Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
Cowan was won by Anne Aly (Labor) at the 2019 federal election, with a margin of 1,417 votes over Isaac Stewart after preferences. This page covers every federal election in Cowan from 1984 to 2019.
Australia uses instant-runoff (preferential) voting: voters rank candidates in order of preference, and if no one has a majority of first-preference votes, the lowest-placed candidate is eliminated and their votes redistributed to voters' next preference, repeating until one candidate has a majority. The "Winner" and "Margin" below reflect the final result after preferences (equivalent to the AEC's own two-candidate-preferred figure) — not simply whoever led on first preferences, which can occasionally be a different candidate.
Full Election History (After Preferences), 1984–2019
Election
Winner
Party
Final Votes
Final Share
Runner-up
Margin
1984
Carolyn Jakobsen
Labor
28,849
54.0%
Jeff Roberts (Liberal)
4,275 (8.0 pts)
1987
Carolyn Jakobsen
Labor
33,241
53.2%
Paul Filing (Liberal)
3,981 (6.4 pts)
1990
Carolyn Jakobsen
Labor
30,982
50.9%
Diane Airey (Liberal)
1,037 (1.7 pts)
1993
Richard Evans
Liberal
35,719
50.9%
Carolyn Jakobsen (Labor)
1,307 (1.9 pts)
1996
Richard Evans
Liberal
39,385
52.4%
Carolyn Jakobsen (Labor)
3,597 (4.8 pts)
1998
Graham Edwards
Labor
38,208
53.6%
Richard Evans (Liberal)
5,073 (7.1 pts)
2001
Graham Edwards
Labor
40,341
55.5%
Andre Shannon (Liberal)
8,010 (11.0 pts)
2004
Graham Edwards
Labor
38,784
50.8%
Luke Simpkins (Liberal)
1,186 (1.6 pts)
2007
Luke Simpkins
Liberal
43,833
51.7%
Liz Prime (Labor)
2,858 (3.4 pts)
2010
Luke Simpkins
Liberal
45,062
56.3%
Chas Hopkins (Labor)
10,070 (12.6 pts)
2013
Luke Simpkins
Liberal
48,487
57.5%
Tristan Cockman (Labor)
12,586 (14.9 pts)
2016
Anne Aly
Labor
41,303
50.7%
Luke Simpkins (Liberal)
1,108 (1.4 pts)
2019
Anne Aly
Labor
43,135
50.8%
Isaac Stewart (Liberal)
1,417 (1.7 pts)
First-Preference Result by Election
Every candidate's first-preference votes, before any preference redistribution.
1984
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Carolyn Jakobsen
Labor
27,373
51.2%
Jeff Roberts
Liberal
22,969
43.0%
Alan Needham
Australian Democrats
3,081
5.8%
1987
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Carolyn Jakobsen
Labor
32,481
52.0%
Paul Filing
Liberal
27,048
43.3%
Neil Baker
National
2,973
4.8%
1990
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Diane Airey
Liberal
26,061
42.7%
Carolyn Jakobsen
Labor
24,368
39.9%
Sarah Gilfillan
Australian Democrats
5,256
8.6%
Sally Ward
Greens
3,603
5.9%
Barry Smith
Independent
785
1.3%
Robert Mcloughlin
Independent
414
0.7%
Deb Thomas
Independent
321
0.5%
Brian Guinan
Independent
206
0.3%
1993
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Richard Evans
Liberal
33,472
47.7%
Carolyn Jakobsen
Labor
30,982
44.2%
Otto Dik
Greens
3,197
4.6%
Stewart Godden
Australian Democrats
2,113
3.0%
Suzan Miles
Independent
398
0.6%
1996
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Richard Evans
Liberal
35,083
46.4%
Carolyn Jakobsen
Labor
31,416
41.6%
Sue Coyne
Australian Democrats
5,734
7.6%
Otto Dik
Greens
3,315
4.4%
1998
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Graham Edwards
Labor
31,312
43.9%
Richard Evans
Liberal
27,797
39.0%
Ron Holt
One Nation
5,777
8.1%
Craig Wakeford
Australian Democrats
2,847
4.0%
Miguel Castillo
Greens
2,760
3.9%
Phillip Hayes
Christian Democratic Party
850
1.2%
2001
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Graham Edwards
Labor
34,703
47.8%
Andre Shannon
Liberal
26,250
36.1%
Ron Holt
One Nation
4,130
5.7%
Tracy Chaloner
Australian Democrats
3,111
4.3%
Dave Fort
Greens
2,951
4.1%
Paul Salmon
Communist Party
1,117
1.5%
Sue Metcalf
National
410
0.6%
2004
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Luke Simpkins
Liberal
33,905
44.4%
Graham Edwards
Labor
33,510
43.9%
Glen George
Greens
4,272
5.6%
Richard Leeder
Christian Democratic Party
1,873
2.5%
Clem Winton
One Nation
1,538
2.0%
Sarah Gilfillan
Australian Democrats
1,002
1.3%
Basil Atkins
CEC
282
0.4%
2007
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Luke Simpkins
Liberal
38,872
45.8%
Liz Prime
Labor
35,633
42.0%
Johannes Herrmann
Greens
4,778
5.6%
Martin Firth
Christian Democratic Party
1,584
1.9%
Rhonda Hamersley
Family First
1,452
1.7%
Ken Lee
Independent
1,003
1.2%
Dave Tierney
One Nation
783
0.9%
Norm Ramsay
Independent
558
0.7%
Roger Blakeway
Independent
195
0.2%
2010
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Luke Simpkins
Liberal
40,077
50.1%
Chas Hopkins
Labor
25,975
32.4%
Rob Phillips
Greens
10,033
12.5%
David Kingston
Christian Democratic Party
2,081
2.6%
Alan Leach
Family First
1,888
2.4%
2013
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Luke Simpkins
Liberal
41,849
49.6%
Tristan Cockman
Labor
27,248
32.3%
Adam Collins
Greens
6,677
7.9%
Vimal Sharma
Palmer United Party
4,501
5.3%
David Kingston
Independent
1,802
2.1%
Che Nguyen
Family First
1,442
1.7%
Sheila Mundy
Independent
869
1.0%
2016
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Luke Simpkins
Liberal
34,405
42.2%
Anne Aly
Labor
33,966
41.7%
Sheridan Young
Greens
6,193
7.6%
Rex Host
AC
2,680
3.3%
Jamie Chester
Independent
2,288
2.8%
Neil Hamilton
Liberal Democrats
1,096
1.3%
Steve Veness
Independent
868
1.1%
2019
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Isaac Stewart
Liberal
33,438
39.4%
Anne Aly
Labor
32,353
38.1%
Mark Cooper
Greens
8,551
10.1%
Sheila Mundy
One Nation
4,777
5.6%
Peter Westcott
United Australia Party
2,171
2.6%
Andre Lebrasse
AChr
1,981
2.3%
Paul Bedford
SFF
1,582
1.9%
Margin Over Time
Final (after-preferences) winning margin, percentage points, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Cowan has been contested at 13 federal elections on record since 1984. Winning parties over that span: Labor, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Cowan in the 2019 federal election?
Anne Aly (Labor) won Cowan in 2019 after preferences, with 43,135 votes (50.8%) to Isaac Stewart's 41,718.
Which parties have won Cowan since 1984?
Since 1984, Cowan has been won by: Labor, Liberal.
What was the closest result in Cowan?
The closest result on record for Cowan was 2016, when Anne Aly (Labor) beat Luke Simpkins by 1,108 votes (1.4 percentage points) after preferences.