Who can I vote for across Gippsland at the 2026 Victorian election?
Our guide to November’s state election, who you can vote for and what they hope to achieve if they are elected into power.
Jacob Wallace
July 30, 2026
Voters will head to the polls on Saturday November 28, 2026 to elect the next Parliament of Victoria.
To keep you up to date we’ve created a go-to-guide, collating everything you need to know about candidates running for lower house seats across Gippsland.
We’ll keep updating this page as new candidates announce their campaigns or provide new policy details.
If we’ve missed something, please let us know! Or, get in touch at [email protected] to tell us about the issues that will be swaying your vote this year, and what you want us to ask local candidates.
Table of contents
Candidate list updated on July 30.
How does voting work in Victoria?
On November 28, 2026 eligible voters can vote for one member of the Legislative Assembly (also known as the lower house) and five members of the Legislative Council (upper house).
Victoria has 88 electorates for the lower house with one Member of Parliament (MP) elected for each electorate.
There are 40 upper house seats. Victoria is divided into eight regions, with five MPs for each region.
To form a majority government, a party or coalition needs to win at least 45 seats out of the 88 total seats in the lower house.
A minority government can be formed with fewer than 45 seats if a party secures enough support from independent or minor party MPs on the crossbench to win votes on the floor of parliament.
What are “preferences” and how do they work?
Victoria uses the preferential voting system, meaning you choose candidates on a ballot paper in the order of your preference.
If your preferred candidate cannot get enough votes to win, your vote can count for your next preferred candidate.
Write a number 1 in the box for your most-preferred candidate
Number all remaining boxes in the order you prefer.
Importantly, Victoria requires voters to number every box for a vote to be valid - you can't just number your top few and stop. A ballot with skipped or repeated numbers is informal and doesn't count at all.
Do I have to vote?
Yes, you must enrol and vote in a state election if you:
Are 18 years or older;
Are an Australian citizen, and;
Have lived in Victoria for longer than a month.
The fine for not voting in Victoria is $105.
When do I need to be enrolled to vote?
You must be enrolled to vote by November 3. If you’re not sure, you can check if you’re enrolled at the Victorian Electoral Commission.
Do I have to vote in person?
No, you don’t have to vote in person on election day.
You can apply to submit a postal vote through the Australian Electoral Commission, but you must do this before November 3. Ballot papers will be mailed to you and must be returned by November 25.
If you are blind, vision or motor impaired you can cast your vote via telephone from November 18.
Can I vote before election day?
Yes, early voting opens on November 18 and closes at 6pm on Friday November 27.
When do candidates have to announce they are running by?
Nominations for candidates open on November 4 and close on November 9.
When do we find out the result?
Most seats, especially safe ones, will be called on election night. Close seats will get their preference distributions finalised and become official one to two weeks later.
By December 19, three weeks post-election, every single result (including the closest recuts) is legally required to be declared by the Victorian Electoral Commission.
Who can I vote for?
Bass
The Berninneit community hub in Cowes, Phillip Island.
The electorate of Bass, on Gippsland’s western edge, covers most of Western Port Bay and the coastline up to Venus Bay. Phillip Island, Wonthaggi, Inverloch, Tooradin and Koo Wee Rup are within the district.
The current Labor Party MP Jordan Crugnale first won the seat in 2018 and was reelected in 2022, beating the Liberal Party candidate by 0.4 percent of the two-party preferred vote.
Last October, Crugnale announced she would not contest the seat at the upcoming election, opening the door for a new Labor candidate.
Chris Buckingham (Labor)
Chris Buckingham, Labor Party candidate for Bass.
The Labor Party announced Inverloch resident Chris Buckingham, who served as the CEO of Casey Cardinia Libraries and the Latrobe Valley Authority, as its candidate for the seat in November last year.
Buckingham has held leadership roles across business, community and government organisations. He currently works as a facilitator for Gippsland Women’s Health.
In 2016, Buckingham contested the federal seat of McMillan for the Labor Party.
Rochelle Halstead (Liberal)
Rochelle Halstead, Liberal Party candidate for Bass.
In April, the Liberal Party selected Bass Coast Shire Mayor, Rochelle Halstead, as its candidate.
Halstead has been a councillor for Bass Coast Shire’s Western Port Ward since 2020 and mayor since 2024.
Halstead and her husband have owned and operated Tides Bar & Grill in Tooradin for 16 years.
Sophie Thorn (Greens)
Sophie Thorn, Greens Party candidate for Bass.
The Greens Party candidate is Sophie Thorn, a local mental health worker who was born and raised in Bass.
Narracan
West Gippsland Arts Centre in Warragul.
The electorate of Narracan covers the towns of Bunyip, Drouin, Warragul, Trafalgar and Moe and stretches from Lake Thomson in the north to Mount Worth in the south.
The electorate had over 77,000 residents at the 2021 Census but as Baw Baw Shire, which sits in Narracan, is one of the states fastest growing local government areas, there will be many new voters at the November poll.
