# Division of La Trobe

The Division of La Trobe is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. It is a semi-urban electorate extending from the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne to the westernmost areas of Gippsland. It fully incorporates the suburbs of Beaconsfield, Officer and Pakenham, the majority of Clyde North and Harkaway, and eastern portions of Berwick. The division also covers towns beyond the metropolitan area such as Beaconsfield Upper, Bunyip, Cockatoo, Emerald, Garfield, Gembrook, Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang, Nar Nar Goon and Pakenham Upper.

## Geography

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

## History

The division was proclaimed at the redistribution of 11 May 1949, and was first contested at the 1949 election. It was named after Charles La Trobe, the first Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria. It was originally located closer to the city, but redistributions moved it further south-east. It originally included the suburbs of Croydon, Dandenong, Ferntree Gully and Ringwood.
The first person to hold the seat was Richard Casey, Baron Casey, later the sixteenth Governor-General of Australia and the last of three Australian politicians to be elevated to the British House of Lords. The Division of Casey, which borders this division to the north, is named after him. In 1961, the division was the subject of a book, Parties and People: A Survey Based on the La Trobe Electorate, by Creighton Burns.

## Members

| Member | Party | Term | Notes |
| Richard Casey (1890–1976) | Liberal | 10 December 1949 – 10 February 1960 | Previously held the Division of Corio. Served as minister under Menzies. Resigned to take up a seat in the British House of Lords |
| John Jess (1922–2003) | Liberal | 9 April 1960 – 2 December 1972 | Lost seat |
| Tony Lamb (1939–) | Labor | 2 December 1972 – 13 December 1975 | Lost seat. Later elected to the Division of Streeton in 1984 |
| Marshall Baillieu (1937–) | Liberal | 13 December 1975 – 18 October 1980 | Lost seat |
| Peter Milton (1928–2009) | Labor | 18 October 1980 – 24 March 1990 | Lost seat |
| Bob Charles (1936–2016) | Liberal | 24 March 1990 – 31 August 2004 | Retired |
| Jason Wood (1968–) | Liberal | 9 October 2004 – 21 August 2010 | Lost seat |
| Laura Smyth (1976–) | Labor | 21 August 2010 – 7 September 2013 | Lost seat |
| Jason Wood (1968–) | Liberal | 7 September 2013 – present | Incumbent |

## Election results

2022 Australian federal election: La Trobe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Jason Wood | 41,786 | 45.58 | −0.20 |
| | Labor | Abi Kumar | 23,918 | 26.09 | −7.55 |
| | Greens | Michael Schilling | 9,980 | 10.89 | +3.32 |
| | United Australia | Merryn Mott | 6,182 | 6.74 | +3.80 |
| | One Nation | Hadden Ervin | 4,555 | 4.97 | −0.62 |
| | Animal Justice | Helen Jeges | 2,450 | 2.67 | +2.67 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Abelman | 1,911 | 2.08 | +2.08 |
| | Federation | Rebecca Skinner | 890 | 0.97 | +0.97 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 91,672 | 95.34 | −0.11 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 4,483 | 4.66 | +0.11 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 96,155 | 90.89 | +1.67 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Liberal | Jason Wood | 53,803 | 58.69 | +3.56 |
| | Labor | Abi Kumar | 37,869 | 41.31 | −3.56 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.56 | |