Legislative Assembly · District of Benambra
Mike Fuery
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Benambra›
Benambra covers about 10,037 sq km of north-eastern Victoria centred on Wodonga, taking in towns such as Beechworth, Corryong, Rutherglen and Tallangatta. The seat has been held continuously by conservative parties since its creation in 1877, most recently by Liberal MP Bill Tilley since 2006, who won it narrowly at the 2022 election with 50.9% to an independent's 49.1% two-candidate-preferred (a margin of 777 votes). Tilley announced in 2024 that he will retire at the 2026 election, following a cancer diagnosis. Steve Martin — a separate person from Tilley, previously mentored by him in an unsuccessful 2019 federal Indi campaign — is the Liberal Party's new candidate to succeed him.
Background
A retired Wodonga paramedic, per the Border Mail; a search summary of an Animal Justice Party post says he served 40 years as a paramedic. RReported — BM-FUERY, BM-FUNDINGThe Border Mail, "Mike Fuery: Paramedic announces second Benambra election bid"View sourceThe Border Mail, "Benambra: One Nation, independents and campaign funding scrutiny"View source
He was a health commander during the 2019-20 bushfires. RReported — BM-FUERYThe Border Mail, "Mike Fuery: Paramedic announces second Benambra election bid"View source
Contested Benambra for the Animal Justice Party in 2022, which the Border Mail calls his first tilt at politics. RReported — BM-FUERY, WIKI-BENAMBRA-RESULTSThe Border Mail, "Mike Fuery: Paramedic announces second Benambra election bid"View sourceWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Benambra"View source
No council term, union role or other public office was found.
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Coexistence between people and animals, drawn from attending road trauma involving animals and witnessing the off-book killing of a horse on an emergency callout.
A greenfield hospital for Albury-Wodonga, given ambulance ramping and bed shortages.
Homelessness and mental health, using multidisciplinary approaches.
What Victorians say matters most
5 poll-led issuesCost of living and crime have ranked 1st or 2nd in every Victorian poll since mid‑2025, with debt and housing close behind — see schema §3 for the polling this grouping is based on (DemosAU, Ipsos Issues Monitor, Roy Morgan). The 0-10 'priorityScore' on each candidate's issue entries is NOT a measure of true importance or an independent ranking of what a candidate actually cares about. It reflects how much detail and specificity exists in what that candidate has actually said publicly on that issue -- a named policy mechanism and a verified voting record score higher than a one-line stated priority, regardless of the issue's real-world weight. Render this distinction in the UI wherever the score appears; do not label it just 'Priority' without the qualifier.
Cost of living
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Crime and community safety
The party's national policy page says "10 years old is too young for any child to be considered a 'criminal'"; nothing is attributed to Fuery personally.
Housing affordability and supply
Opposes converting recreational facilities such as Wodonga Golf Club into housing, saying outdoor activities are "vital to a community's cohesiveness".
Cited a local unhoused person who died of hypothermia to argue for multidisciplinary homelessness responses.
The party's national policy page states "Everyone has the right to safe and secure housing."
State government debt and fiscal management
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
The party's national policy page says Australia "needs a national shift away from road transport dependency"; nothing is attributed to Fuery personally.
Also on the record
6 substance issuesThese don't top “biggest issue” polling, but carry real 2026 policy weight and genuine differences between parties.
Education and training
The party's national policy page holds that animal exploitation is "detrimental to education"; nothing is attributed to Fuery personally.
Health and healthcare access
Advocates a greenfield hospital for Albury-Wodonga, citing ongoing ambulance ramping and bed shortages from his years as a paramedic.
Emphasises multidisciplinary approaches to homelessness and mental health.
The party's national policy page states "Everyone has the right to high quality affordable, accessible, and culturally safe healthcare."
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
The party's national policy page says it is "the only political party with policies that comprehensively take into account all sources of emissions"; nothing is attributed to Fuery personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party's national policy page says "We recognise the horrific treatment of First Nations people since European arrival"; nothing is attributed to Fuery personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Cites road trauma with animals colliding with cars and his bushfire health-commander role as drivers of his campaign.
The party's national policy page calls animal agriculture "immensely harmful to the environment and to human health".
Local & party context
2 fieldsNot scored the way the eleven issues above are — these are fixed facts about the seat and the party, not positions with more or less emphasis behind them.
A greenfield Albury-Wodonga hospital. RReported — BM-FUERYThe Border Mail, "Mike Fuery: Paramedic announces second Benambra election bid"View source
Keeping Wodonga Golf Club as a recreation facility rather than converting it to housing. RReported — BM-FUERYThe Border Mail, "Mike Fuery: Paramedic announces second Benambra election bid"View source
Homelessness in Wodonga, including a hypothermia death. RReported — BM-FUERYThe Border Mail, "Mike Fuery: Paramedic announces second Benambra election bid"View source
Fuery was launched by Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell in Wodonga on 21 July 2026, and his animal-coexistence focus sits within the party's core platform. RReported — BM-FUERYThe Border Mail, "Mike Fuery: Paramedic announces second Benambra election bid"View source
No point of divergence was found. His hospital, housing and homelessness positions are local and drawn from his paramedic career.
Track record & prior candidacies
Contested Benambra for the Animal Justice Party at the 2022 state election, receiving 1,170 first-preference votes (2.8%); not elected. VVerified — WIKI-BENAMBRA-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Benambra"View source
This is his second run for the seat, per the Border Mail.
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Per the Victorian Electoral Commission's funding guidance (vec.vic.gov.au, accessed 2026-09-29 via search snippets of its independent-candidate and registered-party funding pages), a candidate is eligible for public election funding if they receive at least 4% of first-preference votes in their contest, or are elected. Funding is reimbursed against an audited statement of campaign expenditure, and advance funding must be repaid in full if the threshold is missed.
His 2022 result of 2.8% fell short of 4%, so it earned no state public-funding entitlement.