State Victoria MP Jill Hennessy Demographic Outer Metropolitan Area 79 km² Elector 48,044 | Created 1992 Electors 48,044 (2014) Founded 1992 Member of parliament Jill Hennessy Party Australian Labor Party | |
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The Electoral district of Altona is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It covers an area of 79 square kilometres (31 sq mi) in western Melbourne, and includes the suburbs of Altona, Altona Meadows, Laverton, Point Cook, Seabrook and Seaholme. It also includes the RAAF Williams airbase and the Point Cook Coastal Park. It lies within the Western Metropolitan Region of the upper house, the Legislative Council.
History
The Altona seat was created in an electoral redistribution for the 1992 election, and has been a safe seat for the Labor Party throughout its history. It was won in 1992 by Carole Marple, who was associated with the party's Pledge Left faction, a hard-left splinter from the Socialist Left. In 1993, a broad "peace deal" was struck between the Socialist Left and the right-wing Labor Unity faction, which saw both factions agree to deliver the Altona preselection for the 1996 election to Socialist Left candidate Lynne Kosky instead of Marple. As a result, Kosky defeated Marple for Labor preselection, and succeeded her as member for Altona at the 1996 election, while Marple instead contested and lost the marginal Legislative Council seat of Geelong Province.
Kosky served as a minister throughout the 1999–2010 Labor government under Steve Bracks and John Brumby, holding the positions of Minister for Post Compulsory Education, Training and Employment (1999–2002), Minister for Finance (2000–2002), Minister for Education and Training (2002–2006), Minister for Public Transport (2006–2010) and Minister for the Arts (2006–2010). Kosky resigned mid-term on 18 January 2010, citing significant health problems in her family. This necessitated a February by-election, which was won by former Labor state president Jill Hennessy.
Hennessy was re-elected at the 2010 election and 2014 election. Following the Labor victory at the 2014 election, she was appointed Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services in the Andrews Ministry.