Williamstown – Victoria 2014

ALP 13.2%

Incumbent MP
Wade Noonan, since 2007.

Geography
Western Melbourne. Williamstown covers areas near Port Phillip Bay to the west of the Melbourne CBD. Williamstown covers eastern parts of Hobsons Bay council area and a small southern part of the City of Maribyrnong, covering the suburbs of Brooklyn, Kingsville, Newport, Seddon, South Kingsville, Spotswood, Williamstown, Williamstown North, Yarraville and parts of Altona and Altona North.

Redistribution
Williamstown shifted very slightly north, losing Seaholme to Altona, and gaining Kingsville and Seddon from Footscray. These changes increased the ALP margin from 11.8% to 13.2%.

History
Williamstown has existed as an electoral district in the Victorian Legislative Assembly since the Assembly first sat in 1856. It has been held by the ALP continuously for over a century. In recent decades the seat has been held by two Labor Premiers.

The seat was held by a series of unaffiliated members of Parliament in the 19th century before the development of the modern political party. The seat’s MP, William Carter, became a member of the Labor Party in 1891, holding the seat until 1894.

Williamstown was won in 1894 by James Styles as a Labor member. He held the seat until 1900. He later served as a Protectionist Senator from 1901 until his defeat in 1906.

Liberal MP Alexander Ramsay held the seat for two terms from 1900 to 1904, when the Labor Party’s John Lemmon regained the seat. Lemmon held the seat for over half a century, retiring in 1955. William Floyd held the seat from 1955 until 1973. Gordon Stirling held the seat from 1973 until 1988.

Williamstown was won in 1988 by Joan Kirner, a Labor government minister who had been an MLC for Melbourne West province since 1982. Kirner became Premier of Victoria in 1990, and served in the role until her defeat at the 1992 election. She held the seat of Williamstown until her resignation in 1994.

The 1994 by-election was won by Steve Bracks, who had previously served as an advisor to Premiers John Cain and Joan Kirner. Bracks quickly moved to the Opposition frontbench, becoming Shadow Treasurer in 1996. He was elected Labor leader in early 1999 and unexpectedly won the 1999 election, forming a minority government with the support of independent MPs. Bracks won a second term in 2002 and a third in 2006. Bracks resigned as Premier and Member for Williamstown in July 2007.

The 2007 Williamstown by-election was won by ALP candidate Wade Noonan, federal assistant secretary of the Transport Workers Union, who defeated former Mayor of Maribyrnong Janet Rice, running for the Greens. Noonan was re-elected in 2010.

Candidates

• Libby Krepp (Voice for the West)
• Alan Shea (Liberal)
• Wade Noonan (Labor)
• Simon Crawford (Greens)
• Khalil Wehbe (Independent)

Assessment
Williamstown is a safe Labor seat.

2010 election result

2010 two-party-preferred result

Booth breakdown
Booths in Williamstown have been divided into four areas: central, north, south and west.

The ALP won a majority of the two-party-preferred vote in all four areas, ranging from 56.8% in the south to 68.9% in the north.

The Greens polled a large vote in the area – 20.8% before the redistribution, and over 22% on the new boundaries. The Greens vote ranges from 14.7% in the west to 29.6% in the north.