Josh Burns is Labor’s Federal Member for Macnamara in the inner south-eastern and bayside suburbs of Melbourne, and Special Envoy for Social Housing and Homelessness. 

First elected in 2019, he has also served as Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and as co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Housing.

These positions reflect his commitment to tackling the homelessness crisis, promoting human rights and the principle that everyone deserves dignity, respect, and a safe place to call home.

In 2021, during the pandemic, he authored a policy paper titled “The Crumbling Australian Dream: An Examination of Australia’s Housing Sector” advocating for federal leadership to prioritise social and affordable housing.

Josh’s values are grounded in the experience of his family. He is the grandson of migrants who left Europe fleeing persecution to settle in Melbourne.

He wants every member of the community to have the same opportunities that were given to his family - a safe home, free healthcare, and secure work. 

Before representing his community in the Australian Parliament, he previously worked as a teacher’s aide and a factory hand and served as an advisor in state and federal governments, including to the Premier of Victoria.

The electorate of Macnamara has existed since Federation in 1901, although it was called Melbourne Ports until 2019. It takes in South Melbourne, Albert Park, Middle Park, Southbank, St Kilda, Ripponlea, Balaclava, Elwood and Caulfield, and parts of Glen Huntly, South Yarra and Elsternwick.

Macnamara is a very diverse electorate, including people from a wide range of national, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Macnamara is home to the nation’s first Pride Centre and a significant LGBTIQA+ presence, the largest Jewish community of any Victorian electorate, long-established Greek and Russian communities, and new, fast-growing Chinese and Indian communities.

Macnamara is the cultural capital of Melbourne, with a cluster of major institutions in Southbank and along St Kilda Rd, including the National Gallery and the Victorian Arts Centre. St Kilda has its own cultural focus, including at historic venues such as the Espy, the Palais and Luna Park.

A high proportion of Macnamara locals work in the arts, media and entertainment industries. Other major economic activities in Macnamara include tourism, hospitality, education and hi-tech. The area also boasts major sporting venues such as the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Albert Park Grand Prix and Caulfield Racecourse.

Macnamara is home to one of the highest proportions of university graduates of any electorate, supported by excellent local schools and the Caulfield campus of Monash University. The world-class healthcare at Alfred Hospital consistently ranks as one of Australia’s best hospitals.

Macnamara encompasses all of the City of Port Phillip and parts of the City of Glen Eira and the City of Melbourne. It takes in all of the state electorate of Albert Park and parts of the seats of Brighton, Caulfield and Prahran.

Our electorate was renamed in 2019 in honour of Dame Jean Macnamara (1899-1968), a medical researcher who worked extensively with children suffering from poliomyelitis, training doctors and physiotherapists in the management of the disease. She was also a pioneer in the usage of myxomatosis to combat wild rabbit plagues. Jean Macnamara was a pioneer for medical services for women and children across the country.