Electoral district of Altona

The Electoral district of Altona is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly more commonly called the Lower House. It is located in Melbourne's western suburbs in traditional working class territory. The district elects one MLA by Australia's Instant Runoff Voting system.

Boundaries

The district is located in a growth belt of Melbourne. The main part of the district are the suburbs of Altona and Laverton which are predominanlty working class. The district also includes the middle class Point Cook and Sanctuary Lakes areas in the southern section of the district. The district also includes the eastern section of Hoppers Crossing and the industrial area of Laverton North. The district falls largely within the boundaries of the federal division of Gellibrand, with some of the western-most parts falling within the boundaries of Lalor. The electoral office for the district of Altona may be found at Central Square Shopping Centre in Altona Meadows.

Future Redistributions

As a result of the large growth in the southern part of the district some part of the district will almost certainly be cut from the electorate before the 2010 election. With the Hoppers Crossing part of the district not holding a "community of interest" with the rest of the district it is the most likely part of the electorate to be cut but if growth in the south has exceed the population of Hoppers Crossing a new district may be made centred on Point Cook.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

Melbourne's western suburbs are generally considered to be working class with high unemployment but in the district of Altona at least this is untrue. The average weekly income in the district is A$907 compared with a Victorian average of A$812. The district does however have a higher than average immigrant population with 31% of the district being born outside Australia. The district also has a very low number of diplomas with only 12.7% of the district holding one compared to 20.2% of the rest of Victoria.

History

The seat was created in an electoral redistribution for the 1992 election as a safe seat for the Labor Party. It was won by Carole Marple, associated with Labor's left faction, but she was defeated for preselection by the right's Lynne Kosky for the 1996 election. Kosky has been easily re-elected ever since, and Altona is currently one of the safest seats in Victoria for the Labor Party.

Members for Altona

Election results

See also

• Parliaments of the Australian states and territories
• List of members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly

External links

• Electorate profile: Altona District, Victorian Electoral Commission
• State Election 2002: Altona District, Victorian Electoral Commission
• State Election 1999: Altona District, Victorian Electoral Commission