# Division of Hotham

The Division of Hotham is an Australian electoral division in Victoria. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Hotham covers an area of approximately 83 square kilometres from Oakleigh in the north to Keysborough in the south. The division includes the suburbs of Bentleigh East, Clarinda, Clayton South, Coatesville, Huntingdale, Noble Park, Oakleigh East, Oakleigh South, Springvale,Waverley Park, Westall in their entirety; as well as parts of Bentleigh, Clayton, Hughesdale, Keysborough, Mulgrave, Noble Park North, Oakleigh and Springvale South.

## 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.
The Division includes parts of the local government areas of Glen Eira City Council, Greater Dandenong City Council, Kingston City Council and Monash City Council.

## History

The division was created in 1969 and is named for Sir Charles Hotham, Governor of Victoria 1854–55. The division was originally created as a reconfigured version of the Division of Higinbotham, and as such was on paper a safe Liberal seat. The last member for Higinbotham, prominent Liberal Don Chipp, transferred to Hotham. Chips served as a minister under John Gorton, William McMahon and Malcolm Fraser—as well as Harold Holt and John McEwen while he held his old seat. He ended up quitting the party in 1977 due to personal animosity towards Fraser to form the Australian Democrats, and shortly thereafter transferred to the Senate.
Demographic changes resulted in the seat nearly being lost to Labor in 1977 despite a national Coalition landslide. Chipp's Liberal successor Roger Johnston finally lost Hotham to Labor in 1980. Labor has held the seat since then, and consolidated its hold on the seat in the 1990s to make it one of the party's safer seats in Melbourne.
Besides Chipp, the seat's most prominent member was Simon Crean, who was Opposition Leader from 2001 until December 2003 and was in every Labor Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet from June 1991 to March 2013. Crean retired at the 2013 election and was succeeded by fellow Labor member Clare O'Neil. Since 2022, O'Neil has been the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security in the Albanese Labor Government.

## Members

| Member | Party | Term | Notes |
| Don Chipp (1925–2006) | Liberal | 25 October 1969 – 24 March 1977 | Previously held the Division of Higinbotham. Served as minister under Gorton, McMahon and Fraser. Transferred to the Senate |
| Don Chipp (1925–2006) | Independent | 24 March 1977 – 9 May 1977 | Previously held the Division of Higinbotham. Served as minister under Gorton, McMahon and Fraser. Transferred to the Senate |
| Don Chipp (1925–2006) | Australian Democrats | 9 May 1977 – 10 November 1977 | Previously held the Division of Higinbotham. Served as minister under Gorton, McMahon and Fraser. Transferred to the Senate |
| Roger Johnston (1930–2020) | Liberal | 10 December 1977 – 18 October 1980 | Lost seat |
| Lewis Kent (1927–2014) | Labor | 18 October 1980 – 24 March 1990 | Did not contest in 1990. Failed to win the Division of Corinella |
| Simon Crean (1949–2023) | Labor | 24 March 1990 – 5 August 2013 | Served as minister under Hawke, Keating, Rudd and Gillard. Served as Opposition Leader from 2001 to 2003. Retired |
| Clare O'Neil (1980–) | Labor | 7 September 2013 – present | Incumbent. Currently a minister under Albanese |

## Election results

2022 Australian federal election: Hotham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Clare O'Neil | 47,135 | 47.04 | −3.72 |
| | Liberal | Savitri Bevinakoppa | 25,273 | 25.22 | −8.15 |
| | Greens | Louisa Willoughby | 12,408 | 12.38 | +3.44 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Edward Sok | 6,591 | 6.58 | +6.58 |
| | United Australia | Bruce Ridgway | 5,869 | 5.86 | +2.17 |
| | One Nation | Roger Tull | 2,926 | 2.92 | +2.92 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 100,202 | 96.45 | +0.85 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 3,688 | 3.55 | −0.85 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 103,890 | 89.58 | −2.81 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Labor | Clare O'Neil | 64,382 | 64.25 | +3.07 |
| | Liberal | Savitri Bevinakoppa | 35,820 | 35.75 | −3.07 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | +3.07 | |