Division of Kooyong

The Division of Kooyong is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the inner eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and encompasses the suburbs of Kew, Hawthorn, Hawthorn East, Balwyn, Canterbury, Camberwell and Surrey Hills. The Division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 75 divisions to be contested at the first Federal election. The Division was named after the suburb of Kooyong, which is no longer in the Division, being instead in the Division of Higgins.

Kooyong has been held by non-Labor parties for its entire existence, and is currently reckoned as one of the safest Liberal seats in metropolitan Australia. From 1922 to 1994, it was held by only three members--former Opposition Leader and future Chief Justice John Latham, former Prime Minister Robert Menzies and former Opposition Leader Andrew Peacock.

In the 1990 election, comedian Tim Ferguson of the Doug Anthony All Stars stood as an independent candidate for Kooyong against Peacock, gaining 3.7% of the vote.

Peacock's successor, high-profile Liberal backbencher Petro Georgiou, saw off a challenge from Josh Frydenberg for Liberal Party preselection in April 2006. On 22 November 2008, Georgiou announced his retirement at the next federal election. Frydenberg won preselection as the Liberal Party's candidate for the seat for the 2010 Australian federal election.