A by-election was held for the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Altona on 13 February 2010, following the sudden resignation of state Transport Minister Lynne Kosky on 18 January, who cited a family member's health as the reason for her decision to leave politics.[1] Altona is widely considered a safe Labor seat, Kosky won over 60% of the primary vote at the 2006 state election.
The Labor Party's Jill Hennessy, a lawyer who sits on the board of Western Health, won the seat despite a 13 percent swing away from Labor. The Liberals and Greens went up by 11 percent and 2 percent respectively. Hennessy retained the seat in the November 2010 state election.
The following candidates nominated; they are listed in ballot-paper order.[2]