Electoral district of Shepparton

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Electoral district of Shepparton

The electoral district of Shepparton is a rural area in Victoria, Australia. It elects one member to the Victorian Legislative Assembly and sits in the Northern Victoria Region of the Parliament. The district covers about 3,289 square kilometres and includes towns such as Shepparton, Mooroopna, Nathalia, Dookie, Katunga, Kialla, Strathmerton, Tallygaroopna, Tatura, Toolamba, Ardmona, Barmah, Congupna, Picola and Barmah National Park. It is a farming region, with orchards, vineyards and dairy farms, much of which relies on irrigation from the Main East Goulburn Channel.

History: Shepparton was created for the 1945 election. It existed from 1945 to 1955, was abolished from 1955 to 1967, and has existed again since 1967.

Members: The district has been represented by:
- John McDonald (Country) 1945–1955
- Peter Ross-Edwards (Country, then National) 1967–1991
- Don Kilgour (National) 1991–2002
- Jeanette Powell (National) 2002–2014
- Suzanna Sheed (Independent) 2014–2022
- Kim O’Keeffe (National) 2022–present

2022 election: In 2022, Kim O’Keeffe of the National Party won the seat, defeating Suzanna Sheed. In the final count, O’Keeffe had about 56.8% to Sheed’s 43.2% in the two-candidate-preferred result. Turnout was around 86%.

Context: Shepparton is part of the Northern Victoria Region in the Victorian Legislative Council. It is a key agricultural area with irrigation and farming communities.