South West Region (Western Australia)

This article is about the electoral region. For other uses, see South West, Western Australia.

South West Region Western Australia—Legislative Council
Location of South West Region in
State	Western Australia
Created	1989
MP	Sally Talbot (Labor) Ben Dawkins (Independent) Jackie Jarvis (Labor) Steve Thomas (Liberal) Louise Kingston (Independent)
Party	Labor (2)   Liberal (1)   Independent (3)
Electors	242,983 (2021)
Area	38,592 km^2 (14,900.5 sq mi)
Demographic	Regional

The South West Region is a multi-member electoral region of the Western Australian Legislative Council the South West, Peel and part of the Great Southern regions of the state. It was created by the Acts Amendment (Electoral Reform) Act 1987, and became effective on 22 May 1989 with seven members who had been elected at the 1989 state election three months earlier. At the 2008 election, it was reduced to six members. The region includes the cities of Albany, Bunbury and Mandurah.

Legislation to abolish the region, along with all other Western Australian Electoral Regions was passed in November 2021, with the 2025 state election to use a single state-wide electorate of 37 members.[1]

Geography

The Region is made up of several complete Legislative Assembly districts, which change at each distribution.

Redistribution	Period	Electoral districts	Electors	% of state electors	Area
29 April 1988[2]	22 May 1989 – 22 May 1997	Albany, Bunbury, Collie, Mandurah, Mitchell, Murray, Stirling, Vasse, Warren, Wellington (10)	99,510	10.94%	43,659 km^2 (16,857 sq mi)
28 November 1994[3]	22 May 1997 – 22 May 2005	Albany, Bunbury, Collie, Dawesville, Mandurah, Mitchell, Murray-Wellington, Stirling, Vasse, Warren-Blackwood (10)	121,408	11.74%	43,659 km^2 (16,857 sq mi)
4 August 2003[4]	22 May 2005 – 22 May 2009	Albany, Bunbury, Capel, Collie-Wellington, Dawesville, Leschenault, Mandurah, Murray, Stirling, Vasse, Warren-Blackwood (11)	152,494	12.55%	37,493 km^2 (14,476 sq mi)
29 October 2007[5]	22 May 2009 – 22 May 2017	Albany, Blackwood-Stirling, Bunbury, Collie-Preston, Dawesville, Mandurah, Murray-Wellington, Vasse (8)	167,871	13.33%	41,008 km^2 (15,833 sq mi)
27 November 2015[6]	22 May 2017 – 22 May 2021	Albany, Bunbury, Collie-Preston, Dawesville, Mandurah, Murray-Wellington, Vasse, Warren-Blackwood (8)	226,051	14.19%	45,079 km^2 (17,405 sq mi)
27 November 2019[7]	22 May 2021 – 22 May 2025	As per 2015	242,983	14.15%	38,592 km^2 (14,900 sq mi)

Representation

Distribution of seats

As 7-member seat: Election Seats won 1989–1993               1993–1997               1997–2001               2001–2005               2005–2009               As 6-member seat: Election Seats won 2009–2013             2013–2017             2017–2021             2021–2025

Legend:   Labor   Liberal   National   Greens WA   One Nation   Legalise Cannabis

Members

Since its creation, the electorate has had 17 members. Four of these members had previously been members of the Legislative Council—Beryl Jones (Lower West Province), Bill Stretch (Lower Central Province), Doug Wenn and Barry House (both South West Province).

Members for South West Region

Year	Member		Party	Member		Party	Member		Party	Member		Party	Member		Party	Member		Party	Member		Party
1989		Beryl Jones	Labor		Bob Thomas	Labor		Doug Wenn	Labor		Bill Stretch	Liberal		Muriel Patterson	Liberal		Barry House	Liberal		Murray Montgomery	Nationals
1993		John Cowdell	Labor
1996								Chrissy Sharp	Greens
2001					Adele Farina	Labor								Robyn McSweeney	Liberal					Paddy Embry	One Nation
2003																					New Country
2005		Sally Talbot	Labor					Matt Benson-Lidholm	Labor		Nigel Hallett	Liberal								Paul Llewellyn	Greens
2008								Colin Holt	Nationals
2013
2016												Shooters, Fishers, Farmers
2017											Diane Evers	Greens		Steve Thomas	Liberal		Colin Tincknell	One Nation
2021					Alannah MacTiernan	Labor		Jackie Jarvis	Labor		Sophia Moermond	Legalise Cannabis					James Hayward	Nationals
2021																		Independent
2023a					Ben Dawkins	Independent Labor
2023b						Independent											Louise Kingston	Nationals
2024a												Independent
2024b																		Independent

