Legislative Assembly · District of Bendigo East
Cheryl Hawken
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Bendigo East›
Bendigo East covers the eastern part of the city of Bendigo (including East Bendigo, Epsom, Flora Hill and White Hills) plus surrounding rural areas such as Axedale and Huntly, spanning roughly 2,711 sq km. It has been held by Labor's Jacinta Allan since 1999, who won it again in 2022 with a two-candidate-preferred margin of about 20.5 points over the Liberal candidate. Allan — a former Premier of Victoria — announced on 14 August 2026 that she will not recontest the seat, opening what had been a very safe Labor electorate to a genuinely live contest; Labor announced Bendigo Senior Secondary College teacher Tim Rickwood as its replacement candidate on 18 September 2026. The Victorian Socialists' original candidate, sitting Greater Bendigo councillor Owen Cosgriff, withdrew 16 July 2026 citing family health issues; the party's own candidates page now lists Denali Norsen as his replacement.
Background
Is a beef cattle farmer with a background in administration and financial management, and a former small business owner and dairy farmer, per her One Nation profile. SSelf-stated — ON-HAWKENOne Nation Victoria, "Cheryl Hawken for Bendigo East"View source
Bendigo Advertiser describes her as a cattle farmer with administration and financial management experience. RReported — BA-HAWKENBendigo Advertiser, "Cheryl Hawken: One Nation names candidate for Bendigo East"View source
Describes past roles as a single parent and carer. SSelf-stated — ON-HAWKENOne Nation Victoria, "Cheryl Hawken for Bendigo East"View source
No council term, party office or public appointment was found.
Farms beef cattle in regional Victoria with her husband; the profile does not name the farm's location. SSelf-stated — ON-HAWKENOne Nation Victoria, "Cheryl Hawken for Bendigo East"View source
Says "too many decisions shaping regional Victoria are made in city offices without lived experience". SSelf-stated — ON-HAWKENOne Nation Victoria, "Cheryl Hawken for Bendigo East"View source
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Safe communities, functional hospitals, quality roads, quality schools and taxpayer value.
"I've seen what happens when decisions on paper hit people in the real world."
"In business, you can't continually blow the budget and send somebody else the bill. Yet in government, that's become acceptable. It isn't."
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
Says "behind every number is a person, family or small business trying to make ends meet".
The One Nation Victoria platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would remove insurance duty on premiums and end renewable subsidies.
Crime and community safety
Names safe communities as a core priority, without a specific measure.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would tighten bail and sentencing for repeat youth offenders and expand youth detention capacity.
Housing affordability and supply
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would ban foreign ownership of residential property and speed land releases; nothing is attributed to Hawken personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Names taxpayer value as a core priority and frames her run around Victoria's fiscal management.
Says "in business, you can't continually blow the budget and send somebody else the bill", and that this has become acceptable in government.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would run a comprehensive spending review, cap spending on high-profile projects and phase out payroll tax.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Names quality roads as a core priority.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would invest in regional roads, telecommunications and water.
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
Names quality schools as a core priority.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would establish elected school boards with a parent majority.
Health and healthcare access
Names functional hospitals as a core priority.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would offer GP incentives in shortage areas and recruit nurses through university partnerships.
Urban planning and housing density
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, covers faster land releases and approvals; nothing is attributed to Hawken personally.
Climate and energy transition
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, opposes Net Zero by 2050 and would prohibit wind and solar on agricultural land; nothing is attributed to Hawken personally, although she is a farmer.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would oppose and repeal Victoria's Statewide Treaty framework; nothing is attributed to Hawken personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Says decisions shaping regional Victoria are made in city offices without lived experience, and she farms beef cattle.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would invest in regional roads and water infrastructure.
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.
Hawken's priorities (safety, hospitals, roads, schools, taxpayer value) sit within One Nation's statewide themes. SSelf-stated — ON-HAWKEN, ON-VIC-PLATFORMOne Nation Victoria, "Cheryl Hawken for Bendigo East"View sourceOne Nation Victoria, "Victoria, it's time to take our state back"View source
No point of divergence was found. She has made few personal policy statements, so most positions above are the party's, not hers.
Track record & prior candidacies
Her profile mentions no prior campaign. SSelf-stated — ON-HAWKENOne Nation Victoria, "Cheryl Hawken for Bendigo East"View source
She is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Bendigo East results; One Nation's 2022 candidate was Ben Mihail (5.7%). VVerified — WIKI-BEAST-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Bendigo East"View source
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.
Hawken has not previously contested an election, so she has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest. One Nation's 2022 Bendigo East candidate polled 5.7%, above the 4% mark.