Adam Carr's guide to
The 2007 Australian federal election

The House of Representatives

Victoria
Maranoa                

Division of Maribyrnong

                Mayo


Bill Shorten (ALP)
His ALP website and
his campaign website


Ihan Ian Soylemez (Lib)
His Liberal Party website



Ian Keeling (FF)
His Family First website


Rob Livesay (Dem)
His Democrats website


Bob Muntz (Grn)
His Greens website		 Location: Melbourne: Avondale Heights, Essendon, Moonee Ponds, Sunshine
Division named for: The Maribyrnong River, an Indigenous word for "edible root"
Median weekly family income: $936 (66th highest)
Persons born in non English speaking countries: 31.7% (10th highest)
Persons in professional occupations: 24.2% (86th highest)
Persons aged 65 and over: 14.1% (55th highest)
Couple families with dependent children: 37.0% (94th highest)
Dwellings being purchased: 19.9% (131st highest)
Sitting member: Bob Sercombe (Labor), elected 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004. Retiring 2007
1996 two-party majority: Labor 18.9
1998 two-party majority: Labor 22.1
2001 two-party majority: Labor 17.4
Effect of 2004 redistribution: 02.0 shift to Liberal
2004 primary votes: Labor 51.3, Liberal 37.5, Green 6.9
2004 two-party majority: Labor 09.5
2004 enrolment: 87,267
2007 enrolment: 87,484 (+00.2%)
Maribyrnong was created in 1906, and at various times has covered most of the western and north-western suburbs of Melbourne. In 1949 it was cut back to the area around Essendon, but since then it has expanded to the west to take in newer suburbs such as Sunshine and parts of Keilor and St Albans. Maribyrnong is a solidly working-class seat, with 17% of its workforce engaged in manufacturing and a high proportion of people born in non English speaking countries. It is also the most Catholic electorate in Australia (46.1%), a fact of considerable importance in its history. Maribyrnong has been held by the Labor Party for most of its history, the only significant exception being the period 1955-66, when the Democratic Labor Party, with its base among working-class Catholics, directed its preferences to the Liberals, enabling them to win the seat. In 2004 Labor carried all but four booths, polling over 65% of the two-party vote in four St Albans booths and three Sunshine booths, while the Liberals polled best in Essendon, Moonee Ponds and Niddrie. Members for Maribyrnong include Labor ministers Arthur Drakeford, Dr Moss Cass and Alan Griffiths. Bob Sercombe has held the seat since 1996. Sercombe was on the Opposition front bench from 2004, but despite this he lost his preselection in a coup organised by the Labor Unity faction in 2006. His successor will be Bill Shorten, the national secretary of the Australian Workers Union. The Liberal candidate was Hamish Jones, but he was forced to withdraw in August when it emerged that he had called a state minister a "bitch" and a "fuckwit" on his website.
Candidates in ballot-paper order
  • Andre Kozlowski (CEC) is an office administrator.
  • Rob Livesay (Democrats) is a vehicle builder.
  • Ihan Ian Soylemez (Liberal) is operations manager for a cleaning company.
  • Ian Keeling (Family First) is a manager.
  • Bill Shorten (Labor) is national secretary of the Australian Workers Union.
  • Bob Muntz (Greens) is a biochemist, and now teaches newly arrived refugees in a TAFE college.

    Candidates on YouTube
    Bill Shorten









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    Members for Maribyrnong


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