Division of Isaacs

The Division of Isaacs is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, on the eastern shores of Port Phillip Bay. It covers the suburbs of Mordialloc, Keysborough (part), Waterways, Cheltenham (part), Dingley Village, Chelsea, Aspendale, Aspendale Gardens, Edithvale, Bonbeach, Patterson Lakes, Carrum, Parkdale, Mentone, Dandenong South, Highett, Heatherton and Moorabbin.

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.

As a result of a periodical boundary redistribution, from the 2025 Australian federal election, Isaacs’ boundaries moved north and east to include the suburbs of Keysborough, Springvale South, Noble Park (part) and Dandenong (part), while losing the suburbs of Chelsea (part), Chelsea Heights (part), Bonbeach, Carrum and Patterson Lakes to neighbouring Dunkley and parts of Moorabbin, Highett and Cheltenham to Goldstein.

History

File:Isaac Isaacs 1936 (cropped).jpg

Sir Isaac Isaacs, the division's namesake

The division was named after Sir Isaac Isaacs, former Chief Justice of Australia and the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia. It was proclaimed at the redistribution of 21 November 1968, and first contested at the 1969 federal election. Originally a marginal seat, it switched regularly between the Liberals and Labor. However, Labor has held it without interruption since 1996, and it is now considered fairly safe for that party.

The former Division of Isaacs (1949–69) was located in the inner south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and was not related to this division except in name.

Mark Dreyfus became the new Labor member in 2007, and has been re-elected ever since. The division was also contested in 2007 by Laura Chipp, daughter of Don Chipp, for the Australian Democrats.

Members

Image		Member	Party	Term	Notes
Template:Australian party style|	File:David Hamer 1970.jpg	David Hamer (1923–2002)	Liberal	25 October 1969 – 18 May 1974	Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:Gareth Clayton 1974 (cropped).jpg	Gareth Clayton (1942–2010)	Labor	18 May 1974 – 13 December 1975	Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:David Hamer.jpg	David Hamer (1923–2002)	Liberal	13 December 1975 – 10 November 1977	Transferred to the Senate
Template:Australian party style|	File:Liberal Placeholder.png	Bill Burns (1933–2009)		10 December 1977 – 18 October 1980	Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:Labor Placeholder.png	David Charles (1948–)	Labor	18 October 1980 – 19 February 1990	Retired
Template:Australian party style|	File:Liberal Placeholder.png	Rod Atkinson (1948–)	Liberal	24 March 1990 – 2 March 1996	Lost seat
Template:Australian party style|	File:Labor Placeholder.png	Greg Wilton (1955–2000)	Labor	2 March 1996 – 14 June 2000	Died in office
Template:Australian party style|	File:Labor Placeholder.png	Ann Corcoran (1951–)		12 August 2000 – 17 October 2007	Lost preselection and retired
Template:Australian party style|	File:Mark Dreyfus (2025) (cropped).jpg	Mark Dreyfus (1956–)		24 November 2007 – present	Served as minister under Gillard and Rudd. Incumbent. Currently a minister under Albanese

External links

• Division of Isaacs – Australian Electoral Commission