It was located in the south-west of Sydney, and originally included the suburbs of Canterbury, Burwood and Ashfield.
By the time it was abolished in 1969, it had been redistributed to cover suburbs such as Earlwood and Harcourt.
It was named after Sir Henry Parkes, seventh Premier of New South Wales and sometimes known as the 'Father of Federation'.
The seat was vacant for a short time at the end of 1930, when Edward McTiernan was appointed a Justice of the High Court of Australia.
However, this was located in north-west rural New South Wales, and had no connection to this division.