Cooper (VIC)
Cooper is a federal electoral division in VIC covering 60.9 km², currently held by Ged Kearney (ALP). It is the 15th smallest of 150 divisions by area and the 32nd least populous of 149 divisions by population. Australian Government grant awards placed here total $30.9m across 114 awards in the 4 months to 6 Nov 2026 (collection began 1 Jul 2026).
See the Cooper boundary summary for the state and council areas and suburbs it covers.
Statistics
| Area | 60.9 km² |
|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 156,279 |
| Population density | 2,565.32/km² |
| Median age | 37 |
| Median personal income | $888/week |
| Median household income | $1,845/week |
| Median family income | $2,390/week |
| Median rent | $381/week |
| Median mortgage repayment | $2,100/month |
| Average household size | 2.4 |
| Average persons per bedroom | 0.9 |
How Cooper compares
Ranked against the other federal divisions with data for the same measure; "median" is the median across those divisions' values.
- Area: 60.9 km², the 15th smallest of 150 divisions with data; 20% of the median of 310.8 km².
- Population (2021 Census): 156,279, the 32nd least populous of 149 divisions with data; 7% below the median of 168,080.
- Population density: 2,565.3/km², the 18th most densely populated of 149 divisions with data; 4.9 times the median of 522.5/km².
- Median personal income: $888/week, the 39th highest of 149 divisions with data; 14% above the median of $778/week.
- Median rent: $381/week, the 65th highest of 149 divisions with data; 2% above the median of $375/week.
Where Cooper is near the top or bottom of a list, see: Smallest federal electorates by area · Most densely populated federal electorates. All rankings →
Election (2025)
| Enrolment | 119,909 |
|---|---|
| Turnout | 92.41% (+4.57 swing) |
| Informal vote | 2.91% (-1.28 swing) |
| Result (two-candidate-preferred) | Ged Kearney (ALP) 59.72% (margin 9.7pts) (+0.8 swing) |
| National benchmark (notional Labor v Coalition) | Australian Labor Party 78.53% (margin 28.5pts) (+2.82 swing) notional |
First preferences, every candidate (★ = elected):
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ged Kearney ★ | Australian Labor Party | 45,151 | 41.97% | +1.28pts |
| Tara Burnett | The Greens | 27,123 | 25.21% | -3.2pts |
| Stewart Todhunter | Liberal | 16,280 | 15.13% | -1.09pts |
| Kath Larkin | Victorian Socialists | 9,012 | 8.38% | +4.93pts |
| William Turner | Pauline Hanson's One Nation | 5,684 | 5.28% | +2.38pts |
| Donna Stolzenberg | Legalise Cannabis Party | 4,336 | 4.03% | +4.03pts |
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 Cooper.
| Total value | $30,915,095 (114 awards) |
|---|---|
| Delivered in the electorate | $12,502,337 (66 awards) |
| Recipient based here (delivery location not given) | $18,412,758 (48 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 |
|---|---|---|
| La Trobe University | 19 | $18,085,516 |
| South East Australian Aboriginal Justice Services Limited | 1 | $4,758,677 |
| VICTORIAN ABORIGINAL CHILD AND COMMUNITY AGENCY CO OP LTD | 2 | $3,767,933 |
| NEZKOT PTY LIMITED | 2 | $1,375,000 |
| It Takes A Village Limited | 1 | $1,320,000 |
Largest awards
| Award | Recipient | Program | Placed by | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GA590757 | South East Australian Aboriginal Justice Services Limited | Community Legal Services Program | Recipient based here | $4,758,677 |
| GA578955 | La Trobe University | Investigator Grants | Recipient based here | $3,035,320 |
| GA578960 | La Trobe University | Investigator Grants | Recipient based here | $2,636,100 |
| GA568315 | VICTORIAN ABORIGINAL CHILD AND COMMUNITY AGENCY CO OP LTD | Safety and Wellbeing | Recipient based here | $2,449,532 |
| GA589919 | La Trobe University | ARC Future Fellowships | Delivered here | $1,328,959 |
See every grant award in Cooper →
Member
| Member | Ged Kearney (ALP) |
|---|---|
| Positions held | Assistant Minister for Social Services Assistant Minister for Prevention of Family Violence |
Voting attendance
79.9% (1,398 of 1,749 possible votes). Source: Australian Parliament division records.
Expenses claimed, 2025Q03 to 2026Q02
Total: $817,129 over 4 quarters. Source: IPEA, via Political Gadgets' expenses section.
| Employee Travel | $207,643 |
|---|---|
| International Travel | $0 |
| Office Facilities | $208,445 |
| Office Administration | $264,597 |
| Other Car Costs | $47,036 |
| Scheduled Commercial Transport | $53,104 |
| Unscheduled Commercial Transport | $0 |
| Travel Allowance | $29,163 |
| Telecommunications | $2,064 |
Clusters
| Position tier | Assistant Minister (9 electorates) |
|---|---|
| Area band | Under 100 km² (32 electorates) |
| State | VIC (38 electorates) |
| Urban/rural | Urban/Suburban (98 electorates) |
Previous / next in Victoria (alphabetical): ← Chisholm · Corangamite →
Other electorates in Victoria
Aston · Ballarat · Bendigo · Bruce · Calwell · Casey · Chisholm · 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 · Ged Kearney 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.