Division of Isaacs

{{about|the current federal electorate|the former electorate|Division of Isaacs (1949–1969)}}

{{Infobox Australian electorate

| federal = yes

| name = Isaacs

| image = {{switcher

|{{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|from=Australian Federal Electorates/Victoria (2022)/Isaacs.map|frame-longitude=145.16|frame-latitude=-38|frame-height=300|frame-width=400|overlay-horizontal-alignment=right|overlay-vertical-alignment=bottom|overlay=x100px

}}

|From the 2022 federal election to 2025

|{{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|from=Australian Federal Electorates/Victoria (2025)/Isaacs.map|frame-longitude=145.16|frame-latitude=-38|frame-height=300|frame-width=400|overlay-horizontal-alignment=right|overlay-vertical-alignment=bottom|overlay=x100px

}}

|From the 2025 federal election

|default=2

}}

| caption = Interactive map of electorate boundaries

| created = 1969

| mp = Mark Dreyfus

| mp-party = Labor

| namesake = Sir Isaac Isaacs

| electors = 120804

| electors_year = 2025

| area = 158

| class = Outer metropolitan

| near-nw = Goldstein

| near-n = Hotham

| near-ne = Bruce

| near-e = Holt

| near-se = Holt

| near-s = Dunkley

| near-sw = Port Phillip

| near-w = Port Phillip

}}

The Division of Isaacs is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, on the eastern shores of Port Phillip Bay. It covers the suburbs of Mordialloc, Keysborough (part), Waterways, Cheltenham (part), Dingley Village, Chelsea, Aspendale, Aspendale Gardens, Edithvale, Bonbeach, Patterson Lakes, Carrum, Parkdale, Mentone, Dandenong South, Highett, Heatherton and Moorabbin.

Geography

Since 1984, federal electoral division boundaries in Australia have been determined at redistributions by a redistribution committee appointed by the Australian Electoral Commission. Redistributions occur for the boundaries of divisions in a particular state, and they occur every seven years, or sooner if a state's representation entitlement changes or when divisions of a state are malapportioned.{{cite web |last1=Muller |first1=Damon |title=The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1718/Quick_Guides/FederalRedistributions |website=Parliament of Australia |date=14 November 2017}}

As a result of a periodical boundary redistribution, from the 2025 Australian federal election, Isaacs’ boundaries moved north and east to include the suburbs of Keysborough, Springvale South, Noble Park (part) and Dandenong (part), while losing the suburbs of Chelsea (part), Chelsea Heights (part), Bonbeach, Carrum and Patterson Lakes to neighbouring Dunkley and parts of Moorabbin, Highett and Cheltenham to Goldstein. https://antonygreen.com.au/2024-federal-redistributions-final-boundaries-for-victoria-released/

History

File:Isaac Isaacs 1936 (cropped).jpg, the division's namesake]]

The division was named after Sir Isaac Isaacs, former Chief Justice of Australia and the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia. It was proclaimed at the redistribution of 21 November 1968, and first contested at the 1969 federal election. Originally a marginal seat, it switched regularly between the Liberals and Labor. However, Labor has held it without interruption since 1996, and it is now considered fairly safe for that party.

The former Division of Isaacs (1949–69) was located in the inner south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and was not related to this division except in name.

Mark Dreyfus became the new Labor member in 2007, and has been re-elected ever since. The division was also contested in 2007 by Laura Chipp, daughter of Don Chipp, for the Australian Democrats.

Members

class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
colspan=2 \| Image ! Member ! Party ! Term ! Notes
{{Australian party style\|Liberal}}\| \| 100px \| David Hamer {{small\|(1923–2002)}} \| Liberal \| nowrap \| 25 October 1969 – 18 May 1974 \| Lost seat
{{Australian party style\|Labor}}\| \| 100px \| Gareth Clayton {{small\|(1942–2010)}} \| Labor \| nowrap \| 18 May 1974 – 13 December 1975 \| Lost seat
{{Australian party style\|Liberal}}\| \| 100px \| David Hamer {{small\|(1923–2002)}} \| rowspan="2" \| Liberal \| nowrap \| 13 December 1975 – 10 November 1977 \| Transferred to the Senate
{{Australian party style\|Liberal}}\| \| 100px \| Bill Burns {{small\|(1933–2009)}} \| nowrap \| 10 December 1977 – 18 October 1980 \| Lost seat
{{Australian party style\|Labor}}\| \| 100px \| David Charles {{small\|(1948–)}} \| Labor \| nowrap \| 18 October 1980 – 19 February 1990 \| Retired
{{Australian party style\|Liberal}}\| \| 100px \| Rod Atkinson {{small\|(1948–)}} \| Liberal \| nowrap \| 24 March 1990 – 2 March 1996 \| Lost seat
{{Australian party style\|Labor}}\| \| 100px \| Greg Wilton {{small\|(1955–2000)}} \| rowspan="3" \| Labor \| nowrap \| 2 March 1996 – 14 June 2000 \| Died in office
{{Australian party style\|Labor}}\| \| 100px \| Ann Corcoran {{small\|(1951–)}} \| nowrap \| 12 August 2000 – 17 October 2007 \| Lost preselection and retired
{{Australian party style\|Labor}}\| \| 100px \| Mark Dreyfus {{small\|(1956–)}} \| nowrap \| 24 November 2007 – present \| Served as minister under Gillard and Rudd. Incumbent. Currently a minister under Albanese

class=wikitable style="text-align:center"

colspan=2 | Image

! Member

! Party

! Term

! Notes

{{Australian party style|Liberal}}|

| 100px

| David Hamer
{{small|(1923–2002)}}

| Liberal

| nowrap | 25 October 1969 –
18 May 1974

| Lost seat