Who are the candidates in this year's federal election across Victoria's Western District?
Our guide to when the next federal election may be held, who you can vote for and what they hope to achieve if they are elected into power.
David Allegretti
March 19, 2025
With a federal election looming, it's time to get acquainted with the candidates vying for your vote across Victoria's Western District. With the race for Wannon, Ballarat, and Mallee heating up, this is your go-to guide to all you need to know about the candidates.
We’ll continue to update this list as new candidates are announced. Did we miss someone? Email us at [email protected]
Table of Contents
When will the next federal election be held?
We don't know the exact date yet since Prime Minister Albanese hasn't made an announcement, but the election has to happen by May 17, 2025 at the latest.
Once the PM calls an election, the Governor General issues what's called a "writ" — basically an official document that formally dissolves Parliament and gets the election process going.
Election day needs to be at least 33 days after this happens, but can't be more than 58 days later. Nobody really wants a super long 58-day campaign (I mean, how exhausting am I right???), and Australian governments typically keep things shorter.
Who can you vote for?
Wannon
Wannon is very much rural electorate in south-western Victoria covering about 34,270 km². It stretches from the South Australian border in the west to the Surf Coast (Anglesea) in the east.
The electorate encompasses much of the historic Western District, including regional centres like Warrnambool, Colac, Portland, Hamilton, and Ararat, along with surrounding farming communities and national parks.
Historically a safe Liberal seat, Wannon has been held by the Liberal Party since 1955 (including by former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser). Dan Tehan claimed the 2022 election with 53.92 percent of the vote on a two candidate preferred (TCP) basis. However, Independent candidate Alex Dyson picked up 46 percent on TCP in the same election and is running again this year, while the Labor Party has introduced a new candidate in Fiona Mackenzie, –, making the upcoming 2025 contest a little spicier than usual.
Dan Tehan (Liberal)
Incumbent MP for Wannon since 2010, and a former Minister under the Turnbull and Morrison governments, Tehan is campaigning on economic issues, accusing the Labor government of exacerbating Australia’s cost-of-living crisis. He points to soaring inflation, interest rates and energy costs, arguing that “everyone is feeling poorer” and that the people of Wannon “have been abandoned by Labor in this cost of living crisis”, urging urgent relief measures.
As a senior opposition figure (Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship), Tehan vows to continue advocating for better roads, cutting the cost of living, and delivering regional services in Wannon.
Alex Dyson (Independent)
Independent candidate Alex Dyson is making his third attempt at winning Wannon, having steadily built his first preference support from 10.39% in 2019 to 19.29% in 2022.
The former Triple J radio host grew up in Warrnambool, Wannon’s largest city, and is running on a platform of grassroots local representation. He says he is running “to get a better deal for Wannon,” free from party politics.
Dyson’s campaign priorities are very local: fixing rural roads, improving affordable housing and childcare access, making healthcare more accessible, and supporting the region’s communities in the face of climate change.
He also advocates for greater integrity in politics (he supports measures to stamp out corruption). Essentially, Dyson positions himself as a community-driven alternative to the major parties, emphasising his position as a listening ear for the needs of the Wannon community.
Fiona Mackenzie (Labor)
Labor's Fiona Mackenzie is contesting her first federal election in Wannon, though she brings political experience from previous state campaigns where she unsuccessfully ran for both Labor and the Greens (twice) in the seat of Bulleen.
A school teacher for around 40 years, Mackenzie has been living in Cooriemungle near the Twelve Apostles for seven years — an area she describes as her "favourite part of the world". She officially launched her campaign in January.
Mackenzie has expressed strong support for the federal Labor government's $2 billion "green aluminium" investment which includes revitalising the Portland aluminium smelter.
Dr Kate Gazzard (Greens)
Dr Kate Gazzard is a paediatric emergency doctor, previous Greens councillor, and describes herself as a climate activist and mother of two. She lives on the Surf Coast on the eastern edge of Wannon. As a councillor she fought against gas exploration off the coast and pushed for more affordable housing locally.
Gazzard strongly aligns with the national Greens platform — she calls for no new coal or gas projects and investment in publicly owned renewable energy, as well as a freeze on rents and cheaper groceries to ease living costs.
She advocates making big corporations “pay their fair share” to fund expanded Medicare (including dental and mental health care) and improve services in rural areas. With her medical background, Gazzard also highlights healthcare access in the country.
