Division of Eden-Monaro

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.^[1]

Throughout its history, the division has always covered the south-eastern corner of New South Wales by the Victorian border, which includes the state's South Coast. Its boundaries have changed relatively little compared to adjacent electoral divisions.^[2] It has occasionally completely surrounded the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), but otherwise it has been generally east of the territory.

When the division was created in 1900, it originally extended to the Molonglo River in the north-west (bordering Werriwa, within what was later Canberra, ), St Georges Basin in the north-east (bordering Illawarra, near what was later Jervis Bay Territory) and the Great Dividing Range and the Brindabellas in the west (bordering Hume. In 1906, it gained a small area north of the Molonglo River that included Lake George.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

In 1913, Eden-Monaro ceded the area that had become the Federal Capital Territory, which became an enclave within Eden-Monaro. It also expanded northwards up to Yass in the north-west and Berry in the north-east from Werriwa and Illwarra respectively.^[4][5] Following the abolition of Illawarra in 1922, Eden-Monaro was further expanded northwards, stopping short of the Wollongong city centre. It also gained parts of the Southern Highlands up to Bowral. In 1934, it lost areas to the north-west including Yass to Hume and lost Dapto to Werriwa, but gained Goulburn from Werriwa. It also no longer surrounded the Federal Capital Territory.^[3]

In 1949, it lost a significant portion of Southern Highlands, South Coast and the Illawarra regions to the new Division of Macarthur.^[7] From then until 1984, the division had only minor boundary changes during redistributions, with no losses or gains of major settlements. All the minor boundary changes were also only in the area north-west of Goulburn.^[3]

In 1984, the division lost its northern one-third, including Goulburn, to form the new Division of Gilmore.^[8] The northern boundary was cut back to Bungendore and Milton, with no changes to the western boundary (the boundary of Snowy River Shire). In 1992, it lost coastal areas north of Batemans Bay.^[3]

In 2000, the division was slightly expanded to the west to fully surround the ACT for second time in its history, though most of these new areas are national parks and state forests with little population. These small gains were reversed in 2006. However, in that same year, the division lost Batemans Bay to Gilmore, but gained areas further west to include Tumut Shire and Tumbarumba Shire. In 2009, the boundaries were largely reverted to its pre-2000 boundaries.^[3]

In the February 2016 redistribution, the boundaries were once again reverted to its pre-2009 boundaries, losing Batemans Bay and regaining the Tumut and Tumbarumba shires (which merged to form Snowy Valleys Council later that year). It also additionally gained the Yass Valley local government area to the north including Yass, which it last covered before 1934. The division also fully surrounded the ACT for the third time in its history.^[9] At the 2024 distribution, it lost the Snowy Valleys and Yass Valley local government areas and once gain no longer surrounded the ACT. However, it gained the Goulburn Mulwaree local government area from Hume, including Goulburn which it last covered before 1984. It also gained the small town of Tuross Head from Gilmore.^[10][3][8]

Since 2025, Eden-Monaro covers the entirety of the local government areas of Goulburn Mulwaree Council, Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council, Snowy Monaro Regional Council and Bega Valley Shire, as well as the southern part of Eurobodalla Shire. Towns within Eurobodalla include Narooma, Bodalla and Tuross Head. Outside of Eurobadalla, the division includes the cities of Queanbeyan and Goulburn and the towns of Bega and Cooma.^[11][3]

The town of Eden and

the region of Monaro, the division's namesakes

The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. It is named for the town of Eden and the Monaro district of southern New South Wales.

Until 1943 non-Labor parties held the seat for all but three years. Since then, it has been consistently marginal, split between provincial territory that votes strongly for Labor and rural areas that vote equally strongly for the Liberals (and their predecessors) or the Nationals. However, it was in Labor hands for all but one term from 1943 to 1975.

Up to the 2016 election, Eden-Monaro was long regarded as Australia's most well-known "bellwether seat". From 1972 to 2013, Eden-Monaro was won by the party that also won the election. During this time, all its sitting members were defeated at the polls – none retired or resigned.

Liberal incumbent Peter Hendy was defeated by Labor's Mike Kelly at the 2016 election. Kelly had previously represented Eden-Monaro from 2007 to 2013. Kelly's 2016 victory made him the seat's first opposition MP elected at an election since 1969. The nation's new bellwether became the seat of Robertson – continually won by the party that also won government since the 1983 election. "Best" bellwether aside, ABC psephologist Antony Green classed a total of eleven electorates as bellwethers in his 2016 election guide.^[12]

Labor’s Kristy McBain became the first woman to represent the division when she narrowly held the seat in the 2020 Eden-Monaro by-election.^[13] At the 2022 election, she held the seat with a large swing to her, boosting her two-party margin to 8 points, the strongest result in the seat for either side of politics since 1934.