2004 Profile of the division of Blair

Updated: 29 September 2011

State:

Queensland

Name Derivation:

Named after Harold Blair AO 1924–76. A noted Australian tenor and Aboriginal activist.

Area and Location Description:

Blair covers an area of approximately 14 860 sq km to the west of Brisbane from Ipswich through the Lockyer Valley to the foot of the Great Dividing Range near Toowoomba, and north to the Kingaroy area through the Brisbane Valley and South Burnett. The main towns are Crows Nest, Esk, Gatton, Ipswich City (northern and western parts), Kingaroy, Kilcoy, Laidley, Nanango, Toogoolawah and Yarraman.

Map of Division:

Products/Industries of the Area:

Located in the division are the Wivenhoe and Somerset dams which provide most of the water supply to the Brisbane area, and the Tarong power station located between Nanango and Kingaroy. Kingaroy is also the peanut capital of Australia. Other primary production includes bean and grain crops, vegetables, lucerne, sunflower and deer farming, as well as open-cut coal mining. A campus of the University of Queensland is situated near Gatton.

First Proclaimed/Election:

1997/1998

Demographic Rating:

Rural

Members:

  • THOMPSON, C (LP) 1998–

Current Member Details:

See the Parliament of Australia website

AEC Divisional Office Address:

See Divisional Office Contact Details

2004 Federal Election Results:

  • Enrolment: 91 529
  • Informal Vote: 5.78%
  • Turnout: 94.83%
  • Seat Status: Safe Liberal
  • Two Party Preferred: LP: 61.21% | ALP: 38.79%

Further information:

For supporting information, see Party Codes, Demographic Ratings and Seat Status.