Hi, I'm Josh Burns
Since 2019, I’ve had the privilege of serving as the Federal Labor Member for Macnamara.
Just like so many in our community, my grandparents came to Australia in search of safety, freedom and equality. They found that and so much more right here in Macnamara.
After graduating from University, I worked as a teacher’s aide, factory hand, basketball coach, and in the corporate sector, and later as a Senior Adviser to the Premier of Victoria. Now, I have the privilege of representing Macnamara in the Federal Parliament.
I am also the Special Envoy for Social Housing and Homelessness.
After the 2025 election, I was appointed by the Prime Minister to help deliver the Government’s plan to build thousands of homes for Australians who desperately need them.
A safe and secure home is the foundation of everything. When housing is out of reach, everything else becomes harder.
I believe every level of government needs to take responsibility and act with urgency to make sure no Australian is left without a roof over their head.
I am also Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.
The JCPAA is one of Parliament’s most powerful oversight bodies, which scrutinises how public money is spent.
Transparency, accountability and integrity in government aren’t optional extra’s. They’re what our community deserves.
I strongly believe good governments needs to account for the public money and ensure the institutions that keep it honest have the independence to do their job.
Doing what’s right isn’t always easy.
But I got involved in politics because I believe in fighting for what matters.
I want everyone in our community to have the same opportunities that were given to my family – secure work, a safe home, world-class education and free healthcare.
That’s what I am fighting for.
About Macnamara
I love living in Macnamara.
Dropping my 7 year-old at our local school. Coffee on Carlisle St. Playing basketball at Albert Park. A show in Southbank. The South Melbourne Market and pretty much everything in Port Melbourne.
St Kilda isn’t just where I work. It’s home. I live here with my two daughters, my partner Georgie, slightly eccentric dog Larry, and the beautiful community I grew up in.
Macnamara is a very diverse electorate.
Previously called Melbourne Ports, the electorate of Macnamara has existed since Federation in 1901. It takes in South Melbourne, Albert Park, Middle Park, Southbank, St Kilda, Ripponlea, Balaclava, Elwood, Windsor and Caulfield, and parts of Glen Huntly, South Yarra and Elsternwick.
Macnamara includes people from a wide range of national, ethnic and religious backgrounds. It is also 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.
Our community is proudly diverse and the freedom to be who you are, no matter what you believe in, who you love or where your family comes from, is something no one should ever have to fight for alone.
Macnamara is the cultural capital of Melbourne.
We have 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 also 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.
About Dame Jean Macnamara
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.