Nine-way battle for Benambra

A record nine candidates will be contesting the 2026 state election for Benambra, with a new MP set to take the seat after Victoria hits the polls on 28 November. Animal Justice Party candidate Mike Fuery will appear at the top of the ballot after it was drawn in Wodonga on Monday. In order of how they will appear on the ballot, other candidates will be Graham Parton (The Greens), Oliver Young (Labor), Alex Vangalen (Victorian Socialists), Lachie McKeeman (Independent), Steve Martin (Liberals), Kellie Sheppard (One Nation), Evette Pepper (Family First Party) and Tim Quilty (Libertarian, formerly Liberal Democrats). There will be two early voting centres open in Wodonga when the early voting period commences on 18 November, including at the Saints Peter and Paul Serbian Orthodox Church Hall and the Silva Drive Community Facility. There will also be an early voting centre open in Wangaratta at the Victory Church, with voters allowed to submit an early vote at any of the available centres across the state, regardless of electorate they are situated. They will be opened daily 9am to 6pm (closed Sunday 22 November), and also opened, together with around 30 other voting centres across the electorate, on election day, Saturday 28 November. More than half of the electorate's voters are expected to vote early. The Benambra seat will see its first new MP in 20 years after Liberal Bill Tilley stood down from politics. Steve Martin will be seeking to be Mr Tilley's successor with the Liberals, with the seat a party stronghold of the past 50 years. will be the early favourite. He is a Wodonga-based engineer who ran as a candidate for the Liberal party in the 2019 federal election for Indi. Mr Martin has committed to expanding health services and delivering more beds for the Albury Wodonga Health redevelopment, saving Wodonga Golf Course, and upgrading local roads. A rural GP in the North East since 2013, Dr Lachie McKeeman is running as an Independent after many years involved in community volunteering. He has been an active advocate for better healthcare, serving as secretary of the Border Medical Association and campaigning publicly for a new Albury-Wodonga hospital. He’ll be looking to build on the inroads made by fellow independent Jacqui Hawkins in the 2022 election, who polled 31.3 per cent of the primary vote compared to 42.9pc for Mr Tilley. But One Nation’s first ever candidate for the Benambra seat Kellie Sheppard will seek to capitalise on the party's recent rise in support. Ms Sheppard, a former journalist, has been campaigning on her advocacy for youth, health and regional resources. One Nation has surged in popularity over the past 12 months and has named candidates in a majority of lower house Victorian seats. Labor officially named their candidate late last week, with Ollie Young preselected by the party for the Benambra seat. The Rutherglen local will be hoping to build on the 13pc primary vote secured by 2022 candidate Mark Tait in the last election. Wodonga’s Mr Fuery returns as the Animal Justice Party candidate after securing 2.84pc of the vote in the 2022 election. The former paramedic has campaigned on education and healthcare. Beechworth’s Graham Parton will be representing The Greens, advocating for a new Albury-Wodonga hospital, addressing the emergency housing shortage, and promoting renewable energy take-up. Former upper house MP and Wodonga councillor Tim Quilty is contesting for the Libertarians, having also run for federal elections with the party in 2016 and 2025. He has been advocating for improvements to the hospital, roads and rail. Long-time Wodonga local and behaviour support practitioner Alex Vangalen is campaigning on better services for the region as he runs for the Victorian Socialists. Evette Pepper will represent the Family First Party, campaigning for farming over renewables and calling for greater investment in neglected health services and roads. The Victorian Farmers Federation will host a free State Election Forum in Corryong on Thursday 19 November, giving local farmers and rural communities the chance to hear directly from candidates. Mr Parton, Ms Sheppard, Mr Martin and Dr McKeeman are expected to attend. The forum will be held at the Corryong Rec Community Centre from 7pm, moderated by the Rural Press Club of Victoria. Registration is available for the forum via the link: https://vff.org.au/events/ Benambra is one of Victoria's largest and most diverse electorates, encompassing Wodonga, Towong and Indigo council areas. The Ovens and Murray Advertiser plan on running a Q&A with all candidates over the next two editions. You can find the nearest open voting centre by checking the Victorian Electoral Commission website via: https://maps.vec.vic.gov.au/elections

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Ovens & Murray Advertiser, Friday, 6 November, 2026

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