Ballarat
Ballarat is a mixed urban-rural electorate covering 5,323 km² centred around Ballarat itself. The electorate takes in the entire City of Ballarat plus surrounding areas, including towns in Hepburn Shire like Daylesford and Creswick, as well as parts of Golden Plains and Moorabool Shires.
Once a gold rush boomtown, Ballarat is now Victoria's largest inland city. The electorate's population is mainly concentrated in the urban areas with farming communities scattered throughout. It's officially classified as "provincial" — essentially a major regional hub.
Ballarat has been a Labor seat since 2001. The key issues around here tend to focus on manufacturing and jobs, better transport links to Melbourne, and getting more investment in health and education facilities as the regional population continues to grow.
Labor's Catherine King comfortably retained Ballarat in 2022.
Catherine King (Labor)
Catherine King has held the seat of Ballarat since 2001, and is a senior government minister. King is currently the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in the Albanese government.
With over two decades of service, she is one of federal Labor’s most experienced MPs. King’s campaign highlights her track record of delivering for Ballarat, pointing to major infrastructure and health projects funded in the region.
She emphasises her deep local engagement: “elections aren’t won and lost in 33 days, it’s about every day”, she recently told the Ballarat Times, noting that she and her team provide ongoing assistance to constituents on issues from community projects to NDIS and Centrelink problems.
Paula Doran (Liberal)
Paula Doran is the founder of recruitment app Rockt, which uses an algorithm to match seasonal workers with jobs. Before venturing into tech, Doran worked as a journalist with the Age and the ABC, then moved into marketing and public relations roles in the agricultural sector and with NBN Australia. She currently lives in Ballarat with her youngest daughter.
Drawing on her experience working multiple jobs and being a solo parent, Doran has identified easing the cost of living, advocating for local business and fixing local roads as her key priorities.
Doran replaced Wes McKnight, who withdrew from the race in September 2024 due to dual citizenship concerns.
John Barnes (Greens)
A veteran local figure who was the Mayor of Ballarat from 1999 to 2001, Barnes has decades of community involvement in the Ballarat region, including serving as chair of the local water authority during the 2000s drought.
Barnes left it very late to join the race, announcing his run just days ago. "I have a deep history in Ballarat as a former Mayor, and growing up and raising my family here," he said in his announcement.
"Previous governments have failed future generations, offering only band aid solutions for big, systemic problems. We want to make big corporations pay their fair share of tax and fund things we all need."
Mallee
Mallee is a vast rural electorate covering north-western Victoria and the state's largest division by area. It spans about 81,962 km² — stretching from the SA border in the west to the Murray River along the NSW border in the north.
The electorate takes in both the Mallee and Wimmera regions, including agricultural towns like Mildura, Swan Hill, Horsham, Stawell, Warracknabeal, and Maryborough, among others. It's primarily farming country, with a population scattered across many smaller communities.
Mallee has been National/Country Party territory since its inception in 1949, making it a conservative stronghold. At the 2022 election, the Nationals' claimed victory with almost 69 percent of the votes on a two candidate preferred (TCP) basis, making it one of the four safest seats in Australia. The big issues around here revolve around water availability (especially Murray-Darling Basin plans), agriculture and trade, rural health services, and infrastructure for remote communities.
Anne Webster (Nationals)
Anne Webster has held the seat of Mallee since 2019. Her campaign has a strong focus on supporting regional communities and agriculture.
Webster opposes the government's water and energy policies, stating "We stand with farmers across Mallee against the destructive rush to renewables," in an Instagram post. She stands against water buybacks in the Murray-Darling Basin and is a supporter of bringing back live sheep exporting.
Vaughan Williams (One Nation)
Former Greater Bendigo councillor Vaughan Williams is running as One Nation's candidate for Mallee. Coming from a farming family in Clear Lake in the southern part of the electorate, Williams previously contested the seat of Bendigo in 2019, securing 6.2% of the vote.
Williams argues that safe seats often become "stale seats" that miss out on crucial funding. "A safe seat means a stale seat, or a static seat because you don't get the funding in," he said in a press release. "The main politicians aren't trying to buy the area, that's why you're not getting the funding that you should be getting".
His campaign focuses on increased investment in regional services, including schools, healthcare, roads, rail networks, internet access, and sustainable water policies for farmers. Williams also advocates for "exploring all energy options, including nuclear, coal, and gas".