The Division of Barton is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the inner south west of Sydney. It is currently represented by Labor MP Ash Ambihaipahar.
History
The division was created in 1922 and is named for Sir Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia. For much of its history, Barton has been a marginal seat, held by the Australian Labor Party for most of the time after 1940, but won by the Liberals (or their predecessors) at "high-tide" elections.
Barton's most prominent member has been Dr H. V. Evatt, who was Leader of the Labor Party between 1951 and 1960. After seeing his majority more than halved in 1949, and nearly being defeated in 1951 and 1955, he transferred to the safe seat of Hunter in 1958. A former minister in the Hawke and Keating ministries, Gary Punch, held the seat for Labor between 1983 and 1996. Robert McClelland, Attorney-General in the Rudd and Gillard governments, held the seat for Labor between 1996 and 2013.
Nickolas Varvaris won the seat for the Liberals at the 2013 federal election, achieving a swing of 7.2 points to finish with a two-party-preferred vote of just 50.3 percent, which made Barton the Coalition government's most marginal seat,2013 federal election results: AEC but was defeated in 2016 by Labor's former state deputy opposition leader Linda Burney,Barton - 2016 federal election: Antony Green ABC who held it until her retirement at the 2025 election, when it was won by Ash Ambihaipahar, also Labor.
The Division of Barton is linked to one of the more unusual episodes in Australian politics. The first member for Barton, Labor's Frederick McDonald, disappeared after his 1925 defeat by Nationalist Thomas Ley, and it is now believed that Ley had him murdered. After being found guilty of an unrelated murder in England in 1947, Ley was declared insane and died in Broadmoor Asylum four months later.
Boundaries The division has always been based in the inner southern suburbs of Sydney. It has traditionally been bordered to the east by Botany Bay, but, as of 2025, the coastal strip has been part of Kingsford Smith. It currently includes the suburbs of Allawah, Arncliffe, Banksia, Bardwell Park, Bardwell Valley, Beverley Park, Bexley, Bexley North, Carlton, Clemton Park, Earlwood, Kingsgrove, Kogarah, Kogarah Bay, Rockdale, Turrella, Undercliffe, and Wolli Creek; as well as parts of Belmore, Beverly Hills, Campsie, Canterbury, Hurstville, Ramsgate, Roselands and Penshurst.
Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.
Demographics 2021 Australian census Ancestry Response Barton NSW Australia Chinese 19.0% 7.2% 5.5% Australian 12.5% 29.8% 33.0% Greek 9.6% 1.8% 1.7% Lebanese 6.1% 2.2% 1.0% Country of birth Response Barton NSW Australia Australia 45.8% 65.4% 66.9% China 9.7% 3.1% 2.2% Nepal 4.7% 0.8% 0.5% Greece 3.0% 0.4% 0.4% Lebanon 2.4% 0.8% 0.3% Philippines 2.0% 1.3% 1.2% Religious affiliation Response Barton NSW Australia No religion 28.9% 32.8% 38.4% Catholicism 19.5% 22.4% 20.0% Eastern Orthodoxy 12.8% 2.5% 2.1% Islam 8.2% 4.3% 3.2% Language spoken at home English 37.1% 67.6% 72.0% Mandarin 9.2% 3.4% 2.7% Greek 7.3% 1.0% 0.9% Arabic 6.8% 2.8% 1.4% Cantonese 6.0% 1.8% 1.2% Nepali 4.7% 0.8% 0.5%
Members Image Member Party Term Notes Frederick McDonald Labor 16 December 1922 –14 November 1925 Lost seat Thomas Ley Nationalist 14 November 1925 –17 November 1928 Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of St George. Lost seat James Tully Labor 17 November 1928 –19 December 1931 Lost seat Albert Lane United Australia 19 December 1931 –21 September 1940 Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Balmain. Lost seat Dr. H.V. Evatt Labor 21 September 1940 –22 November 1958 Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Balmain. Served as minister under Curtin, Forde and Chifley. Served as deputy prime minister under Chifley. under Served as Opposition Leader from 1951 to 1960. Transferred to the Division of Hunter Len Reynolds 22 November 1958 –26 November 1966 Lost seat Bill Arthur Liberal 26 November 1966 –25 October 1969 Lost seat Len Reynolds Labor 25 October 1969 –11 November 1975 Retired Jim Bradfield Liberal 13 December 1975 –5 March 1983 Lost seat Gary Punch Labor 5 March 1983 –29 January 1996 Served as minister under Hawke and Keating. Retired Robert McClelland 2 March 1996 –5 August 2013 Served as minister under Rudd and Gillard. Retired Nickolas Varvaris Liberal 7 September 2013 –2 July 2016 Lost seat Linda Burney Labor 2 July 2016 –28 March 2025 Previously held the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Canterbury. Served as minister under Albanese. Retired Ash Ambihaipahar 3 May 2025 –present Incumbent
Election results
References
External links Division of Barton - Australian Electoral Commission