Victorian MPs living outside of their electorate revealed
Dozens of Victorian MPs — including ministers — live outside of the community they represent. See if your MP is on the list.
Victoria
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Dozens of Victorian MPs are living outside their electorates, with Labor members most likely to shun the communities they represent.
A Herald Sun analysis of the register of interests for Victoria’s 38 MPs in the federal House of Representatives shows Labor members are more likely to live outside their electorates.
And in the state parliament, 20 of the government’s 72 MPs — including six ministers — don’t live in their own electorates.
They include Broadmeadows MP Frank McGuire, who lives in Fitzroy, and Mill Park MP Lily D’Ambrosio, who lives in Brunswick.
Luke Donnellan, who has been disendorsed for his seat of Narre Warren North, lives more than 30km away in Fitzroy North, and senior minister Martin Pakula lives well outside his Keysborough electorate.
A state government spokeswoman defended the living arrangements.
“Our members of parliament work hard every day for the people they represent – whether it’s spending time in the community or delivering record local investment across areas like schools, transport, hospitals and community facilities,” she said.
Federally, shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has lived for several decades in Malvern, about 13km from his seat of Isaacs, which covers southeastern suburbs including Moorabbin, Dandenong South and Carrum.
Maria Vamvakinou has lived in Northcote since she won the seat of Calwell in 2001. It covers Melbourne’s outer northern suburbs, including Craigieburn, Greenvale and Coolaroo.
Andrew Giles, the MP in the neighbouring electorate of Scullin, also lives closer to the CBD in Clifton Hill.
Several other Labor members live just outside the margins of their seats, including Tim Watts in Gellibrand, Ged Kearney in Cooper and Anthony Byrne in Holt.
Changing electoral boundaries often affect whether MPs live in their electorates.
Within the federal government, the three Victorian Nationals MPs all live in their regional seats, while the register of interests indicated all Victorian Liberal MPs live in their electorates or on the borders.
All state National MPs and all but one Liberal MP live within their electoral boundaries.
A Liberal Party spokesman refused to say which MP was living outside their electorate and said all MPs were expected to live within the electorates they represent unless there was a compelling reason for them not to do so.
Victorians Party founding member Oscar Yildiz said the new party would focus on ensuring candidates had strong ties to their communities.
“Our research tells us that Victorians have had enough of the professional politicians using their local community as a launching pad to their career in politics,” he said.
“What they want instead are strong local candidates who will represent their interests and work to improve their local communities and, come the November election, the Victorians Party is giving the people a clear choice – vote for a professional politician who has no care for you or your local community or vote for a Victorians Party candidate who is not only a local, but someone who will always put the interest of your community and Victorians first.”
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