| Gippsland |
Division of Goldstein | Gorton |
 Hon Andrew Robb (Lib) His electorate website |  |
Location: Melbourne: Beaumaris, Bentleigh, Brighton, Sandringham Division named for: Vida Goldstein, socialist feminist and parliamentary candidate Median weekly family income: $1,389 (13th highest) Persons born in non English speaking countries: 15.3% (51st highest) Persons in professional occupations: 42.9% (11th highest) Persons aged 65 and over: 16.4% (21st highest) Couple families with dependent children: 41.5% (37th highest) Dwellings being purchased: 24.3% (86th highest) Sitting member: Hon Andrew Robb, AO (Liberal), elected 2004, 2007 Born: 20 August 1951, Melbourne. Career: Animal health officer, Vic Department of Agriculture, agricultural economist, tutor La Trobe University, economist, National Farmers’ Federation 1980, executive director, executive director Cattle Council of Australia, deputy federal director Liberal Party 1988-89, Chief of Staff to Hon Andrew Peacock 1989-90, federal director Liberal Party 1990-97, business executive and adviser 1997-2004. Officer of the Order of Australia 2003. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs 2006-07, Minister for Vocational and Technical Education 2007. Member, Opposition Shadow Ministry from 2007. Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs 2007-08. Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and COAG and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on Emissions Trading Design from 22 September 2008 1996 two-party majority: Liberal 10.9 1998 two-party majority: Liberal 08.1 2001 two-party majority: Liberal 09.5 Effect of 2004 redistribution: no change 2004 two-party majority: Liberal 10.0 2007 two-party majority: Liberal 06.0 
2004 enrolment: 89,587 2007 enrolment: 92,014 (+02.7%) Goldstein was created in 1984, but is in fact the old federation seat of Balaclava renamed. It has always been located in the affluent bayside suburbs of Melbourne, based on the Liberal strongholds of Brighton and Sandringham. Successive redistributions have extended it into somewhat more marginal territory to the east of the Nepean Highway, but it remains one of most affluent seats in Australia, with a high level of median family income and a high proportion of in professional occupations. The seat is becoming more multicultural, but is not so far showing the kind of erosion in the base Liberal vote that other high income seats such as Kooyong are showing. The seat is the only one in Australia which has been won by the major non-Labor party of the day (Protectionist, Liberal, Nationalist, UAP, Liberal) at every election since Federation. Seven of its nine members have been ministers, from the first federal Treasurer, Sir George Turner to Liberal Cabinet ministers Ian Macphee and Dr David Kemp. Andrew Robb, who was elected when Kemp retired in 2004, is a former Federal Director of the Liberal Party and a very influential figure in the party. He was a junior minister in the last term of the Howard government, and has been an opposition front-bencher since 2007. In 2007 the Liberals polled 70% of the two-party vote in Brighton Beach and Middle Brighton and also topped 65% at Dendy and Gardenvale. Labor polled 59% in Ormond and 58% in Carnegie. | | 
Two-party vote by booth, 2007
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