Comments on: Sydney or the bush

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 07:44:25 +0000

Andren will be in the senate… if I could bet on it I would lol! He will get plenty of preferences and . Would be one of the best things to ever happen to this country if he could get in. Only thing better would be for him to get in and be part of the balance of power in the senate. He is a people’s champion that is no doubt. But if it wasnt for the Governments intervention in the AEC’s redistribution then he would of been running again for his seat. I find it just so convenient that in the whole redistribution of NSW, where 1 sydney seat could of been abolished with little real consequence that the seat of Calare was cut in half by the AEC and the new seat made ridicuously big. I hope that it bites them hard in the a** and he gets in.

By: oakeshott country

oakeshott country — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 01:19:21 +0000

Labor proposed that Paterson, be called Evatt when it reappeared in 1993. The quote was that the seat should be named after a famous jurist, politician and madman rather than a Rum Rebel. I note on the AEC site that the current incarnation is named after Banjo rather than the Colonel.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 00:02:16 +0000

I forgot both Frank Tudor and George Turner (the only one of the first Federal Ministry not to have a seat named after him). As a Victorian, I should be ashamed.

By: David Walsh

David Walsh — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 18:18:20 +0000

I think you’ve asked this one before, Adam. From memory, the answer was Watson and Tangney.

Both Charlie and Adam have left out Frank Tudor. Is Tudor the forgotten man of Australian politics? He’s been eligible for a seat name for 85 years.

As I think Phil was aluding to, the present guidelines stipulate that “The names of Commonwealth Divisions should not duplicate existing State Districts.” Although there does remain a number of exceptions. In the case of SA, it would count against Florey, Playford and Mawson.

By: Martin B

Martin B — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 15:53:12 +0000

“â€˜Steele Ruddâ€™ was a pseudonym, so probably not.”

But both from R&R Qld so you never know

By: STROP

STROP — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 13:02:57 +0000

Thanks Mr Speaker- I will have to do alot more reading now >laughin. Strop.

By: oakeshott country

oakeshott country — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:45:07 +0000

But I also note that Watson was named in1934

By: oakeshott country

oakeshott country — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:41:47 +0000

I’ll go for Boothby and Rankin.

By: Adam the Pedant

Adam the Pedant — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 08:10:56 +0000

There are only two deceased PMs without seats named after them: Bill McMahon and Joe Cook, who has the misfortune to share a surname with Captain Cook. Perhaps there could be a seat of Joseph Cook – itâ€™s no more unweildy than Kingsford Smith. Berowra could easily be renamed McMahon. The other obvious candidates for seat-name-immortalisation are John Latham, Ted Theodore, Jack Lang, Doc Evatt and Bill Snedden.

Quiz question: to my recollection only two people have had seats named after them while they were still alive. Who were they?

By: Charlie

Charlie — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 07:05:52 +0000

I wasn’t aware of that, Oakeshott. I just presumed it was named after Joseph. It’s made more problematic by the fact that Joseph Cook was from New South Wales.