ALP 0.9%
Incumbent MP
Martin Foley, since 2007.
Geography
Southern Melbourne. Albert Park covers those parts of the City of Melbourne south of the Yarra River, and a majority of the City of Port Phillip. Albert Park covers the suburbs of Albert Park, Middle Park, Port Melbourne and South Melbourne and parts of St Kilda.
Redistribution
Albert Park lost Elwood at the southern edge of the electorate to Brighton, and lost territory along the electorate’s eastern boundary to Prahran. These changes reduced the Labor margin from 2.1% to 0.9%.
History
The electoral district of Albert Park has existed since the 1889 election. The seat has been dominated by the ALP for most of the 20th century, who have held the seat continuously since 1950.
The ALP first won the seat in 1902. George Elmslie held the seat until 1918, serving as the first Labor Premier in Victoria for thirteen days in December 1913. The ALP continued to hold the seat except for the 1927-9 period and the period from 1932 to 1945.
In 1945, Albert Park was won by the ALP’s Frank Crean, who lost the seat in 1947 to the Liberal Party’s Roy Schilling. Crean returned to the Victorian parliament at the 1949 Prahran by-election, but moved to federal politics in 1951 and went on to serve as a senior minister in the Whitlam government.
Schilling held the seat for one term, losing to the ALP’s Keith Sutton in 1950. Sutton held the seat until his retirement in 1970.
In 1970, Albert Park was won by the ALP’s Val Doube. He had previously held the seat of Oakleigh from 1950 to 1961, when he was defeated. He held Albert Park from 1970 to 1979.
In 1979, Albert Park was won by the ALP’s Bunna Walsh. He held the seat until the 1992 election, when he attempted to win the overlapping Monash province for the Legislative Council. He had also served as a member for the Legislative Council seat of Melbourne West for two months in 1970 before the election was declared void.
In 1992, John Thwaites, Mayor of South Melbourne, was elected to Albert Park for the ALP. Thwaites became Deputy Leader of the Victorian ALP in 1996. He became Deputy Premier in 1999 following the election of the Bracks government. Thwaites resigned in 2007 following the retirement of Steve Bracks, and by-elections were held in Albert Park and Bracks’ electorate of Williamstown in September 2007.
The 2007 by-election was won by the ALP’s Martin Foley, and was re-elected in 2010.
Candidates
- James Hurley (Sex Party)
- Martin Foley (Labor)
- Steven Armstrong (Independent)
- Tex Perkins (Independent)
- Shannon Eeles (Liberal)
- David Collis (Greens)
- Deborah Geyer (Family First)
Assessment
Albert Park is a very marginal electorate, but if there is a swing to Labor, Martin Foley shouldn’t have a lot of trouble winning re-election.
2010 election result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Redist |
| Mark Lopez | Liberal | 15,234 | 38.29 | +3.65 | 39.04 |
| Martin Foley | Labor | 12,012 | 30.19 | -10.86 | 30.49 |
| Ann Birrell | Greens | 7,218 | 18.14 | -0.93 | 17.12 |
| Serge Thomann | Independent | 3,619 | 9.10 | +9.1 | 9.09 |
| Katie Blakey | Sex Party | 1,404 | 3.53 | +3.53 | 3.51 |
| Josie Young | Family First | 303 | 0.76 | -0.32 | 0.72 |
| Other independents | 0.02 |
2010 two-party-preferred result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Redist |
| Martin Foley | Labor | 20,713 | 52.06 | -7.63 | 50.90 |
| Mark Lopez | Liberal | 19,077 | 47.94 | +7.63 | 49.10 |
Booth breakdown
Booths in Albert Park have been split into three areas: Central, South and West.
The ALP won a slim 52.2% majority in the western end of the electorate, and a larger 60.9% in the south. The Liberal Party won 51.2% in the centre of the electorate.
The Greens polled highly in Albert Park, with a vote ranging from 13.4% in the west to 22.6% in the south.
| Voter group | GRN % | ALP 2PP % | Total | % of votes |
| West | 13.44 | 52.23 | 9,562 | 29.11 |
| Central | 15.52 | 48.76 | 8,232 | 25.06 |
| South | 22.63 | 60.90 | 4,281 | 13.03 |
| Other votes | 19.42 | 48.54 | 10,777 | 32.80 |
Labor should hold, but long-term demographics (cashed-up retirees moving to South Melbourne, mostly), makes this a difficult longer-term proposition for Labor.
The Government’s bungling of the train line announcement for Fisherman’s Bend won’t help the Libs either.
I disagree PJ and I have lived in this electorate since 1980.
The redistribution of the electorates boundaries will see Albert Park District loses everything south of Dickens St, St Kilda, to Brighton. This area is densely populated and is a dead red and greens dominated as the maps above show. However the electorate loose St Kilda Rd to Prahran.
The underground train proposed for the new Montague station (eastern end of new Fishermans Bend precinct) is a winner as it will link the CBd with the eastern suburbs. This electorate has no other train lines after two short lines were converted to the 109 and 96 light rail (tram) lines but John Cain (ALP) in the late 1980’s. Tram lines are everywhere in this electorate.
I listed to the three known candidates at a transport forum recently and was equally impressed with the Liberal and Greens candidates who came well prepared despite disagreeing with the Greens views on some transport issues. The ALP bloke only went through the motions – pathetic
I have already received a number of leaflets from the Liberal Shannon Eeles but none for the other two known candidates.
I don’t think Port Phillip Deputy Mayor Serge Thomann will stand again this year. He ran the best campaign in 2010 but an independent was not going to win but his 9% vote was impressive.
