Calwell (VIC)
Calwell is a federal electoral division in VIC covering 191.1 km², currently held by Basem Abdo (ALP). It is the 62nd smallest of 150 divisions by area and the 20th most populous of 149 divisions by population. Australian Government grant awards placed here total $1.4m across 50 awards in the 4 months to 6 Nov 2026 (collection began 1 Jul 2026).
See the Calwell boundary summary for the state and council areas and suburbs it covers.
Statistics
| Area | 191.1 km² |
|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 188,482 |
| Population density | 986.46/km² |
| Median age | 32 |
| Median personal income | $623/week |
| Median household income | $1,681/week |
| Median family income | $1,768/week |
| Median rent | $369/week |
| Median mortgage repayment | $1,834/month |
| Average household size | 3.2 |
| Average persons per bedroom | 0.9 |
How Calwell compares
Ranked against the other federal divisions with data for the same measure; "median" is the median across those divisions' values.
- Area: 191.1 km², the 62nd smallest of 150 divisions with data; 39% below the median of 310.8 km².
- Population (2021 Census): 188,482, the 20th most populous of 149 divisions with data; 12% above the median of 168,080.
- Population density: 986.5/km², the 59th most densely populated of 149 divisions with data; 89% above the median of 522.5/km².
- Median personal income: $623/week, the 7th lowest of 149 divisions with data; 20% below the median of $778/week.
- Median rent: $369/week, the 69th lowest of 149 divisions with data; 2% below the median of $375/week.
Where Calwell is near the top or bottom of a list, see: Most populous federal electorates · Federal electorates with the lowest median income. All rankings →
Election (2025)
| Enrolment | 115,542 |
|---|---|
| Turnout | 86.97% (+9.97 swing) |
| Informal vote | 10.61% (+4.32 swing) |
| Result (two-candidate-preferred) | Basem Abdo (ALP) 55.08% (margin 5.1pts) (+55.08 swing) |
| National benchmark (notional Labor v Coalition) | Australian Labor Party 64.71% (margin 14.7pts) (+2.32 swing) notional |
First preferences, every candidate (★ = elected):
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basem Abdo ★ | Australian Labor Party | 27,423 | 30.53% | -14.33pts |
| Usman Ghani | Liberal | 14,102 | 15.7% | -8.01pts |
| Carly Moore | Independent | 10,735 | 11.95% | +11.95pts |
| Joseph Youhana | Independent | 9,628 | 10.72% | +10.72pts |
| Ravneet Kaur Garcha | The Greens | 7,439 | 8.28% | -1.47pts |
| Samim Moslih | Independent | 6,155 | 6.85% | +6.85pts |
| Luay Toma | Pauline Hanson's One Nation | 3,375 | 3.76% | -3.24pts |
| Gianni Del Rosario-Makridis | Legalise Cannabis Party | 2,843 | 3.16% | +3.16pts |
| Bassima Hawli | Citizens Party | 2,624 | 2.92% | +2.92pts |
| Maria Bengtsson | Family First | 2,308 | 2.57% | +2.57pts |
| Assaad Issa | Trumpet of Patriots | 2,211 | 2.46% | +0.68pts |
| Ravi Ragupathy | Independent | 501 | 0.56% | +0.56pts |
| Morgan Peach | 487 | 0.54% | +0.54pts |
Grants received
Grant awards published on GrantConnect, 1 Jul 2026 to 6 Nov 2026 (Political Gadgets' collection began with July 2026 publications). Source: GrantConnect, via Political Gadgets' grants page for Calwell.
| Total value | $1,352,815 (50 awards) |
|---|---|
| Delivered in the electorate | $366,895 (19 awards) |
| Recipient based here (delivery location not given) | $985,919 (31 awards) |
Each award is placed by its delivery postcode, or by the recipient's registered postcode when no delivery postcode is given. Many of the second kind are local organisations whose delivery location simply wasn't recorded, but they also include national organisations headquartered here, which is why city-centre seats can show large totals for money that is actually spent elsewhere.
Top recipients
| Recipient | Awards | Value |
|---|---|---|
| The Trustee for Kelly Club Australia Unit Trust | 2 | $489,286 |
| Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre Ltd | 1 | $112,919 |
| Zeeshan Humayun | 1 | $110,000 |
| Chhatra Bahadur Shankar | 1 | $110,000 |
| Mustafa Yilmaz | 1 | $100,000 |
Largest awards
| Award | Recipient | Program | Placed by | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GA579985 | The Trustee for Kelly Club Australia Unit Trust | CCCF Open Competitive Sustainability Support | Recipient based here | $264,138 |
| GA580002 | The Trustee for Kelly Club Australia Unit Trust | CCCF Open Competitive Sustainability Support | Recipient based here | $225,148 |
| GA589442 | Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre Ltd | Individual social support | Recipient based here | $112,919 |
| GA568212 | Zeeshan Humayun | Independent Multicultural Media Transformation and Sustainability | Recipient based here | $110,000 |
| GA568241 | Chhatra Bahadur Shankar | Independent Multicultural Media Transformation and Sustainability | Recipient based here | $110,000 |
See every grant award in Calwell →
Member
| Member | Basem Abdo (ALP) |
|---|---|
| Positions held | — |
Voting attendance
93.2% (247 of 265 possible votes). Source: Australian Parliament division records.
Expenses claimed, 2025Q03 to 2026Q02
Total: $434,507 over 4 quarters. Source: IPEA, via Political Gadgets' expenses section.
| Employee Travel | $52,630 |
|---|---|
| International Travel | $15,623 |
| Office Facilities | $164,653 |
| Office Administration | $127,103 |
| Other Car Costs | $17,441 |
| Scheduled Commercial Transport | $26,020 |
| Unscheduled Commercial Transport | $17 |
| Travel Allowance | $26,485 |
| Telecommunications | $1,423 |
Clusters
| Position tier | Backbencher (84 electorates) |
|---|---|
| Area band | 100–1,000 km² (58 electorates) |
| State | VIC (38 electorates) |
| Urban/rural | Urban/Suburban (98 electorates) |
Previous / next in Victoria (alphabetical): ← Bruce · Casey →
Other electorates in Victoria
Aston · Ballarat · Bendigo · Bruce · Casey · Chisholm · Cooper · Corangamite · Corio · Deakin · Dunkley · Flinders · Fraser · Gellibrand · Gippsland · Goldstein · Gorton · Hawke · Holt · Hotham · Indi · Isaacs · Jagajaga · Kooyong · La Trobe · Lalor · Macnamara · Mallee · Maribyrnong · McEwen · Melbourne · Menzies · Monash · Nicholls · Scullin · Wannon · Wills
AEC profile · They Vote For You · Basem Abdo on Political Gadgets
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Geometry: AEC federal electoral boundaries (2025). Demographics: ABS Data API (Census 2021, CED 2021 boundaries). Election results: AEC 2025 tally room. Expenses: IPEA via indexpenses. Grants: GrantConnect via grants. Attendance & positions: Political Gadgets' own Australian Parliament division-record data. See the popup for licensing and caveats.