Election results

Main article: Electoral results for the South West Region

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2021 Western Australian state election (Legislative Council) § South West.[edit]

2021 Western Australian state election: South West[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Quota			29,300
	Labor	1. Sally Talbot (elected 1) 2. Alannah MacTiernan (elected 3) 3. Jackie Jarvis (elected 4) 4. John Mondy 5. Ben Dawkins 6. Kylie Fitzgerald	114,713	55.93	+19.49
	Liberal	1. Steve Thomas (elected 2) 2. Greg Stocks 3. Anita Shortland 4. Hayden Burbidge	37,736	18.40	−4.28
	National	1. James Hayward (elected 6) 2. Louise Kingston 3. Rod Pfeiffer	12,254	5.97	−6.06
	Greens	1. Diane Evers 2. Donald Clarke 3. Jodie Moffat	12,220	5.96	−1.62
	Shooters, Fishers, Farmers	1. Rick Mazza 2. Russell McCarthy 3. Ray Hull	5,178	2.52	−1.59
	Legalise Cannabis	1. Sophia Moermond (elected 5) 2. Nicola Johnson	4,531	2.21	+2.21
	One Nation	1. Colin Tincknell 2. Paul Howard 3. Michael Pelle	3,841	1.87	−8.76
	Christians	1. Laurence Van der Plas 2. Joan Albany	3,782	1.84	+0.15
	No Mandatory Vaccination	1. Keith Bunton 2. Elisabeth Bluntschli	2,504	1.22	+1.22
	Liberal Democrats	1. Eli Bernstein 2. David Fishlock	2,014	0.98	+0.03
	Western Australia	1. Terri Sharp 2. Joanne Munro	1,420	0.69	+0.55
	Sustainable Australia	1. Daniel Minson 2. Heather Scott	904	0.44	+0.44
	WAxit	1. Chas Hopkins 2. Malcolm Gilmour	810	0.39	+0.20
	Animal Justice	1. Vicki Bailey 2. Sarah Gould	798	0.39	−0.40
	Health Australia	1. Justin Zwartkruis 2. Hayley Green	493	0.24	+0.24
	Great Australian	1. Nick Robinson 2. Andy Gleeson	461	0.22	+0.22
	Liberals for Climate	1. Mark Bentley 2. Pieter Lottering	410	0.20	−0.23
	Daylight Saving	1. Garry Spiers 2. Lizabeth Taylor	283	0.14	−0.22
	Independent	1. Yasmin Bartlett 2. Karen Perttula	242	0.12	+0.12
	Independent	Dave Schumacher	170	0.08	+0.08
	Independent	1. George Seth 2. Noel Avery	145	0.07	+0.07
	Independent	1. John Banks 2. Phillip Spencer	101	0.05	+0.05
	Independent	Bob Burdett	89	0.04	+0.04
Total formal votes			205,099	97.92	+0.83
Informal votes			4,357	2.08	−0.83
Turnout			209,456	86.20	−1.00

References

1. "'Devastating for regional communities': WA government uses majority to overhaul state's electoral laws". ABC News. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
2. "Electoral Districts Act 1947-1985 - Order in Council". Western Australia Government Gazette. 29 April 1988. p. 1988:1339-1527.
3. "Electoral Distributions Act 1947 - Division of the State into Six Electoral Regions and 57 Electoral Districts by the Electoral Distribution Commissioners". Western Australia Government Gazette. 28 November 1994. p. 1994:6135-6327.
4. "Electoral Distributions Act 1947 - Division of the State into Electoral Regions and Districts by the Electoral Distribution Commissioners". Western Australia Government Gazette. 4 August 2003. p. 2003:3475-3566.
5. Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC) (29 October 2007). "South West Region Profile". Retrieved 22 October 2008.^[permanent dead link‍]
6. Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC) (27 November 2015). "South West Region". Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
7. "2019 Review of Western Australia's Electoral Boundaries" (PDF). Electoral Boundaries WA. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
8. "2021 State General Election Results: South West Region". Western Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 April 2021.