Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is a very important day in the history the nation. On 29 March 1901, 122 years ago, the first ever federal election was held and the colonies that made up this continent came together as one in our first federal parliament. Interestingly, this election took place over two days, with Queensland and South Australia not heading to the polls until 30 March. Because there were not yet any federal laws, voting followed the processes of individual states. This resulted in different voting methods and was the reason voting was split up over two days.

Madam Deputy Speaker, in those days electorates were huge. My electorate of Hunter included the whole of the Hunter, from Murrurundi in the north-west to Port Stephens on the east coast. And, because the population of Australia was less than four million, electorates had only thousands, and sometimes only hundreds, of electors. I know there are a few in this place who might wish that were still the case! Seventy-five members and 36 senators were elected at the first federal election.

The Hunter holds a proud piece of this history. Not only is the Hunter one of the founding electorates of this parliament but our first Prime Minister, Sir Edmund Barton, served as the member for Hunter, a title that I am now honoured to hold in this House.