# Division of Cooper

The Division of Cooper is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It takes in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. The division was contested for the first time at the 2019 federal election, with Ged Kearney of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) elected as its inaugural member of parliament. She had previously represented the Division of Batman since the 2018 by-election.

## History

The division is named in honour of the Aboriginal Australian political activist William Cooper (1861–1941).
The Division of Cooper was created in 2018 after the Australian Electoral Commission oversaw a mandatory redistribution of divisions in Victoria. Cooper's geography mirrors almost entirely the Division of Batman, which it replaced in this redistribution. Unlike Batman, Cooper includes parts of Coburg North which had previously belonged in the neighbouring division of Wills, though it no longer features parts of Thomastown or Bundoora. In 2024, another redistribution moved the suburb of Clifton Hill from the Division of Melbourne into the south of Cooper. This area voted 60-40 Greens-ALP at the 2022 federal election.
The seat was notionally held by the Labor Party on a 0.6% margin over the Greens, when compared to the result for Batman at the 2016 federal election. At the 2019 election incumbent Ged Kearney received a 2PP swing of over 13% versus the Greens candidate David Risstrom, making the seat once again safe for the ALP. At the 2022 federal election, Greens candidate Celeste Liddle received a 6.16 swing in her favour (2PP), for a final result of 58.67-41.33.

## Geography

Federal electoral division boundaries in Australia are 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.
As of the 2024 redistribution, the Division of Cooper includes the suburbs of Alphington, Bundoora, Clifton Hill, Coburg, Coburg North, Fairfield, Kingsbury, Macleod, Northcote, Preston, Reservoir, and Thornbury. It also includes the local government areas of Darebin, Merri-Bek, and Yarra. Cooper includes a small part of the state electoral district of Pascoe Vale, and all of the districts of Northcote, Preston, and Thomastown. Cooper is classified by the AEC as an Inner Metropolitan seat.
The 2PP vote has historically been stronger for the ALP in the north of the electorate, and the Greens vote stronger in the south. The north and south of the electorate are divided by Bell Street, Reservoir, which has been referred to as the "hipster-proof fence" or "Quinoa curtain".

## Members

| Image | Image | Member | Party | Term | Notes |
| | | Ged Kearney (1963–) | Labor | 18 May 2019 – present | Previously held the Division of Batman. Incumbent |

## Election results

2022 Australian federal election: Cooper :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Ged Kearney | 38,754 | 41.34 | −5.52 |
| | Greens | Celeste Liddle | 25,648 | 27.36 | +6.43 |
| | Liberal | Jadon Atkinson | 15,329 | 16.35 | −3.25 |
| | United Australia | Adam La Rosa | 4,170 | 4.45 | +2.48 |
| | Victorian Socialists | Kath Larkin | 3,250 | 3.47 | −0.75 |
| | One Nation | William Turner | 2,807 | 2.99 | +2.99 |
| | Animal Justice | Rabin Bangaar | 2,207 | 2.35 | −0.20 |
| | Fusion | Adrian Whitehead | 1,585 | 1.69 | +1.69 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 93,750 | 95.74 | +0.66 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 4,169 | 4.26 | −0.66 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 97,919 | 90.16 | −2.18 |
| Notional two-party-preferred count ||||||
| | Labor | Ged Kearney | 70,743 | 75.46 | −0.75 |
| | Liberal | Jadon Atkinson | 23,007 | 24.54 | +0.75 |
| Two-candidate-preferred result ||||||
| | Labor | Ged Kearney | 55,006 | 58.67 | −6.16 |
| | Greens | Celeste Liddle | 38,744 | 41.33 | +6.16 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | −6.16 | |