Cowper (NSW)
Cowper is a federal electoral division in NSW covering 7,272.5 km², currently held by Pat Conaghan (NAT). It is the 36th largest of 150 divisions by area and the 67th most populous of 149 divisions by population. Australian Government grant awards placed here total $9.9m across 93 awards in the 4 months to 6 Nov 2026 (collection began 1 Jul 2026).
See the Cowper boundary summary for the state and council areas and suburbs it covers.
Statistics
| Area | 7,272.5 km² |
|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 170,205 |
| Population density | 23.4/km² |
| Median age | 47 |
| Median personal income | $629/week |
| Median household income | $1,219/week |
| Median family income | $1,524/week |
| Median rent | $350/week |
| Median mortgage repayment | $1,625/month |
| Average household size | 2.3 |
| Average persons per bedroom | 0.8 |
How Cowper compares
Ranked against the other federal divisions with data for the same measure; "median" is the median across those divisions' values.
- Area: 7,272.5 km², the 36th largest of 150 divisions with data; 23.4 times the median of 310.8 km².
- Population (2021 Census): 170,205, the 67th most populous of 149 divisions with data; 1% above the median of 168,080.
- Population density: 23.4/km², the 34th least densely populated of 149 divisions with data; 4% of the median of 522.5/km².
- Median personal income: $629/week, the 9th lowest of 149 divisions with data; 19% below the median of $778/week.
- Median rent: $350/week, the 60th lowest of 149 divisions with data; 7% below the median of $375/week.
Where Cowper is near the top or bottom of a list, see: Federal electorates with the lowest median income. All rankings →
Election (2025)
| Enrolment | 131,639 |
|---|---|
| Turnout | 90.85% (+2.18 swing) |
| Informal vote | 9.92% (+4.99 swing) |
| Result (two-candidate-preferred) | Pat Conaghan (NP) 52.54% (margin 2.5pts) (+0.14 swing) |
| National benchmark (notional Labor v Coalition) | Liberal/National Coalition 59.08% (margin 9.1pts) (+0.45 swing) notional |
First preferences, every candidate (★ = elected):
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Conaghan ★ | The Nationals | 40,836 | 37.9% | -1.62pts |
| Caz Heise | Independent | 31,616 | 29.35% | +3.18pts |
| Greg Vigors | Labor | 12,713 | 11.8% | -2.2pts |
| Chris Walsh | Pauline Hanson's One Nation | 6,856 | 6.36% | -1.81pts |
| Megan Mathew | Legalise Cannabis Party | 5,210 | 4.84% | +4.84pts |
| Wendy Firefly | The Greens | 4,552 | 4.23% | -1.62pts |
| Peter Jackel | Family First | 1,851 | 1.72% | +1.72pts |
| Geoffrey Shannon | Trumpet of Patriots | 1,551 | 1.44% | +1.44pts |
| Paul Templeton | Libertarian | 1,403 | 1.3% | +1.3pts |
| Zeke Daley | Independent | 892 | 0.83% | +0.83pts |
| Geoffrey Marlow | FUSION | Planet Rescue | Whistleblower Protection | Innovation | 255 | 0.24% | +0.24pts |
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 Cowper.
| Total value | $9,913,813 (93 awards) |
|---|---|
| Delivered in the electorate | $569,861 (64 awards) |
| Recipient based here (delivery location not given) | $9,343,952 (29 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Durri Aboriginal Corporation Medical Service | 1 | $3,266,832 |
| Linked Community Services Limited | 1 | $3,025,132 |
| Gumbaynggirr Wenonah Head Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC | 1 | $798,373 |
| Nambucca Valley Childrens Group Inc | 2 | $599,682 |
| Mid North Coast Local Health District | 1 | $462,583 |
Largest awards
| Award | Recipient | Program | Placed by | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GA572990 | Durri Aboriginal Corporation Medical Service | Indigenous New Directions Expansion | Recipient based here | $3,266,832 |
| GA572504 | Linked Community Services Limited | ACVVS Aged Care Volunteer Visitor Scheme | Recipient based here | $3,025,132 |
| GA591550 | Gumbaynggirr Wenonah Head Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC | Jobs, Land and the Economy | Recipient based here | $798,373 |
| GA579759 | Nambucca Valley Childrens Group Inc | CCCF Open Competitive Sustainability Support | Recipient based here | $526,312 |
| GA567399 | Mid North Coast Local Health District | 2025 Partnerships for culturally safe cancer care grant program | Recipient based here | $462,583 |
See every grant award in Cowper →
Member
| Member | Pat Conaghan (NAT) |
|---|---|
| Positions held | — |
Voting attendance
75.0% (1,226 of 1,634 possible votes). Source: Australian Parliament division records.
Expenses claimed, 2025Q03 to 2026Q02
Total: $740,691 over 4 quarters. Source: IPEA, via Political Gadgets' expenses section.
| Employee Travel | $112,690 |
|---|---|
| International Travel | $0 |
| Office Facilities | $189,488 |
| Office Administration | $308,067 |
| Other Car Costs | $28,841 |
| Scheduled Commercial Transport | $39,366 |
| Unscheduled Commercial Transport | $1,039 |
| Travel Allowance | $45,087 |
| Telecommunications | $3,316 |
Clusters
| Position tier | Backbencher (84 electorates) |
|---|---|
| Area band | 1,000–10,000 km² (32 electorates) |
| State | NSW (46 electorates) |
| Urban/rural | Rural/Regional (51 electorates) |
Previous / next in New South Wales (alphabetical): ← Cook · Cunningham →
Other electorates in New South Wales
Banks · Barton · Bennelong · Berowra · Blaxland · Bradfield · Calare · Chifley · Cook · Cunningham · Dobell · Eden-Monaro · Farrer · Fowler · Gilmore · Grayndler · Greenway · Hughes · Hume · Hunter · Kingsford Smith · Lindsay · Lyne · Macarthur · Mackellar · Macquarie · McMahon · Mitchell · New England · Newcastle · Page · Parkes · Parramatta · Paterson · Reid · Richmond · Riverina · Robertson · Shortland · Sydney · Warringah · Watson · Wentworth · Werriwa · Whitlam
AEC profile · They Vote For You · Pat Conaghan 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.