Goulburn's federal political history

For most of its political life, Goulburn was a part of the seat of Eden Monaro and for much of that time was a safe Labor seat. But Goulburn’s electoral history goes back even further than Eden-Monaro.

From the first election in 1901 until the 1931 election, Goulburn was in the seat of Werriwa, first held by Alfred Conroy of the Free Trade Party, who retained the seat in the following election but then, having switched to the Anti-Socialist Party, lost to David Hall (Labor) in 1906.

Hall backed up to keep the seat in 1910 and when he stepped aside, Labor retained the seat in the 1912 by-election through winner Benjamin Bennett over Conroy, now a Liberal and trying his luck after not contesting the 1910 election.

Conroy wasn’t finished though and in 1913 won the seat back only to lose it a year later to John Lynch (Labor). Lynch backed up and won again in 1917, this time as a Nationalist, before the Lazzarini dynasty.

Hubert, or Bert, Lazzarini won the seat of Werriwa in an astonishing 13 elections for Labor  before stepping aside for a young Gough Whitlam to take his place. Five of those elections, from 1919-1929, were during the period in which Goulburn was in Hume. Lazzarini lost only one election – in 1931 to Walter McNicoll (Country) but by the time he won it back in 1934, Goulburn was in Eden-Monaro.

John Perkins (United Australia Party), who’d held the seat of Eden-Monaro since he first won it in 1926 at the age of 24 as a member of the Protectionist party before switching to UAP, retained the seat in 1934, 1937 and 1940 elections.

The next Eden Monaro representative was Allan Fraser who won the seat ten times (albeit with one loss in his second last election). He won nine elections in a row for the ALP (1943 through to 1963), losing once in 1966 to Dugald Munro from the Liberals, before beating him in 1969 for a tenth stint in the job.

Bob Whan successfully stood as the ALP candidate at the next two elections, beating well-known state representative Ron Brewer of the Country party at his second tilt, before being toppled by Liberal's Murray Sainsbury in 1975. 

With the exception of Munro's win in 1966, that was a period of more than 30 years in which the ALP had a stranglehold on the seat Goulburn was in.

Sainsbury won the seat in 1975, 1977 and 1980 before being beaten by Labor's Jim Snow who went on to have a lengthy period holding the seat. But that was the point Goulburn was moved from Eden Monaro, and the point from which Goulburn became part of safe conservative territory.

Goulburn became part of Gilmore in 1984 and was won three times by John Sharp of the Nationals. When Goulburn was moved to Hume in 1993, Sharp moved with it and won two more elections before standing aside for the 1998 election.

Upon his resignation, state Liberal Party representative for Burrinjuck, Alby Schultz, took the step up to federal politics where he won Hume in each of the five elections he contested.

Total election wins:

Labor – 22 elections

Coalition – 16 elections