{"id":184229,"date":"2026-04-06T23:40:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/?p=184229"},"modified":"2026-04-06T23:40:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:40:00","slug":"hussein-back-in-fight-for-polwarth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/armstrongcreektimes\/news\/hussein-back-in-fight-for-polwarth\/","title":{"rendered":"Hussein back in fight for Polwarth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Torquay\u2019s Hutch Hussein will again contest Polwarth for Labor, securing preselection ahead of November\u2019s state election as the party eyes a breakthrough in one of Victoria\u2019s most conservative seats.<\/p>\n

The electorate has never been held by a Labor candidate and has remained in Liberal hands since 1949. Incumbent MP Richard Riordan has represented the seat since a by-election in 2015.<\/p>\n

The race for Polwarth tightened significantly ahead of the 2022 election when a boundary change brought Torquay, Jan Juc and Bellbrae into the electorate<\/a>, cutting the Liberal Party\u2019s margin from 5.4 per cent to just 2 per cent.<\/p>\n

Hussein further reduced that margin at the election, securing 48.2 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote<\/a> and narrowing it to 1.8 per cent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Hussein (second from left) during her 2022 campaign for Polwarth with (from left) disgraced South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman<\/a>, who is not expected to run for the seat again, former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and incumbent Bellarine MP Alison Marchant. Photo: Supplied.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The result has placed the seat firmly within reach for Labor heading into this year\u2019s poll.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve put the Liberal Party on notice,\u201d Hussein said of the outcome. \u201cPolwarth should be a Labor heartland.\u201d<\/p>\n

In conceding defeat, Hussein said Riordan\u2019s victory had relied on preference flows from \u201cextremist candidates\u201d.<\/p>\n

Born to Turkish Cypriot parents, Hussein previously served as president of Labor\u2019s Victorian branch between 2016 and 2019.<\/p>\n

She was the first person from an ethnic minority or LGBTQIA+ background to hold the role in the party\u2019s more than 125-year history.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Liberal MP Richard Riordan has held Polwarth since a by-election in 2015. Photo: Supplied.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hussein has also worked as a social worker, including in migrant resource centres, served as a ministerial adviser and was national co-convenor of Emily\u2019s List, a group that supports the election of Labor women.<\/p>\n

In a message to supporters confirming her preselection on Monday, Hussein framed November\u2019s election as tightly contested.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not less than eight months away from the November Victorian election and there\u2019s lots to do to ensure we re-elect an Allan Labor government and myself as Polwarth\u2019s first Labor MP in 137 years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll whilst doing everything we can to avoid a Liberal Party\u2013One Nation coalition government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hussein\u2019s endorsement follows Labor\u2019s earlier selection of Rebecca Thistleton as its candidate for neighbouring South Barwon<\/a>, as the party reshapes its local ticket ahead of the election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Torquay\u2019s Hutch Hussein will again contest Polwarth for Labor, securing preselection ahead of November\u2019s state election as the party eyes a breakthrough in one of Victoria\u2019s most conservative seats. The electorate has never been held by a Labor candidate and has remained in Liberal hands since 1949. Incumbent MP Richard Riordan has represented the seat […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":184230,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-184229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHussein back in fight for Polwarth - Armstrong Creek Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hutch Hussein secures Labor preselection for Polwarth, with the long-held Liberal seat now within reach after a tight 2022 result.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/armstrongcreektimes\/news\/hussein-back-in-fight-for-polwarth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hussein back in fight for Polwarth - 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