division of Macnamara

{{Infobox Australian Electorate

| federal = yes

| name = Macnamara

| image = {{switcher

|{{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|from=Australian Federal Electorates/Victoria (2022)/Macnamara.map|frame-height=300|frame-width=400|overlay-horizontal-alignment=right|overlay-vertical-alignment=bottom|overlay=100x100px

}}

|From the 2022 federal election to 2025

|{{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|from=Australian Federal Electorates/Victoria (2025)/Macnamara.map|frame-height=300|frame-width=400|overlay-horizontal-alignment=right|overlay-vertical-alignment=bottom|overlay=100x100px

}}

|From the 2025 federal election

|default=2

}}

| caption = Interactive map of electorate boundaries

| created = 2019

| mp = Josh Burns

| mp-party = Labor

| namesake = Dame Jean Macnamara

| electors = 114610

| electors_year = 2025

| area = 38

| class = Inner metropolitan

| coordinates ={{coord|37|51|36|S|144|58|48|E|type:adm3rd_region:AU|display=inline,title}}

| lifespan =

}}

The Division of Macnamara is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria, which was contested for the first time at the 2019 federal election. The division is named in honour of Dame Jean Macnamara, a doctor and medical researcher who specialised in the polio virus and was involved in children's health initiatives.

The current member is Josh Burns of the Australian Labor Party, who has represented the division since the 2019 Australian federal election.

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 |access-date=19 April 2022 |date=14 November 2017}}

History

The Division of Macnamara was created in 2018 after the Australian Electoral Commission oversaw a mandatory redistribution of divisions in Victoria.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2018/06-20.htm|title=Names and boundaries of federal electoral divisions in Victoria decided|work=Australian Electoral Commission|date=20 June 2018}} Macnamara covers most of what was previously the Division of Melbourne Ports, which it replaced in the redistribution.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal-redistribution-2018/vic/|title=2017–18 Federal Redistributions – Victoria|work=ABC Elections|date=20 June 2018}} The division is located in Melbourne's south around the eastern shores of Port Phillip Bay and takes in the suburbs of Port Melbourne, Albert Park, Balaclava, Caulfield, Elwood, Middle Park, Ripponlea, Southbank, South Melbourne and St Kilda, as well as parts of Glen Huntly and Elsternwick.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/Electorates/Redistributions/2017/vic/final-report/files/maps-a4/2018-AEC-Victoria-A4-Macnamara-Final.pdf|title=Map: Division of Macnamara|work=Australian Electoral Commission}} It also includes the suburb of Windsor, which had previously been located in the neighbouring division of Higgins.

The seat was notionally held by the Labor Party on a 1.3% margin over the Liberal Party. Its predecessor, Melbourne Ports, had been held by Labor without interruption since 1906, and for over 80 years had been one of Labor's safest seats. However, Labor's hold on the seat became increasingly tenuous after a 1990 redistribution added some wealthier territory around Caulfield. Further analysis identified that the margin between the Labor Party and the Greens had narrowed to less than 0.3% as a result of recent boundary adjustments.{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal-redistribution-2018/vic/|title=Victorian redistribution 2018 – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)|work=ABC News|access-date=20 January 2019}}

The last member for Melbourne Ports, Michael Danby, opted not to contest the election for the new Macnamara.

The 2022 election in Macnamara was a close race between Labor's new candidate Josh Burns and the Greens' candidate Steph Hodgins-May. After several days of counting, Josh Burns narrowly won the seat, securing Labor a majority in the House of Representatives.

Demographics

Macnamara is undergoing rapid inner-city gentrification and contains high-density housing developments. It is notable for its high Jewish population;{{Cite web |title=Macnamara (Key Seat) - Federal Electorate, Candidates, Results |url=https://abc.net.au/news/elections/federal/2022/guide/macn |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=abc.net.au |language=en-AU}} at the time of the 2025 Australian federal election, 10% of Macnamara's population was Jewish, making it the second-largest Jewish electorate in Australia.{{cite web |last1=Belot |first1=Henry |last2=Kolovos |first2=Benita |title=Jewish leaders unhappy at decision to block Greens candidate from Melbourne community forum |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/05/jewish-leaders-unhappy-at-decision-to-block-greens-candidate-from-melbourne-community-forum-ntwnfb |publisher=The Guardian |access-date=6 April 2025}} The incumbent MP, Josh Burns, is himself the grandson of Jewish migrants who left Europe and settled in Melbourne in search of a safe place to raise their families.

Members

class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
colspan=2 \| Image ! Member ! Party ! Term ! Notes
{{Australian party style\|Labor}}\| \| 100px \| Josh Burns {{small\|(1987–)}} \| Labor \| nowrap \| 18 May 2019 – present \| Incumbent

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

colspan=2 | Image

! Member

! Party

! Term

! Notes

{{Australian party style|Labor}}|

| 100px

| Josh Burns
{{small|(1987–)}}

| Labor

| nowrap | 18 May 2019 –
present

| Incumbent