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Hawthorn Victoria—Legislative Assembly
Location of Hawthorn (dark green) in Greater Melbourne
State	Victoria
Created	1889
MP	John Pesutto
Party	Liberal
Namesake	Hawthorn
Electors	44,828 (2018)
Area	21 km (8.1 sq mi)
Demographic	Inner metropolitan
Coordinates	37°50′S 145°03′E / 37.833°S 145.050°E / -37.833; 145.050
Electorates around Hawthorn: Richmond Kew Box Hill Richmond Hawthorn Box Hill Malvern Ashwood Ashwood

Hawthorn is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It was first proclaimed in 1888, taking effect at the 1899 election.

The seat is located in eastern Melbourne and is centred on the suburbs of Hawthorn and Hawthorn East. It also includes Camberwell and parts of Canterbury, Glen Iris, and Surrey Hills.

History

Hawthorn has usually been a safe seat for the Liberal Party and its predecessors, having been held by a number of leaders and senior ministers. In the 1960s, the seat of Hawthorn included parts of working class Richmond, making it less secure for the Liberals than in recent decades.

With the exception of two occasions when Liberal MPs defected and sat as independents, it has only been held by non-Liberal MPs three times in its history: independent Leslie Hollins from 1940 to 1945, Labor-turned-Labor (Anti-Communist) MP Charles Murphy from 1952 to 1955, and Labor MP John Kennedy in 2018.

Kennedy's victory over Liberal MP John Pesutto at the 2018 state election was considered a shock, with Guardian Australia saying he had "little chance" going into the election. Pesutto was a panelist on ABC on election night when he was told on live television that he had lost his seat.

Pesutto re-contested Hawthorn at the 2022 state election, defeating Kennedy and teal independent candidate Melissa Lowe. He is the current member, as well as the leader of the Victorian Liberal Party.

Notable former members for Hawthorn include former premiers Sir William McPherson and Ted Baillieu, as well as Walter Jona, a minister in the Hamer government.

Members for Hawthorn

Image		Member	Party	Term	Notes
		Charles Taylor (1849–1898)	Liberal	1 April 1889 – 1 September 1894
		Robert Murray Smith (1831–1921)	Conservative	1 October 1894 – 1 October 1900
		Robert Barbour (1845–1914)	Liberal	1 November 1900 – 1901
			Ministerialist	1901 – 1 September 1902
		George Swinburne (1861–1928)	Ministerialist	1 October 1902 – 1907
			Independent	1907 – 1911
			Liberal	1911 – 31 July 1913
		William Murray McPherson (1865–1932)	Liberal	1 September 1913 – 1916	Premier of Victoria from 1928 until 1929
			Economy	1916 – 1917
			Nationalist	1917 – 1 August 1930
		John Austin Gray (1892–1939)	Nationalist	27 September 1930 – 15 September 1931	Died in office
			United Australia	15 September 1931 – 6 May 1939
		Les Tyack (1899–1970)	United Australia	10 June 1939 – 16 March 1940	Won by-election
		Leslie Hollins (1897–1984)	Independent	16 March 1940 – 10 November 1945
		Fred Edmunds (1901–1985)	Liberal	10 November 1945 – 22 March 1949	Suspended (then expelled) from LCP party room for disloyalty. Briefly expelled as LCP member but readmitted and contested 1950 election without endorsement. Lost seat
			Liberal and Country	22 March 1949 – 10 February 1950
			Independent Liberal	10 February 1950 – 31 March 1950
			Independent	31 March 1950 – 1 April 1950
			Independent Liberal	1 April 1950 – 13 May 1950
		Les Tyack (1899–1970)	Liberal	13 May 1950 – 6 December 1952
		Charles Murphy (1909–1997)	Labor	6 December 1952 – 30 March 1955
			Labor (Anti-Communist)	30 March 1955 – 27 May 1955
		Jim Manson (1908–1974)	Liberal	27 May 1955 – 31 May 1958
		Peter Garrisson (1923–2013)	Liberal	31 May 1958 – 1963
			Independent	1963 – 27 June 1964
		Walter Jona (1926–2007)	Liberal	27 June 1964 – 2 March 1985
		Phil Gude (1941–)	Liberal	2 March 1985 – 18 September 1999	Deputy Liberal leader from 1991–1999
		Ted Baillieu (1953–)	Liberal	18 September 1999 – 29 November 2014	Premier of Victoria from 2010 until 2013
		John Pesutto (1970–)	Liberal	29 November 2014 – 24 November 2018	Lost seat
		John Kennedy (1947–)	Labor	24 November 2018 – 26 November 2022	Lost seat
		John Pesutto (1970–)	Liberal	26 November 2022 – present	Leader of the Opposition from 2022 until 2024. Incumbent

Election results

References

1. "The Electoral Act Amendment Act 1888" (PDF). Retrieved 11 March 2014.
2. "Victorian Liberal leader hopeful John Pesutto lashes out at federal party after losing seat". Guardian Australia.
3. "Victorian election TV panellist told he has lost his seat on live TV during Labor's landslide win". ABC News. 24 November 2018. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
4. "John Pesutto clinches Hawthorn victory, paving way for Victorian Liberal leadership bid". ABC News.
5. "Labor's Emma Vulin wins Pakenham after nail-biting race, as Victorian Liberals choose new leader". ABC News. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
6. "STATE MEMBER'S DEATH". The Age. 8 May 1939. p. 12. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
7. "PREMIER SUSPENDS REBEL MEMBERS". The Herald. 10 February 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
8. "Lechte-Edmunds Expelled From L.C.P." The Riverine Herald. 15 February 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
9. "Edmunds out of L.C.P.: "content"". The Argus. 1 April 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
10. "Mr. Edmunds Admitted to L.C.P. Again". The Age. 8 April 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
11. "Edmunds "not back as L.C.P. member"". The Sun News-Pictorial. 12 April 1950. p. 17. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
12. "Division Over Mr. Edmunds". The Age. 21 April 1950. p. 15. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
13. "Mr. EDMUNDS NAMES LEADER "SNUBBED"". The Sun News-Pictorial. 29 April 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
14. "LOWER MAJORITY FOR L.C.P. IN VICTORIA". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 15 May 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
15. Green, Antony (11 January 2023). "VIC22 – 2-Party Preferred Results and Swings by District". Antony Green's Election Blog. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
16. VIC 2021 Final Redistribution, ABC News. [Retrieved 1 January 2023.
17. Hawthorn District results, Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 1 December 2022.

• "Re-Member". Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 12 March 2014.

External links

• Electorate profile: Hawthorn District, Victorian Electoral Commission

• Electoral districts of Victoria (state)
• 1889 establishments in Australia
• City of Boroondara
• Electoral districts and divisions of Greater Melbourne