The division was created in 1949 and is named for Ted Grayndler (1867–1943), a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1921 to 1934 and 1936 to 1943, and General Secretary of the Australian Workers' Union from 1912 to 1941.

[1] Despite the demographic changes, it has been held by the Australian Labor Party for its entire existence; the Liberals have only once received 40 percent of the two-party vote.

The younger Whitlam served only one term before losing preselection to Frank Stewart, who transferred from the abolished neighbouring Division of Lang.

When Transport Minister Graham Richardson was briefly forced out of cabinet due to the Marshall Islands affair before the 1993 election, Albanese, who was a left-wing power-broker in the party, arranged for fellow left-winger Jeannette McHugh to be promoted to the ministry.

[4] At 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi), it is Australia's smallest electorate,[5] located in the inner-southern Sydney metropolitan area, including parts of the inner-west.