The Division of Calare ( or ) is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.
The division covers the state's Central West (west of the Blue Mountains), and has always included the regional city of Orange within its boundaries since 1913.
Geography
Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.
The division has always been located in the state's Central West since the division was created in 1906. At the time, it replaced the abolished divisions of Canobolas and Bland. Canobolas formed the northern three-quarters of the new division, while the southern one-quarter was formed from parts of Bland. At the time, the new division covered Forbes and Parkes, and stopped short of Wellington, Dubbo and Orange.
In 1913, it lost the former Bland areas in the south to the divisions of Riverina and Werriwa. However, it also gained Wellington and Orange from the divisions of Robertson and Macquarie respectively. From then until 1977, the division has roughly covered a similar area that included Parkes, Forbes and Orange, with some gains and losses during redistributions. It briefly included Mudgee between 1968 and 1977. The expansion made Calare New South Wales's largest electorate. It had regained Parkes and Forbes, but also lost Bathurst and Lithgow at the same time. This expansion was short-lived and was mostly reversed in 2009, with most of these areas ceded back to the Division of Parkes. Calare managed to retain Parkes and Forbes, and also regained Bathurst and Lithgow. In 2016, the division regained areas to the north such as Wellington and Mudgee, and lost areas to the west again such as Parkes and Forbes. It did not undergo a boundary change in the 2024 redistribution. It stretches from Mudgee, Gulgong, Wellington in the north-west, to Orange, Bathurst, Lithgow and Oberon in the south-east and Canowindra in the south-west.
A redistribution in 2006 moved the boundaries west to take in Cowra, Grenfell and the vast north-west of New South Wales from Brewarrina to Menindee, making Calare New South Wales's largest electorate. Cobb had previously represented the Division of Parkes, parts of which were redistributed into Calare in 2006.
The 2009 redistribution of NSW moved the boundaries back east, to again include Lithgow, Bathurst and Oberon. Most of the northwestern area of the division was transferred to the neighbouring Division of Parkes.