Sydney (NSW)
Sydney is a federal electoral division in NSW covering 52.5 km², currently held by Tanya Plibersek (ALP). It is the 8th smallest of 150 divisions by area and the 2nd most populous of 149 divisions by population. Australian Government grant awards placed here total $697.9m across 349 awards in the 4 months to 6 Nov 2026 (collection began 1 Jul 2026).
See the Sydney boundary summary for the state and council areas and suburbs it covers.
Statistics
| Area | 52.5 km² |
|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 204,215 |
| Population density | 3,887.59/km² |
| Median age | 33 |
| Median personal income | $1,228/week |
| Median household income | $2,225/week |
| Median family income | $3,029/week |
| Median rent | $555/week |
| Median mortgage repayment | $2,700/month |
| Average household size | 1.9 |
| Average persons per bedroom | 1.1 |
How Sydney compares
Ranked against the other federal divisions with data for the same measure; "median" is the median across those divisions' values.
- Area: 52.5 km², the 8th smallest of 150 divisions with data; 17% of the median of 310.8 km².
- Population (2021 Census): 204,215, the 2nd most populous of 149 divisions with data; 21% above the median of 168,080.
- Population density: 3,887.6/km², the 5th most densely populated of 149 divisions with data; 7.4 times the median of 522.5/km².
- Median personal income: $1,228/week, the 6th highest of 149 divisions with data; 58% above the median of $778/week.
- Median rent: $555/week, the 5th highest of 149 divisions with data; 48% above the median of $375/week.
Where Sydney is near the top or bottom of a list, see: Smallest federal electorates by area · Most populous federal electorates · Most densely populated federal electorates · Federal electorates with the highest median income · Federal electorates with the highest median rent. All rankings →
Election (2025)
| Enrolment | 127,445 |
|---|---|
| Turnout | 87.42% (-2.46 swing) |
| Informal vote | 3.73% (+0.31 swing) |
| Result (two-candidate-preferred) | Tanya Plibersek (ALP) 70.95% (margin 21.0pts) (+4.73 swing) |
| National benchmark (notional Labor v Coalition) | Australian Labor Party 78.08% (margin 28.1pts) (+2.42 swing) notional |
First preferences, every candidate (★ = elected):
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanya Plibersek ★ | Labor | 59,153 | 55.15% | +4.1pts |
| Luc Velez | The Greens | 23,162 | 21.6% | -1.12pts |
| Alex Xu | Liberal | 18,860 | 17.59% | -1.77pts |
| Vedran Torbarac | Pauline Hanson's One Nation | 3,698 | 3.45% | +1.68pts |
| Rachel Evans | Socialist Alliance | 2,376 | 2.22% | +0.97pts |
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 Sydney.
| Total value | $697,887,621 (349 awards) |
|---|---|
| Delivered in the electorate | $283,573,437 (195 awards) |
| Recipient based here (delivery location not given) | $414,314,184 (154 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Healthdirect Australia Ltd | 2 | $200,218,023 |
| Multiple recipients (aggregated award) | 6 | $136,699,391 |
| University of Sydney | 43 | $97,577,351 |
| Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority | 1 | $57,470,000 |
| The University of Sydney | 48 | $50,642,036 |
Largest awards
| Award | Recipient | Program | Placed by | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GA567426 | Healthdirect Australia Ltd | 1800MEDICARE After Hours GP Helpline, 1800MEDICARE Implementation, 1800MEDICARE Primary Care Bundle, Healthdirect National Health Services Directory | Recipient based here | $154,413,702 |
| GA590220 | Multiple recipients (aggregated award) | Australian Apprenticeships Incentive System – NSW - Q3 - 2026 | Delivered here | $69,609,536 |
| GA575197 | Multiple recipients (aggregated award) | Australian Apprenticeships Incentive System – NSW | Delivered here | $59,305,017 |
| GA572140 | Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority | Quality Support - ACECQA | Recipient based here | $57,470,000 |
| GA567430 | Healthdirect Australia Ltd | 1800MEDICARE Nurse Triage HIAS | Recipient based here | $45,804,321 |
See every grant award in Sydney →
Member
| Member | Tanya Plibersek (ALP) |
|---|---|
| Positions held | Minister for Social Services |
Voting attendance
83.9% (3,060 of 3,649 possible votes). Source: Australian Parliament division records.
Expenses claimed, 2025Q03 to 2026Q02
Total: $1,595,291 over 4 quarters. Source: IPEA, via Political Gadgets' expenses section.
| Employee Travel | $566,359 |
|---|---|
| International Travel | $0 |
| Office Facilities | $542,012 |
| Office Administration | $324,133 |
| Other Car Costs | $41,921 |
| Scheduled Commercial Transport | $91,195 |
| Unscheduled Commercial Transport | $1,146 |
| Travel Allowance | $22,158 |
| Telecommunications | $5,487 |
Clusters
| Position tier | Cabinet Minister (15 electorates) |
|---|---|
| Area band | Under 100 km² (32 electorates) |
| State | NSW (46 electorates) |
| Urban/rural | Urban/Suburban (98 electorates) |
Previous / next in New South Wales (alphabetical): ← Shortland · Warringah →
Other electorates in New South Wales
Banks · Barton · Bennelong · Berowra · Blaxland · Bradfield · Calare · Chifley · Cook · Cowper · 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 · Warringah · Watson · Wentworth · Werriwa · Whitlam
AEC profile · They Vote For You · Tanya Plibersek 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.