Charters Towers was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland. It has had three incarnations, most recently being created as part of a redistribution in 1991 and lasting until 2008.
The latest incarnation of Charters Towers was created in 1992, largely as a replacement for the abolished Flinders. The electorate covered a vast area of central Queensland, from Etheridge Shire in the north to Jericho Shire in the south. Besides its namesake town, Charters Towers, other major locations within the division included Georgetown, Hughenden, Richmond, Moranbah, Clermont, Tieri, Alpha, Aramac and Muttaburra. It was located in what was now National heartland, and was held by that party and its successor, the Liberal National Party, for all but one term. The seat fell to Labor during its 2001 landslide, but reverted to its conservative ways in 2004.
In 2008, Charters Towers was abolished—with effect at the 2009 state election—as a result of a redistribution undertaken by the Electoral Commission of Queensland. Its former territory and voters were split between the districts of Burdekin, Gregory, Mount Isa and the new seat of Dalrymple. The seat's last member, Shane Knuth, transferred to Dalrymple.
An earlier district called Charters Towers based in the same region existed from 1888 to 1960—firstly as a dual member electorate, and from 1912 as a single member electorate. Its most notable representative was Anderson Dawson of the Labor Party, Premier of Queensland for six days in December 1899, and leader of the world's first parliamentary socialist government.
Members for Charters Towers
First incarnation (1888–1912, 2 members)MemberPartyTermMemberPartyTerm Robert Sayers Unaligned 1888–1893 Arthur Rutledge Ministerialist 1888–1893 Anderson Dawson Labour 1893–1901 John Dunsford Labour 1893–1905 John Burrows Labour 1901–1907 William Paull Opposition 1905–1908 Joe Millican Opposition 1907–1908 Vernon Winstanley Labour 1908–1912 John Mullan Labour 1908–1912
Second incarnation (1912–1960, 1 member)MemberPartyTerm Robert Wynn Williams Ministerialist 1912–1915 William Wellington Labor 1915–1939 Arthur Jones Labor 1939–1957 Queensland Labor 1957–1960
Third incarnation (1992–2009, 1 member)MemberPartyTerm Rob Mitchell National 1992–2001 Christine Scott Labor 2001–2004 Shane Knuth National 2004–2008 Liberal National 2008–2009
Election results
See also Electoral districts of Queensland Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly by year :Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly by name
References
External links District Profile - Charters Towers Anderson (Andrew) Dawson biography