The election field is taking shape – the Liberal ticket isn’t

FOUR years ago, local Liberal candidates were already on the campaign trail. But with less than six months until election day, the party is yet to reveal who will contest several key Geelong-region seats.

While Labor, the Greens and Socialist Alliance have already unveiled candidates and begun campaigning, the Liberals remain in the midst of their preselection

process ahead of the 28 November poll.

The Liberals currently hold 28 seats in Victoria’s lower house and need 45 to form majority government and prevent Labor securing a fourth consecutive term.

The party’s local campaign is progressing more slowly than it did ahead of the 2022 election.

The contrast is particularly notable in South Barwon, where the Liberal candidate was endorsed in January that year, more than 10 months before election day.

A Bellarine candidate was announced three months later.

Despite it now being June, the Liberal Party would not provide a timeline for when its remaining local candidates would be announced.

“We continue to see outstanding Victorians putting their hand up to run for the party and are progressing through the preselection process,” a party spokesperson said.

“We will be announcing more candidates shortly.”

Richard Riordan remains the party’s only confirmed local lower house candidate in the Geelong region, with the Polwarth MP set to again face Labor’s Hutch Hussein.

The party has, however, finalised its upper house ticket for Western Victoria, with incumbent Bev McArthur again securing the top position.

Labor has already endorsed candidates across the region, including Rebecca Thistleton in South Barwon. The seat currently held by independent Darren Cheeseman, who is not expected to seek re-election.

Incumbents Christine Couzens in Geelong, Ella George in Lara and Alison Marchant in Bellarine will also contest the election.

There will be at least one new face on Labor’s upper house ticket for Western Victoria, with Gayle Tierney last month announcing she would retire at the election.

The Greens have unveiled candidates for all local seats except Bellarine, while the Socialist Alliance has confirmed candidates in Bellarine, Lara, Geelong and South Barwon.

One Nation, meanwhile, has been enjoying a surge in the polls since the 2025 federal election.

Party leader Pauline Hanson has previously suggested One Nation will contest every lower house seat at the Victorian election, but no local candidates have yet been announced.

The party did not respond to questions about which Geelong-region seats it intends to contest.