Cook AustralianHouse of RepresentativesDivision
From the2016 federal election to 2025 From the2025 federal election Interactive map of electorate boundaries
Created	1969; 56 years ago (1969)
MP	Simon Kennedy
Party	Liberal
Namesake	James Cook Joseph Cook
Electors	110,313 (2022)
Area	94 km2 (36.3 sq mi)
Demographic	Inner metropolitan
Electorates around Cook: Banks Barton Kingsford Smith Hughes Cook Tasman Sea Hughes Hughes Tasman Sea
Footnotes
[1]

TheDivision of Cook is anAustralian electoral division in theState ofNew South Wales.

Cook was created in 1969, mostly out of theLiberal-leaning areas of neighbouringHughes. It was thus a natural choice for that seat's one-term Liberal member,Don Dobie, to transfer after the creation of Cook erased his majority in Hughes. The division was originally named in honour ofJames Cook, who mapped the east coast of Australia in 1770. In 2006, theAustralian Electoral Commission's Redistribution Committee for New South Wales proposed that the division be jointly named forJoseph Cook,Prime Minister of Australia from 1913 to 1914, but this did not eventuate at the time.^[2] In 2024, the namesake was finally altered to be joint between both men, to give recognition to Joseph Cook and have a division named after him like other former Prime Ministers.^[3]

For most of the first quarter-century of its existence, Cook was a marginal to fairly safe Liberal seat; it has been in Liberal hands for all but two terms. The Liberal majority ballooned with the party's national landslide victory at the1996 general election, and since then Cook has been a "blue ribbon" safe seat for the Liberal Party. As of the2019 federal election, it is the safest metropolitan Coalition seat, with a 19-point swing needed for Labor to win it.

The most prominent members were Dobie, who held the seat from its 1969 creation until his retirement in 1996 (with a brief break from 1972 to 1975);Bruce Baird, a former Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of New South Wales before his move into Federal politics; andScott Morrison MP, former Prime Minister of Australia 2018–2022.

In 2007, following news of Baird's impending retirement, the seat attracted significant media attention, thanks to the controversial preselection of Liberal candidate Michael Towke. Allegations surfaced to the effect that Towke had engaged in branch-stacking and had embellished his curriculum vitae;^[4] although these allegations were subsequently proven false,^[5] the damage was done. In August 2007, Towke was disendorsed as the Liberal candidate and was replaced with Morrison, a former director of the New South Wales Liberal Party.^[6] Morrison won the seat at the election.

Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by theAustralian 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.^[7]

The division is located in the southern suburbs ofSydney, includingBeverley Park,Burraneer,Caringbah,Caringbah South,Carss Park,Cronulla,Dolans Bay,Dolls Point,Greenhills Beach,Gymea Bay,Kangaroo Point,Kogarah Bay,Kurnell,Kyle Bay,Lilli Pilli,Miranda,Monterey,Port Hacking,Ramsgate,Ramsgate Beach,Sandringham,Sans Souci,Sylvania Waters,Taren Point,Woolooware, andYowie Bay; as well as parts ofBlakehurst,Connells Point,Gymea,Kogarah, andSylvania.

Image		Member	Party	Term	Notes
		Don Dobie (1927–1996)	Liberal	25 October 1969 – 2 December 1972	Previously held theDivision of Hughes. Lost seat
		Ray Thorburn (1930–1986)	Labor	2 December 1972 – 13 December 1975	Lost seat
		Don Dobie (1927–1996)	Liberal	13 December 1975 – 29 January 1996	Retired
		Stephen Mutch (1956–)		2 March 1996 – 31 August 1998	Previously a member of theNew South Wales Legislative Council. Lost preselection and retired
		Bruce Baird (1942–)		3 October 1998 – 17 October 2007	Previously held theNew South Wales Legislative Assembly seat ofNorthcott. Retired
		Scott Morrison (1968–)		24 November 2007 – 28 February 2024	Served as minister underAbbott andTurnbull. Served asPrime Minister from2018 to 2022. Resigned to retire from politics
		Simon Kennedy (1982–)		13 April 2024 - present	Incumbent

This section is an excerpt fromResults of the 2022 Australian federal election in New South Wales § Cook.[edit]

2022 Australian federal election: Cook^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Scott Morrison	54,322	55.53	−8.17
	Labor	Simon Earle	24,444	24.99	+1.89
	Greens	Catherine Dyson	9,685	9.90	+3.09
	One Nation	Gaye Cameron	4,985	5.10	+1.61
	United Australia	Jacqueline Guinane	4,381	4.48	+3.27
Total formal votes			97,817	95.60	+1.73
Informal votes			4,498	4.40	−1.73
Turnout			102,315	92.83	−0.82
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Scott Morrison	61,080	62.44	−6.58
	Labor	Simon Earle	36,737	37.56	+6.58
	Liberalhold		Swing	−6.58

• Division of Cook – Australian Electoral Commission

34°01′52″S151°06′00″E / 34.031°S 151.100°E /-34.031; 151.100

• Electoral divisions of Australia
• Constituencies established in 1969
• Scott Morrison
• 1969 establishments in Australia

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