---
title: "Paterson: members and political ads | Politics Computer"
description: "Paterson: who holds the seat and what they're spending on Facebook and Instagram ads."
url: "https://politics.computer/seats/federal/paterson"
---

[Home](https://politics.computer/) / [Seats](https://politics.computer/seats/federal)

Federal division, provincial

# Paterson

In New South Wales.

## Sitting member

- [![](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Meryl_Swanson_Irrawang_High_School_2012_(cropped).jpg?width=96)**Meryl Swanson** Labor, Paterson ](https://politics.computer/mp/meryl-swanson)

About

## About Paterson

Paterson is an Australian federal electoral division in New South Wales, just north of Newcastle on the Tasman Sea coast. It is held by Meryl Swanson of the Australian Labor Party. The division covers the lower Hunter Valley and outer suburbs of Greater Newcastle, including Maitland, Kurri Kurri, Nelson Bay and Raymond Terrace.

Named after

Banjo Paterson, the federation-era poet and author

Created

1949, at the redistribution of 11 May 1949

Area

1,123 square kilometres after the 2015 redistribution

Previous members

Bob Horne (Labor) and Bob Baldwin (Liberal) alternated the seat from 1993

Summarised by AI from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division%5Fof%5FPaterson), plus our own records. Sources last checked 11 November 2026.

## Who's advertising

MPs and candidates for Paterson whose Facebook pages we follow, by what they've spent.

We don't follow any candidate's page for Paterson yet, so there are no ads here. Statewide and party ads that reach Paterson are on the [spending](https://politics.computer/who) page.

## Other divisions in New South Wales

- [Banks](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/banks)
- [Barton](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/barton)
- [Bennelong](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/bennelong)
- [Berowra](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/berowra)
- [Blaxland](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/blaxland)
- [Bradfield](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/bradfield)
- [Calare](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/calare)
- [Chifley](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/chifley)
- [Cook](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/cook)
- [Cowper](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/cowper)
- [Cunningham](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/cunningham)
- [Dobell](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/dobell)
- [Eden-Monaro](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/eden-monaro)
- [Farrer](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/farrer)
- [Fowler](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/fowler)
- [Gilmore](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/gilmore)
- [Grayndler](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/grayndler)
- [Greenway](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/greenway)
- [Hughes](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/hughes)
- [Hume](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/hume)
- [Hunter](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/hunter)
- [Kingsford Smith](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/kingsford-smith)
- [Lindsay](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/lindsay)
- [Lyne](https://politics.computer/seats/federal/lyne)

---

[Politics Computer](https://politics.computer/) 

A free reference for Australian politics. Seats and members from the parliaments, votes from Hansard, ads and spend from Meta's Ad Library, checked every Sunday, last on 11 Nov 2026\. Meta reports spend as a range for each ad, so every total here is a range too.

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