The Weekly Review Port Phillip local newspaper said this week that James Hurley (Sex Party) is also a candidate in Albert Park District
Steven Armstrong is with the Sustainable Population Party but is standing as an Independent as his party is only registered federal he is claimed on his website.
A survey company called “Reachtel” rang on Monday at 6:25 pm to survey Albert Park District. They asked who I would vote for listing only 4 of the 5 known candidates currently (Sex Party was omitted), who was the better major party leader and which was the better major party.
I rang the company back the next day (phone numbers are recorded at my house) – my Meta Data and told them about the absent Sex Party candidate and they said that they got the candidate list from ABC TV online. Perhaps they should have looked at The Tally Room.
They said that they were not a media survey company so my guess is that the survey was commissioned by a party.
Adrian’s comments are clear evidence that the comments made by Nick C on Vic 2014 – candidate and party registration update thread are completely inaccurate.
Andrew Jackson
apjackson@hotkey.net.au
I got leaflets finally over the weekend from the Greens (under my front door) and the ALP (in the letter box). The Greens was a generic leaflet and mostly talked about matter not relevant to this electorate (East/West link which is over the other side of the Yarra River and more public transport which we have plenty of). The sad ALP leaflet was all black and was whining about Fishermans Bend and how they are going to rip up the redevelopment plan – crack pot stuff.
What comment was inaccurate? I just posted what the VEC said about party registrations including a link. If the VEC have incorrectly announced the registration of parties blame the VEC.
In other news, a celebrity candidate announcement here, with Tex Perkins to run as an independent
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/nov/09/tex-perkins-run-victorian-election-protect-palais-theatre?CMP=soc_568
I just got a Liberal Shannon Eeles card (Sunday 09 Nov 14) with her on it as an ad on a milk carton with “fresh ideas”. The reverse has LOCAL information on what the government has done and what they are doing. Specific to Albert Park District and not negative. Best leaflet or card I have seen so far.
Eeeles is the only female candidate so far with a 6th, St Kilda’s Tex Perkins, announced in the Sunday Age newspaper today he is campaigning mostly as a single issues independent concerning the Palais theatre. He will probably get 2-5% of the primary vote I think.
Last week (about 06 Nov 14) I got ALP and Liberal application forms for a postal vote but that was it from the ALP while the LIberal envelope had a leaflet on election policy information in it too.
Also a few days ago the Greens came back again (I was not home) and left a leaflet (with a hand written note it) and two cards but again all generic mostly for places and issues outside the electorate.
Anyhow with nominations closing on Friday 14 Nov 14 this means I can early vote (as usual to avoid the ques) on Monday 17 Nov 14 (VEC at 60 Albert Rd, Albert Park from memory). Formal election day on Saturday 29 Nov 14.
Moved to Melbourne from Perth 2 years ago. Love it here in South Melbourne. Cannot believe Labor are back in the game so strongly after their previous efforts. Electing Labor with its strong CFMEU ties and past economic record seems an extreme over-reaction to the current State Government, who appear to have performed solidly despite a one seat majority. What am I missing here?
Ok Andrew well in that case I hope u didn’t vote for Julie bishop because of her job as preventing compensation for asbestos victims given how much u place on an MPs background
Never mentioned Julie Bishop or any other MP for that matter 🙂
Julie Bishop is a federal MP from WA and has nothing to do with Victoria. That said she is one of the better ministers in the commonwealth government.
Agree!
U pretty much were trying to say certain high profile ministers background with the union should make them unelectable and I was merely seeing if background was something u reserve for only one side or both sides amd u have confirmed it. Julie bishop has a bad background with her purpose as a lawyer and that is the comparison I am making to Andrews distaste in cfmeu Union background. Probably because she’s never here most of the time
Observer – get back on topic. This section is about Albert Park District for the state election
Hey Adrian maybe read what I post? Might help you understand why I mentioned her, instead of reading what u want to read
The Liberals are getting serious in this electorate. Last week I noticed a huge real estate type sign in Park Rd, South Melbourne, (near cnr Ferrar St) which is on the No 1 tram line too and today a huge advertising panel on the side of a shop at the corner of Richardson St and Armstrong St, Middle Park, has a Shannon Eeles ad in place too. Armstrong St is the local shopping strip for Middle Park and nearby suburbs of West St Kilda and Albert Park and beyond.
Musician Tex Perkins has stated he to will nominate as a mostly single issue Independent concerning The Palais theatre in St Kilda.
VEC has Deborah Geyer as a Family First candidate too.
Final result 2PP in 2014 as at 11 Dec 14 was ALP 19,370 vote (52.96% and Lib 17,206 (47.04%) . This was a slightly worse vote for the Libs compared with 2010 which was 2PP ALP 20,713 (50.90%) and Lib 19,077 (49.10%). This was despite the fact the Libs has a bright young woman candidate with a better leaflet & poster campaign and that the left leaning Elwood was not now part of the electorate.
Other factors were that in 2010 Serge Thomann got just over 9%.with a huge campaign and did not run this time but Tex Perkin did and he got just over 4% without any effort manning only 3 booths in St Kilda on election day.
Local factors like the Palais may have had an effect but the main problem with the Libs in the last term was it appeared that they did not do too much only promises to do something in the last few months.
This loss of momentum can be firmly sheeted home to Ted Baillieu and the older experienced ministers who did nothing. When Napthine become Premier a year ago it was already too late.
Then again Kennett did a lot infrastructure wise plus reduce debt significantly but still got voted out as did Brumby who did a lot infrastructure wise too.