Division of Watson
The Division of Watson is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.
This article is about the current federal electorate. For the previous electorate, see Division of Watson (1934–1969).Watson is an urban electorate and extends from the Hume Highway, Canterbury Road and the M5 as far west as Stacey Street and Joseph Street in Sydney.[1] It has a large immigrant population, with significant Chinese, Bangladeshi, and Lebanese communities.[2]
Demographics[edit]
Watson is a diverse and socially conservative electorate[4] which is historically working-class.[5] Despite being a stronghold for the centre-left Labor Party, many voters in Watson maintain socially-conservative values from their immigrant cultures.[5] According to the 2016 census, only 44.4% of electors were born in Australia.[2]
At 23.4%, Watson has one of the highest Islamic populations of any electorate in Australia,[2] more than 20 times the national average.[5]
Boundaries[edit]
Federal electoral division boundaries in Australia are 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.[6]
The division is mainly located in the south-western suburbs of Sydney, with smaller parts located in the Inner West, and includes the suburbs of Ashbury, Belfield, Burwood Heights, Chullora, Croydon Park, Enfield, Greenacre, Lakemba, Mount Lewis, Punchbowl, Roselands, Strathfield South, Wiley Park; as well as parts of Ashfield, Bankstown, Belmore, Beverly Hills, Burwood, Campsie, Canterbury, Croydon, Croydon Park, Hurlstone Park, Kingsgrove, Lidcombe, Narwee, Padstow, Riverwood, Rookwood, and Summer Hill.