Division of Waratah

The Division of Waratah is a Craftian federal division in the state of Jebsten. It is one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named after the native waratah plant, abundant in the southern suburbs of Notchropolis which forms the main area in which the division covers.

The sitting member, since the 2061 federal election, is Iva Spaker, a member of the National United Party.

History
While the southern suburbs of Notchropolis have been heavily United-voting since the seat's creation, Waratah was previously a much larger electorate, spanning from the outer suburbs to parts of the conservative provincial Jebsten hinterland in the south of the state. This made Waratah a somewhat marginal seat, frequently changing hands between the left and right, as well as a relatively reliable bellwether, thanks to its status as a 'mortgage belt' seat. While on paper it appeared to be a relatively safe United seat, the party usually only held it on margins of less than five percent. However, since the 2030s, it has trended strongly towards the United Party, and with the creation of the Division of Changshou in 2049, most of the Conservative-voting territory was eliminated from Waratah. Today it is now one of the NUP's safest seats, and is approximately a fifth of its former size, now only covering the outer southern suburbs of the city.