Legislative Assembly · District of Berwick
Michael Piastrino
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Berwick›
Berwick covers outer south-eastern Melbourne suburbs including Beaconsfield, Berwick and Clyde North, plus small towns south of Emerald around Cardinia Creek. The district was re-established for the 2022 election, and Liberal candidate Brad Battin won it comfortably, finishing on 50.11% two-candidate-preferred against Labor's 37.26% — a margin of roughly 12.8 points. Battin has held Berwick since the 2022 election and briefly served as Victorian Liberal Opposition Leader (December 2024–November 2025) before losing a party-room spill to Jess Wilson.
Background
Describes himself as an award-winning hairdresser and salon owner (Albert Park, established 2007), boxing promoter and businessman credited with over 140 national and international hairdressing awards, per his One Nation profile. SSelf-stated — ON-PIASTRINOOne Nation Victoria, "Michael Piastrino for Berwick"View source
Local press likewise describes him as an award-winning hairdresser and small business owner who has run his Albert Park salon since 2007. RReported — STAR-DEFECTORBerwick Star News, "Liberal defector takes on friend"View source
Stood as the Liberal candidate for Mulgrave against Daniel Andrews at the 2022 state election. VVerified — WIKI-MULGRAVE-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Mulgrave (Victoria)"View source
After Andrews resigned in 2023, the Liberals chose Courtney Mann rather than Piastrino for the by-election; local press says he then posted on Instagram "we will not support the Liberals". RReported — STAR-DEFECTORBerwick Star News, "Liberal defector takes on friend"View source
Local press describes him as a friend of Berwick MP Brad Battin, and reports he accuses his former party of "backstabbing" and betrayal. RReported — STAR-DEFECTORBerwick Star News, "Liberal defector takes on friend"View source
Says he was born and raised in Melbourne with Italian heritage, and describes himself as "proudly Australian, proudly Italian, a man of faith and a family man". SSelf-stated — ON-PIASTRINOOne Nation Victoria, "Michael Piastrino for Berwick"View source
His profile does not say where he lives, and his salon is in Albert Park rather than the Berwick district.
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Family, which he calls his greatest priority, and community involvement.
Supporting boxing discipline as a pathway for young people to find "direction and purpose".
Passing values of "family, loyalty, respect and a strong work ethic" to the next generation.
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
The One Nation Victoria platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would remove insurance duty on premiums and end renewable subsidies; nothing is attributed to Piastrino personally.
Crime and community safety
Backs boxing as a discipline that gives young people direction and purpose.
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 Piastrino personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would run a comprehensive spending review and phase out payroll tax; nothing is attributed to Piastrino personally.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would invest in regional roads and cap spending on high-profile projects; nothing is attributed to Piastrino 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 platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would establish elected school boards with a parent majority; nothing is attributed to Piastrino personally.
Health and healthcare access
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would offer GP incentives in shortage areas; nothing is attributed to Piastrino personally.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, opposes Net Zero by 2050 and would end new renewable subsidies; nothing is attributed to Piastrino personally.
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 Piastrino personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
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.
Piastrino's stated values (family, faith, work ethic) sit within One Nation's statewide themes, but his profile contains almost no policy, so nearly all positions above are the party's. SSelf-stated — ON-PIASTRINO, ON-VIC-PLATFORMOne Nation Victoria, "Michael Piastrino for Berwick"View sourceOne Nation Victoria, "Victoria, it's time to take our state back"View source
A former Liberal candidate, he joined One Nation after being passed over for the Mulgrave by-election, so his party change is documented in local press. RReported — STAR-DEFECTORBerwick Star News, "Liberal defector takes on friend"View source
Track record & prior candidacies
Contested Mulgrave for the Liberals at the 2022 state election, receiving 6,528 first-preference votes (17.2%), second behind Daniel Andrews's 51.0% and just behind independent Ian Cook (18.0%); not elected. VVerified — WIKI-MULGRAVE-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Mulgrave (Victoria)"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2022 Berwick result, so this is his first Berwick contest. VVerified — WIKI-BERWICK-RESULTSWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Berwick"View source
His One Nation profile does not mention the 2022 Liberal campaign.
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 Mulgrave result of 17.2% cleared the 4% mark, so that campaign qualified for public funding; no funding entitlement carries over to Berwick.