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| Australian federal election, 2016
Division of Melbourne Ports, Victoria
Inner Melbourne: Caulfield, Port Melbourne, South Melbourne, St Kilda
Sitting member: Hon Michael Danby (Labor), elected 1998
Enrolment at close of rolls: 102,186
2013 Labor majority over Liberal: 3.6%
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Candidates in ballot-paper order:
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1. Peter Holland
Independent |
2. Owen Guest
Liberal Party |
3. Henry Von Doussa
Marriage Equality |
4. Hon Michael Danby
Australian Labor Party |
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5. John Myers
Independent |
6. Rob Smyth
Animal Justice Party |
7. Steph Hodgins-May
Australian Greens |
8. Levi McKenzie-Kirkbright
Drug Law Reform |
2013 results
Statistics and history
Melbourne Ports has existed since Federation, but it is one of the most radically changed of the federation seats, both in terms of its boundaries
and its social composition. Once based in Melbourne's working-class heartland in the western suburbs, since 1969 it has extended eastwards to St
Kilda, while in 1990 the wealthy suburb of Caulfield was added. Today Melbourne Ports is in the top 10% of electorates in terms of median income
level and proportion of people in professional occupations. Yet it continues to elect a Labor member, as it has done since 1906, although since
1990 it has been highly marginal. This is partly because many of its high-income residents in suburbs like St Kilda hold left-wing views, and partly
because the electorate is about 15% Jewish, and many Jewish voters who would otherwise vote Liberal support the sitting member.
Voting patterns in Melbourne Ports reflect the demographic changes in this area. Once solidly working-class Port Melbourne and South Melbourne are
now wealthy suburbs and politically marginal, while St Kilda and Elwood, once middle-class and firmly Liberal, are now the Labor bedrock in this
seat. Even in 2013, Labor polled more than 60% of the two-party vote in all the St Kilda booths. Members for Melbourne Ports have included Labor
Cabinet ministers Ted Holloway, Frank Crean and Clyde Holding.
Michael Danby, Labor MP for Melbourne Ports since 1998, worked for Labor ministers Barry Cohen and Alan Griffiths and for the Shop, Distributive and
Allied Employees Association before his election. He is the seat's first Jewish member and at the time of his election the only Jewish member of the
Parliament. Danby was a Parliamentary Secretary in the last year of the Rudd-Gillard Government. His right-wing and pro-Israel views win him support
in Caulfield, but have driven left-wing voters to the Greens.
The Green vote in Melbourne Ports rose from 5.2% in 1996 to 20.2% in 2013. At that election Danby polled 31.7%, the lowest vote of any successful Labor
candidate. This means he is more dependent on Greens preferences than any other Labor member. In past elections the Liberals have run both Jewish and
gay candidates against Danby, without success. This year their candidate is Owen Guest, who runs a financial trading company. The Greens are optimistic
about their chances in inner-city seats like this. Their candidate is Steph Hodgkins-May, a lawyer who contested Ballarat in 2013. Although Labor's
demographic position in Melbourne Ports continues to decline, Danby's personal vote and the apparent swing to Labor in Victoria should be enough for
Labor to retain this seat.
These maps are the property of Adam Carr and may not be reproduced without his permission.
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Prospective pendulum, showing all candidates
State and territory maps, showing new boundaries
The thirty seats that will decide the election
Other seats of interest
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