Division of Melbourne Ports

The Division of Melbourne Ports is an Australian federal electoral division in the inner south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The electorate was created in 1900 at the time of Australian Federation (see History of Australia), and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the fact that at the time of its creation it was centred on Port Melbourne and Williamstown, both major ports.

The electorate, formerly working class, is much more demographically diverse on its current boundaries. It still includes Port Melbourne, but now also includes the upper middle class and alternative lifestyle suburbs of Albert Park, St Kilda, Elwood and middle class Caulfield. It is the home of one of Australia's larger atheist communities and according to 2006 census, this electorate has 23.2% No Religion, 18.8% Catholic, 12.7% Jewish, 10.8% Anglican, 11.7% Other Christian, 5.9% Other Religions, and 16.9% not stated. It also has a large gay and lesbian community.

Melbourne Ports has been held by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 1906. Located in Labor's traditional heartland of west Melbourne, for decades it was one of the safest Labor seats in the country. Since its extension eastwards to Caulfield in the 1990 redistribution, it has become much less secure for Labor, and was nearly lost in 2001 and 2004. However, Michael Danby, who has held the seat since 1998, gained enough of a swing in the 2007 election that it is now reckoned as a "fairly safe" Labor seat.