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| Adam Carr's Election Archive
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Australian federal election, 2025
Division of Calwell, Victoria
Named for: Rt Hon Arthur Calwell (1896-1973), federal MP 1940-72,
Leader of the Opposition 1960-67
Northern Melbourne: Broadmeadows, Craigieburn, Greenvale, Meadow Heights, Roxburgh Park
Enrolment at 2019 election: 107,523
Enrolment at 2022 election: 106,706 (-00.7)
1999 republic referendum: Yes 53.9
2018 same-sex marriage survey: No 56.8
2023 Voice referendum: No 59.9
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Sitting member: Maria Vamvakinou (Labor): Elected 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 1922. Retiring 2025
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2007 Labor majority over Liberal: 19.3%
2010 Labor majority over Liberal: 19.7%
2013 Labor majority over Liberal: 13.9%
2016 Labor majority over Liberal: 17.9%
2019 Labor majority over Liberal: 18.8%
2022 Labor majority over Liberal: 12.4%
2025 notional Labor majority over Liberal: 12.4%
Status 2022: Safe Labor
Labor two-party vote 1984-2022
2022 results
Statistics and history
Announced candidates:
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Basem Abdo
Australian Labor Party |
Usman Ghani
Liberal Party |
Division of Calwell
Calwell was created at the 1984 redistribution, in Melbourne's working-class anfd multi-cultural north-western suburbs.
Since 1990 it has included the Labor stronghold of Broadmeadows. On those boundaries it was one of the safest Labor seats
in Australia, but in 2004 it was extended out into semi-suburban areas around Sunbury, which reduced Labor's dominance
somewhat. In 2018 it was cut back to a belt of suburbs running from Broadmeadows to Tullamarine, and out to new housing
areas such as Roxburgh Park, and is again a fairly reliable Labor seat. In 2019 Labor won every booth in the seat.
Labor's strength is based on Calwell's high proportion of non English speaking households. The seat is 17% Muslim,
the third-highest proportion in any Australian electorate, reflecting the large Turkish and Arab communities in
Broadmeadows, and also one of the most heavily Catholic seats, reflecting a strong Italian presence. It also has a strong
Greek community. The seat has been only slightly altered by the 2024 redistribution.
The first member for Calwell was
Dr Andrew Theophanous, a leading light of Labor's Socialist Left, whose career ended
ingloriously in 2001 when he was charged with corruption. He resigned from the Labor Party and was defeated in Calwell
as an independent candidate. In 2002 he was convicted and jailed.
Maria Vamvakinou, Labor MP for Calwell since 2001, was born in Greece and was a high-school teacher and a member of
Northcote City Council before entering politics. She was also a staffer for
Joan Kirner,
Andrew McCutcheon and Senator
Kim Carr. She has now been an MP for 23 years and has never left the back bench. She will retire at the 2025 election. The new Labor candidate will be Basem Abdo, a Labor staffer. The Liberal candidate is Usman Ghani, whose occupation is not stated.
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