Division of Melbourne Ports

Melbourne Ports
Australian House of Representatives Division

Division of Melbourne Ports (green) in Victoria
Created 1901
MP Michael Danby
Party Labor
Namesake Port Melbourne
Electors 93,518 (2013)
Area 40 km2 (15.4 sq mi)
Demographic Inner Metropolitan

The Division of Melbourne Ports is an Australian federal electoral division in the inner south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located to the south of Melbourne's central business district and covers an area of approximately 40 km2 around the north and north-eastern shores of Port Phillip Bay.

The electorate was created at the time of Australian Federation in 1901 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the fact that at the time of its creation it was centred on Port Melbourne and Williamstown, both major ports.

The electorate, formerly working class, is much more demographically diverse on its current boundaries, with rapidly accelerating inner-city gentrification and high-density housing developments in recent years. It still includes Port Melbourne, but now also includes a number of middle and upper middle class suburbs such as Albert Park, Balaclava, Caulfield, Elwood, Middle Park, Ripponlea, South Melbourne and St Kilda. It is the home of one of Australia's larger atheist communities and according to 2006 census, this electorate has 23.2% No Religion, 18.8% Catholic, 12.7% Jewish, 10.8% Anglican, 11.7% Other Christian, 5.9% Other Religions, and 16.9% not stated. It also has a large gay and lesbian community.

Melbourne Ports has been held by the Australian Labor Party since 1906. Originally, it was anchored in the industrial suburbs in the west of the electorate, which are part of Labor's heartland in west Melbourne. On those boundaries, for decades it was one of the safest Labor seats in the country. Since its extension eastwards to Caulfield and other Liberal-voting areas in the 1990 redistribution, it has become much less secure for Labor. Continuing the gradual downwards trend in the Labor primary vote, in the 2013 election, Labor was returned with a primary vote of less than 32 percent.

It has been held by only five men since 1906, most notably Jack Holloway, a minister in the Curtin government, Frank Crean, Treasurer in the Whitlam government, and Clyde Holding, a minister in the Hawke government.

Members

MemberPartyTerm
  Samuel Mauger Protectionist 1901–1906
  James Mathews Labor 1906–1931
  Jack Holloway Labor 1931–1951
  Frank Crean Labor 1951–1977
  Clyde Holding Labor 1977–1998
  Michael Danby Labor 1998–present

Election results

Australian federal election, 2013: Melbourne Ports
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Kevin Ekendahl 33,278 41.05 +3.66
Labor Michael Danby 25,676 31.67 −6.56
Greens Ann Birrell 16,353 20.17 −0.82
Sex Party Melissa Star 3,089 3.81 +1.59
Palmer United Toby Stodart 1,122 1.38 +1.38
Democratic Labour Vince Stefano 540 0.67 +0.67
Family First Robert Keenan 490 0.60 −0.14
Stable Population Steven Armstrong 324 0.40 +0.40
Rise Up Australia Margaret Quinn 201 0.25 +0.25
Total formal votes 81,073 96.18 −0.59
Informal votes 3,223 3.82 +0.59
Turnout 84,296 90.14 +0.61
Two-party-preferred result
Labor Michael Danby 43,419 53.56 −4.33
Liberal Kevin Ekendahl 37,654 46.44 +4.33
Labor hold Swing −4.33

References

    External links

    Coordinates: 37°51′22″S 144°58′34″E / 37.856°S 144.976°E / -37.856; 144.976

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