North Sydney’s powerful reputation in federal parliament
North Sydney has a reputation for producing powerful forces in parliament, with a former Prime Minister and current US Ambassador among the ranks.
North Sydney has a reputation for producing powerful voices in parliament.
The seat is regarded as Liberal territory but it has voted independent in the past with the late Ted Mack holding office during the 1990s.
It is currently held by Trent Zimmerman MP who was a key figure in the fight for marriage equality. His predecessors include a former Prime Minister, a war hero and the current US Ambassador.
Sir Granville Ryrie 1911-1922
A century ago a column of brave Australian horsemen raced towards the Israeli city of Beersheba into the unknown.
Among the legendary 4th Light Horse Brigade was Sir Granville Ryrie, the federal member for North Sydney.
His constituents had grouped together to buy him the thoroughbred stallion Plain Bill who was one of the best horses in the allied forces.
After the Battle of Beersheba he served until the armistice and was decorated several times.
Alongside fighting in WWI, Sir Granville had a colourful past.
He worked as a jackaroo, fought in the Boer War, won the NSW amateur boxing championships and later became High Commissioner to London.
He died in 1937.
Billy Hughes 1922-1949
Prime Minister Billy Hughes swapped seats and parties throughout his political career.
He was first elected in Lang and before hopping through several electorates he arrived in North Sydney for the 1922 election. At this stage his popularity was waning on a national level and within months he resigned as Prime Minister.
He remained the MP for North Sydney for the coming decades and after cycling through more parties he settled on the newly formed Liberal party in 1944. His record-setting run in parliament came to an end in 1949 and he died three years later.
Almost half a million people turned out for his state funeral.
Ted Mack 1990-1996
Ted Mack’s popularity is still felt in the North Sydney electorate. The maverick politician won the traditionally conservative seat in 1990 and held it for six years. His decision to bow out just before he was due to receive his parliamentary pension was an iconic moment in Australian politics.
He became interested in politics after North Sydney Council approved a tower block beside his home. Mack shook things up at the council as Mayor and his popularity helped him to win the state seat of North Shore.
He is seen as the father of the independents and his success paved the way for a new generation of independent politicians in Canberra.
He died last year after a long illness.
Joe Hockey 1996-2015
Joe Hockey has the most famous golf buddy in the world: Donald Trump. Hockey was granted the prestigious US Ambassador role in 2016 and is one of the few foreign diplomats to have successfully navigated the current White House administration. Over Easter he shared a golf course with Trump in Florida.
Hockey was first elected to parliament in 1996 and two years later was granted a Ministerial post. He was serving as treasurer when Malcolm Turnbull ousted Tony Abbott and he retired from parliament soon after.
His comments in 2015 advising first home buyers to “get a good job” received widespread criticism.
Recent reports have suggested that he plans to resign in January.
Trent Zimmerman 2015-present
Trent Zimmerman’s election was a breakthrough moment in Australian politics. He became the first openly gay member of the House of Representatives just as the drive for marriage equality was gathering momentum. Zimmerman won the seat in a by-election after the resignation of Joe Hockey and this is his third time to go to the polls. He holds the seat on a 13.6 per cent margin.
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