Wayne Farnham (Liberal)
Wayne Farnham, Liberal Party MP for Narracan.
Wayne Farnham currently holds the seat of Narracan after winning a supplementary election in January 2023 - two months after the 2022 state poll, due to the death of the sitting Nationals MP Shaun Gilchrist.
The Nationals and Labor did not contest the supplementary election, and Farnham won 51.7 percent of the vote after the distribution of preferences.
Farnham has lived in West Gippsland almost all his life. In 2012, he established the construction company, Farnham Built, and was self-employed up until being elected to the Victorian Parliament.
Jannette Langley (Labor)
Langley has spent most of her career in the public sector and has worked as local football coach and a Community and Public Sector Union senior delegate.
Langley previously stood for Latrobe City Council and as a Labor candidate at both state and federal elections.
No verified campaign account found.
Alyssa Weaver (Greens)
Alyssa Weaver, Greens Party candidate for Narracan.
Weaver is a children’s book author and local disability support worker. She says she wants to run a campaign that focuses on housing affordability and the impacts of climate change.
Moss Page, Victorian Socialist candidate for Narracan.
Iranian born disability and education support worker Moss Page has lived in Drouin for the last nine years and will be running as the Victorian Socialist candidate for Narracan.
No verified campaign account found.
Morwell
The Traralgon Post Office and Court House.
The Gippsland electorate of Morwell encompasses the larger towns of Moe, Morwell and Traralgon, along with surrounding communities like Newborough, Yallourn, Tyres and Churchill.
The electorate was held by the National Party from 2006 until 2017, when Nationals Morwell MP Russell Northe resigned from the party, becoming an Independent.
At the 2022 election, the Nationals regained the seat when Martin Cameron was elected.
Martin Cameron (Nationals)
Martin Cameron, Nationals Party MP for Morwell.
Cameron was born and raised in Traralgon and before running for election had owned and operated a small plumbing business in the region for 20 years.
Cameron has identified job security and upgrading regional infrastructure as key focuses. He is the Shadow Assistant Minister for Small Business and Energy Affordability.
Tracie Lund (Labor)
Tracie Lund, Labor Party candidate for Morwell.
A former Latrobe City Councillor, Lund will run for Labor in the seat of Morwell.
Lund has lived in the Morwell community since 2011 and has managed Morwell Neighbourhood House, which supports locals experiencing poverty and homelessness.
Rochelle Hine (Greens)
Rochelle Hine, Greens Party candidate for Morwell.
A senior lecturer in rural and mental health, Hine has lived in Gippsland since 2020. She has worked for over a decade in public health and education.
Hine has held positions as a board member of a family violence service and a school council president.
She ran for the Greens Party at the last federal election for the seat of Gippsland.
Gippsland South
The view of Wilsons Promontory from the top of Mount Oberon.
Stretching from Korumburra, Leongatha and Mirboo North up to Sale, Longford and Lake Wellington, Gippsland South covers a large swath of the coastline including Wilsons Promontory, Port Welshpool and Port Albert.
The electorate is held by Nationals MP Danny O'Brien, who won the seat in a by-election in 2015 following the resignation of former Nationals leader Peter Ryan.
Danny O’Brien (Nationals)
Danny O’Brien, National Party MP for Gippsland South.
O'Brien was born and raised in Traralgon and began his career as a journalist, he later became chief of staff to Peter Ryan and then to Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce.
O’Brien has been the leader of the Victorian National Party since November 2024.
Zave Evans (Greens)
Zave Evans, Greens Party candidate for Gippsland South.
Evans describes himself as an environmentalist with a background in land management, community projects and frontline bushfire response.
Gippsland East
The Bairnsdale Court House.
Gippsland East is the region's largest state electorate and runs from Maffra, Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance up to the border with NSW. It includes large sections of national and state parks and had a population of almost 64,000 at the 2021 Census.
Tim Bull held the East Gippsland seat for the National Party in 2010. In the 2022 election, Bull was reelected with a two-party preferred vote of 73.92 percent.
Bull announced his retirement from politics in May.
Gemma Rendell (Nationals)
Gemma Rendell, Nationals Party candidate for Gippsland East.
In June, the Nationals announced Gemma Rendell as their choice to replace Bull and run for the Gippsland East seat.
Born and raised in East Gippsland, Rendell works as a school teacher, community volunteer and farmer in Bairnsdale.
Sonny Stephens (Labor)
Sonny Stephens, Labor Party candidate for Gippsland East.
Stephens is a Cowwarr local who has spent 20 years working in public and private health, welfare and social support sectors.
Stephens has since worked across Gippsland as a beef farmer and as manager of an agricultural contracting business.
She ran in the last federal election for the seat of Gippsland.
No verified campaign account found.
Ash Munro (Greens)
Ash Munro, Greens Party candidate for Gippsland East.
Munro works in youth support and health, studies and raises her children in Bairnsdale. She wants her campaign to focus on the impacts rising costs, house prices and climate change are having on Gippsland East residents.