Division of Hotham

Hotham is an Australian federal electoral division located in the outer south eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its current boundaries include the suburbs of Clayton, Oakleigh and Springvale.

Initially named Higinbotham after Hon George Higinbotham, a nineteenth century Victorian Member of Parliament and judge, the Division was renamed in 1968 in honour of Sir Charles Hotham, a former Governor of Victoria and first contested at the 1969 federal election.

Initially a relatively safe Liberal seat, Hotham has become a safe Labor seat due to electoral redistributions.

Prominent members include Don Chipp of the Liberal Party, who served as Minister for Customs and Excise while the local member and would later quit the Liberals to help found and lead the Australian Democrats (his son Greg contested the seat for the Democrats at the 1984 election) and current member Simon Crean, who served as federal leader of the Labor Party in 2003. The best result by a third party was 18.4% by the Democrats in 1977.

Members

• Frank Timson (Lib) 1949-60
• Hon Donald Chipp (Lib) 1960-77
• Roger Johnston (Lib) 1977-80
• Lewis Kent (ALP) 1980-90
• Hon Simon Crean (ALP) 1990-