
| | Independent | Kym Sullivan | 147 | 0.3 | +0.3 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 43,592 | 97.0 | +1.1 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,367 | 3.0 | −1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,959 | 90.1 | −2.3 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Liberal | Jess Wilson | 23,529 | 54.0 | −0.7 |
| | Labor | Lucy Skelton | 20,063 | 46.0 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | –0.7 | |