warrnambool-elections.org Warrnambool, Victoria

Is it really a democracy if nothing ever changes?

Warrnambool's state and federal electorates have not elected a non-Coalition member since 1955. Seventy years. Forty-eight elections. Three generations of voters.

Years since either electorate last changed hands.

Elections state and federal — every one returned the Coalition.

Forty-eight elections · No change of party

A generational frame

Anyone who has voted in every Warrnambool state and federal election in their life would need to be at least ninety-two years old today to have ever cast a vote in an election where one of Warrnambool's electorates changed hands.

Of Warrnambool's roughly thirty thousand adult residents, fewer than two hundred and fifty are that age. For the rest — three generations of voters — the question of who represents the city in state and federal parliament has, in practice, never been on the ballot.

Three generations. Forty-eight elections. One political result.

The state record · Legislative Assembly

Seven members have held Warrnambool's state electorate since 1955. All ten members across both electorates have sat in the Coalition.

Years	Electorate	Member	Party
1955–1967	Portland	George Gibbs 1955–1967·Portland·Liberal	Liberal
1967–1983	Warrnambool	Ian Smith 1967–1983·Warrnambool·Liberal	Liberal
1983–1985	Warrnambool	Adam Kempton 1983–1985·Warrnambool·Liberal	Liberal
1985–1999	Warrnambool	John McGrath 1985–1999·Warrnambool·National	National
1999–2002	Warrnambool	John Vogels 1999–2002·Warrnambool·Liberal	Liberal
2002–2015	South-West Coast	Denis Napthine 2002–2015·South-West Coast·Liberal	Liberal
2015–present	South-West Coast	Roma Britnell 2015–present·South-West Coast·Liberal	Liberal

The federal record · House of Representatives

Three members have held Wannon — Warrnambool's federal electorate — across the same span. The first served as Prime Minister; the second as Speaker.

Years	Electorate	Member	Party	Note
1955–1983	Wannon	Malcolm Fraser 1955–1983·Wannon·Liberal·Prime Minister, 1975–1983	Liberal	Prime Minister, 1975–1983
1983–2010	Wannon	David Hawker 1983–2010·Wannon·Liberal·Speaker, 2004–2007	Liberal	Speaker, 2004–2007
2010–present	Wannon	Dan Tehan 2010–present·Wannon·Liberal	Liberal

What “electorate” means here

Electorate on this page means the single-member seat — the one local representative voters choose at each election. Warrnambool's federal electorate is Wannon; its state electorate is South-West Coast (previously called Warrnambool, and before that Portland).

Warrnambool voters also help elect senators and members of the Victorian Legislative Council. Those are different elections, with different rules, where many parties win seats. This page is about the single-member seats — the ones with one local member, where representation either changes or it does not.