Bennelong

The Emperor's Throne

Marginal Liberal, 4.2% (post-redistribution – previously 4.3%)

You might have heard of the sitting MP for Bennelong – his name is John Howard. Bennelong is a suburban seat in inner north-western Sydney that takes in the suburbs of Ryde, Meadowbank, Ermington, Denistone, Eastwood, Marsfield and Epping, plus most of Gladesville and the eastern part of Carlingford.

Liberal-held since its creation in 1949, Bennelong has been progressively shifted west by redistributions into more marginal Liberal territory. The boundaries have been redrawn since the last election and, along with demographic changes, this may make it harder for the Prime Minister to hold.

Howard has been the member since 1974. His Labor opponent is the high-profile former ABC journalist Maxine McKew. Only one prime minister has lost his own seat – Stanley Bruce in 1929 – but Bennelong has been marginal for several elections now and is clearly in Labor’s target range. In 2004 it swung 3.4 per cent to the ALP (the third-largest anti-government swing in the country), helped by a high-profile Greens candidate in former intelligence officer Andrew Wilkie. A Crikey–Morgan telephone poll earlier this year showed Howard trailing 45 to 55 per cent, but it remains to be seen whether a celebrity candidate like McKew is the right choice for Labor.

Declared Candidates