It was normally a safe seat for the Liberal Party and its predecessors, but was won on several occasions by Labor in landslide elections.
In 1903, he became leader of the eight-member Parliamentary Labor Party, succeeding Robert Hastie, and in a want of confidence motion on 10 August 1904 following the 1904 election, he became premier at the head of a minority government supported by four independents.
After accepting the post of Chairman of Committees of the Legislative Assembly in 1907, he joined the Ministerial faction of the party, later becoming Minister for Works.
On her retirement, Labor candidate Percival Potter won the seat at the 1956 election—a landslide for Labor—for a single term.
Hugh Guthrie held the seat until his retirement in 1971, and was followed by local GP Dr Tom Dadour.