Division of Gilmore

The Division of Gilmore is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1984 and is named for Dame Mary Gilmore, the poet and author. It is located in the Shoalhaven the southern Illawarra regions, extending from Warilla in the north to Durras in the south, then west including much of the, Budawang and Morton National Parks. Towns and suburbs include Berry, Bomaderry, Culburra Beach, Gerringong, Kangaroo Valley, Kiama, Milton, Minnamurra, Nowra, Shellharbour, Shell Cove, Sussex Inlet, Ulladulla and Warilla.

It is a marginal seat, although at the 2001 election it produced the largest swing to the Liberal Party of any seat in Australia. After redistribution it has become a notionally 0.3% ALP seat but with an incumbent Liberal member. For the 21 August 2010 Federal election the Greens preselected former RAAF Group Captain and Kiama Deputy Mayor Ben van der Wijngaart. The ALP preselected former advertising manager and Kiama councillor Neil Reilly after the resignation of the former candidate David Boyle after a revolt by local ALP branches. The Liberal candidate was the incumbent MP, Joanna Gash who entered parliament in 1996. Interestingly, both the Greens and the Liberal candidate were Dutch, and emigrated on the same ship as small children as immigrants after WWII (Joanna in 1950 from Grondingen and Ben in 1952 from Rotterdam. Both were 6 at the time). Gash retained the seat at the election.