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A fresh look at Macnamara

A fresh look at Macnamara
Sean Car

As Michael Danby says farewell to politics after 20 years in the federal seat of Macnamara (formerly Melbourne Ports), Labor is now calling upon 31-year-old Josh Burns to bring the party into a new era.

Currently working as a senior advisor to Premier Daniel Andrews and having previously run for the seat of Caulfield in the 2014 state election, Mr Burns may be young but his passion for politics is unquestionable.

Born and raised in Caulfield, he has worked and lived throughout the electorate his whole life. Having been officially preselected last month, he told Southbank Local News that he looked forward to bringing a “fresh set of eyes” to the seat.

“My life is in the electorate,” he said. “I think I bring a fresh set of eyes that I think is familiar to so many people living in Macnamara – one that’s based on the needs of the people that you love.”

Mr Burns fought off fellow Labor candidates Nick Dyrenfurth and Mary Delahunty to win preselection last month following a factional ballot meeting held at the Caulfield RSL on July 11.

In spite of a number of local Labor members complaining about being excluded from the ballot process, Mr Burns won preferred candidacy with 61 votes, followed by Mr Dyrenfurth (49) and Ms Delahunty (16).

He told Southbank Local News that his passion for Labor’s social and economic policies largely stemmed from his Jewish ancestry. Stories like that of his grandfather, who worked back-breaking hours as a pastry chef in England during World War II, or his grandmother, who escaped extermination in Nazi Germany, are what led him to the Labor movement.

And having recently become a father himself, he said his ambition for providing greater access to better schools and hospitals, as well as social and economic opportunities, had been reinforced in a whole new way.

“I recently had a beautiful young daughter and anyone who has a kid knows that it completely changes your life and what’s important to you,” he said. “For the first time in my life I’m thinking about her life, her journey and the opportunities that are going to be afforded to her and others like her.”

“Politics is a great vehicle for change. I’ve always believed that you can do things if you work in politics and especially in the Labor movement. I want to see the best for my family and my community.”

Mr Burns will go head-to-head with Greens candidate Steph Hodgins-May at the next federal election, who is re-contesting the seat having nearly pulled off victory against Michael Danby in 2016.

The Liberal Party is yet to announce its candidate for the seat, however, current City of Port Phillip councillor Marcus Pearl is rumoured to be one of the candidates bidding for preselection.

Mr Burns said Labor would have its work cut out to retain the seat but he was looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“There are so many diverse groups of people in this seat, whether they be living in some of the towers in Southbank, new dynamic areas of Port Melbourne or Albert Park, the vibrant St Kilda or the great parts of Caulfield where I grew up,” he said.

“The people are different and they have different needs or are at different stages of their life. It’s exciting because it means there are so many different things that people get to have a say in and hopefully we get to advocate for.”

“We are not a shoe-in in this election and we will be fighting every single day to win this seat. This is not something that we can take for granted and we will be out there making sure that we are listening to people.”

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